Laura Camps makes Ultimate Cup debut with class win, top GT4 at Le Castellet 6 Hours
- RACERS
- 3 hours ago
- 4 min read
Spanish racer Laura Camps Torras continued her rapid progression in GT racing with a strong performance on her Ultimate Cup debut, taking UCS3 class victory and top GT4 honors in the Kennol GT Endurance event at Circuit Paul Ricard.
Spanish racer Laura Camps Torras continued her rapid progression in GT racing with a strong performance on her endurance racing debut, taking UCS3 class victory and top GT4 honors in the Kennol GT Endurance event at Circuit Paul Ricard, part of the Ultimate Cup Series finale.
The 20-year-old joined Switch Racing Team at short notice, continuing a remarkable two-week period in which she made her GT debut and claimed podium finishes in the Porsche Sprint Challenge Iberica at Jerez just a few days prior, driving the Porsche 991 GT3 Cup car.
“Being 100% honest, his was meant to be just a test on Friday — a few laps on the car thanks to Alister [Yoong], who introduced me to the team,” Camps explained. “On the same day, they asked me if I wanted to race the six hours with them, and honestly, I couldn’t say no.”
“Luckily for me, it wasn’t the first time in a GT, as last week I was in Jerez with the GT3, but this one had ABS, which makes braking different. Coming from formulas, everything happens slower, but it’s not as difficult as it seems,” she continued.
After testing the Porsche Cayman GT4 during the build-up to the weekend, Camps was handed a last-minute race seat alongside teammates Franck Galiegue and Jérémy Merires. The trio showed strong pace from the outset, topping the GT4 timesheets in both Saturday practice sessions — their best effort a 2:17.565, confirming Camps' speed.
“The buildup was all about getting as many laps as possible in practice and being as fast as possible — with the short prep time, I needed to be on pace immediately, which I achieved happily", Camps explained.
In qualifying, Merires opened with a 2:18.305 to go 16th overall, before Camps took over for Q2 and delivered a greta run. The Spaniard clocked a 2:16.070, the car’s fastest lap of the weekend so far, moving the team up to 14th overall and again first among GT4s. Galiegue rounded out qualifying with a 2:22.113, securing UCS3 class pole position for the six-hour endurance race on combined times.
When the race began early Monday afternoon, Galiegue took the start from P20 overall, leading the GT4 field. Settling into rhythm, he improved on his qualifying pace with a 2:21.270 before handing over to Merires around the 30-minute mark. Merires maintained the class lead and climbed steadily up the order, running as high as P13 overall by the second hour. His consistency paid off as he broke into the 2:18s, setting a personal best of 2:18.490 before handing the car back to Galiegue to complete his bronze driver time.
After over two hours of racing, Camps was called in for her first stint with around 2 hours and 45 minutes remaining. Rejoining in 15th overall, the young Spaniard immediately impressed, consistently lapping under the 2:20s and setting a new team best of 2:17.0 within minutes. She quickly gained two positions to P13 overall while extending her advantage over all other GT4 entries.
A Full Course Yellow was deployed with just over two hours to go after the #93 Alpine went off and hit the wall, but once the race resumed, Camps stretched her gap to a full lap over the nearest class rival, the #71 Vortex, and four laps ahead of the #19 Alpine. As night fell over Le Castellet, Camps continued her stint, her first running under darkness, gaining invaluable experience while maintaining faultless pace.
With 1 hour and 40 minutes remaining, Galiegue returned to the cockpit for another 40-minute run, keeping the #8 Porsche comfortably ahead among GT4s. Camps then rejoined for the final hour, holding 14th overall and solidly leading the class. As she settled in, the race remained green despite a local yellow for the stranded #117 BMW, and Camps continued to improve. She recorded a 2:15.932, the car’s fastest lap of the race, extending her advantage to six laps over the next-placed GT4.
For the final minutes, Galiegue climbed back aboard and brought the car home safely, even improving his own lap times in the closing stages. As the #20 Vortex hit trouble, the #8 Porsche Cayman GT4 moved up to 13th overall, taking the class victory and completing a flawless endurance round.
“In the race, I took two one-hour stints during the night, and honestly, it was hard but very, very enjoyable", Laura said. "It was an amazing experience, and I couldn’t be more grateful to the Switch Racing Team for this opportunity. I hope you can see me again on track soon!”
It was a convincing result for Laura Camps, who handled two stints, both at night, with consistency and maturity beyond her experience level, as she continues to collect experience in diverse race cars.