| Laura van den Hengel | |
|---|---|
| Nationality |  Dutch |
| Born | 27 February 1991 Achterveld, Utrecht, Netherlands |
| Racing licence |  FIA Bronze |
| Championship titles | |
| 2025 | GT Cup Open Europe – Pro-Am |
Laura van den Hengel (born 27 February 1991 in Achterveld) is a Dutch racing driver. [1] [2]
van den Hengel started karting in 2010. Competing for TR Motorsport in 2011, [3] van den Hengel won the Dutch Karting Championship in the O18 class and raced with them until 2013. [4] [5] Returning to karts in 2018 after a five-year hiatus, [6] van den Hengel raced in karts until 2021, competing for CRG Holland in the KZ2 and KZ class of the German and Dutch Karting Championships, respectively. [7] [8]
After a move to the GT Cup Championship fell through in 2022, [9] van den Hengel tested a Mazda MX-5 Cup car at Assen, ahead of the final round of the MX-5 Nederland championship. [10] Half a year later, van den Hengel made her car racing debut in GT Cup Open Europe, joining Ghinzani Arco Motorsport alongside Maurizio Fondi in the Am class. [11] Racing in the Paul Ricard and Monza rounds, van den Hengel finished ninth in class in race two at Paul Ricard, [12] and eighth in class at Monza in both races. [13]
In 2024 van den Hengel returned to GT Cup Open Europe, joining Mertel Motorsport alongside Alba Vázquez. [14] After finishing in the top 10 in class in the opening round of the season at Algarve, [15] van den Hengel scored her first top five of the season at Spa in race two with a fifth-place finish. [16] At the penultimate round of the season at Barcelona, van den Hengel scored her best class result, finishing fourth in race two. [17] van den Hengel was joined by Tommaso Lovati for the season finale at Monza. In the two season-ending races, van den Hengel suffered a puncture in race one and finished outside of the top 20, while in race two she retired due to a mechanical issue. [18] During 2024, van den Hengel made a one-off appearance in the 2024 Italian GT Cup Sprint Championship for SP Racing at Mugello alongside Ian Rodríguez. [19] Starting from class pole in race one, van den Hengel finished second in the Pro-Am class on her series debut. [20]
In early 2025, van den Hengel became the one of three drivers to be part of Iron Dames' "Supported by Iron Dames" programme. [21] [22] One month later it was announced that van den Hengel would return to GT Cup Open Europe, driving for Burgers motorsport by HWM alongside Paul Meijer. [23] In her second full-time season in GT Cup Europe, Van den Hengel began the year with a win at Algarve, [24] before taking a double win at Spa and Le Castellet, [25] and taking further wins at Barcelona and Monza to seal the Pro-Am title. [26] Ahead of the GT Cup Open Europe season, van den Hengel competed in the 12 Hours of Mugello for Proton Huber Competition in GT3 Pro-Am. [27] In her first race in GT3 machinery, van den Hengel finished 5th in class and 13th in GT3. [28]
| Season | Series | Team | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | International Super Cup - KZ2 | Laura van den Hengel | NC |
| Sources: [29] | |||
| Season | Series | Team | Races | Wins | Poles | F/Laps | Podiums | Points | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | GT Cup Open Europe – Am | Ghinzani Arco Motorsport | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20th |
| 2024 | GT Cup Open Europe – Am | Mertel Motorsport | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 14th |
| Italian GT Sprint Championship – GT Cup Pro-Am | SP Racing | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 16 | NC | |
| 2025 | 24H Series – GT3 Pro-Am | Proton Huber Competition | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | NC |
| GT Cup Open Europe – Pro-Am | Burgers Motorsport by Hans Weijs Motorsport | 12 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 9 | 69 | 1st |