Ultimate Cup: Belén García fights to P8 finish in challenging Portimão 6-hour race
- RACERS
- Jun 4
- 4 min read
After a second place at Mugello, Belén García faced a more challenging third round of the European Endurance Prototype Cup, ultimately finishing eighth after a tough six-hour race at Portimão that forced the ANS Motorsport trio into recovery mode—but still ended with valuable championship points.
Belén García faced a more challenging third round of the European Endurance Prototype Cup on the Ultimate Cup platform, ultimately finishing eighth after a tough six-hour race at Portimão that forced the ANS Motorsport trio into recovery mode—but still ended with valuable championship points.
García had made an impressive return to endurance racing in 2025 after a seven-month break, immediately securing a podium in the opening round at Le Castellet. Driving the #71 NP02 prototype alongside Adrien Chila and Paul Trojani, García demonstrated strong pace and racecraft at a circuit where she had previously celebrated her first endurance win. Despite joining the team on a late deal, she was a serious contender for victory and finished third overall—an excellent start to the season.
Building on that momentum, García continued to shine at Mugello, where she finished second—just one lap short of victory. With no prior experience at the technical Tuscan circuit, the Catalan driver adapted quickly, delivering consistent speed and executing a solid strategy with her teammates.
The team aimed to keep their momentum going at Portimão, Portugal, where Belén had made her LMP3 debut in the Michelin Le Mans Cup back in 2022. The weekend got off to a promising start, with productive test sessions and competitive pace in practice. The #71 NP02 machine even topped the second practice on Friday and finished fourth in the final session before qualifying.
Bronze-rated Adrien Chila took the wheel for Q1, setting a 1:40.502 and going ninth fastest. Paul Trojani followed in Q2 with a 1:39.583, initially going third fastest before dropping to P7 as others improved.
Belén García took over for Q3 and posted a 1:39.661, placing seventh midway through the session and eventually ending P11. Overall, it was a solid qualifying effort, with the trio starting seventh on combined times, albeit a bit more disappointing after their previous runs earlier in the season.
The six-hour race got underway under clear, sunny skies and scorching heat—tough conditions for both cars and drivers. Chila had a great start, nearly grabbing fourth before settling into fifth. He battled bronze-rated Eric Trouillet early on, holding him off for several laps before eventually dropping to sixth and then seventh, maintaining a consistent pace in the 1:41s.
One hour in, a full-course yellow was triggered when the #32 CD Sport NP02 went off at Turn 1. Chila dove into the pits just as the FCY was deployed, but unfortunately, the team missed the timing by seconds—meaning the stop wouldn't count towards the mandatory stops, putting them on the back foot strategically.
Belén García took over and rejoined in P14. When racing resumed with just under five hours to go, she began climbing through the field, reaching P12 by lap 37 and moving into P8 as others pitted. Twenty minutes into her stint, she had made her way into third, then second—36 seconds behind leader Hernandez.
However, towards the end of the stint, the #71 ANS Motorsport was struggling for pace and dropped to third by lap 64. Belén pitted at the two-hour mark from third, handing the car to Paul Trojani, who rejoined in P11. Trojani made quick progress, climbing to sixth and later becoming the fastest driver on track on lap 76.
He passed several competitors and returned to second place as pit cycles played out. He continued with impressive pace in the 1:42s, keeping the team in podium contention. Mid-race, with 2 hours and 50 minutes to go, Chila returned for his second stint, rejoining in P8. He climbed to fourth by lap 117 and temporarily moved up to second before pitting again with just over two hours remaining.
Chila stayed in for a double stint, holding fifth and then ninth after another stop, before handing the car back to Trojani for the final stretch. With 1 hour and 10 minutes to go, Trojani resumed in P10 and gained positions, but would eventually need to stop again. With 47 minutes remaining, Belén García jumped back in, rejoining in P13 - now on a mission to make it back into the top ten.
Now showing strong pace in the 1:42.5s, she immediately started gaining ground, breaking into the top 10 and reducing the gap to the cars ahead. Belén ran some of her best laps of the race, eventually overtaking Basseng and closing in on Alban Nerguti. Lapping three seconds quicker, she caught and passed Nerguti on lap 189, claiming eighth place after gaining nearly 30 seconds during her stint.
Despite a 10-second penalty, she retained P8 at the chequered flag, salvaging valuable points from a race shaped by tough strategy calls and missed opportunities.
“Clearly not our race this time, but still we fought until the end and came back to finish in the points,” García commented. “We will analyse and regroup for the next one at Motorland. Not giving up.”
After a demanding weekend, the ANS Motorsport team will aim to bounce back stronger at the fourth round of the season in Motorland Aragón, Spain, on 4–7 September, as the series heads into the summer break.
