From her car racing debut up to her GT3 debut, Laura van den Hengel has never been afraid to pursue the toughest challenges. A last-minute call-up saw her take on her first-ever GT3 race at the 12H of Mugello - and she delivered a consistent and clean performance, steadily improving her pace in challenging weather conditions while gaining invaluable experience.
Laura van den Hengel is certainly a driver who has never taken the easy road.
From karting to making her race car debut in a Porsche 992 GT3 Cup at the end of 2023, she has always sought the toughest challenges. Competing in a handful of GT Cup Open Europe races in her first season, she quickly showcased her potential before committing to her first full GT racing campaign the following year. Pushing herself in the most competitive environments, van den Hengel has never been afraid of a steep learning curve.
The 2024 season was a year of development for the Dutch racer as she switched to Ferrari machinery, learning a new car while also tackling new circuits. Despite these challenges, it didn’t take long for her to make an impression. A few rounds into the season, her performance in both qualifying and race pace proved she had what it takes to be among the top AM-class drivers in the series. While podium results narrowly eluded her, she showed significant improvement throughout the season—enough to attract the attention of the groundbreaking all-female Iron Dames team.
For 2025, van den Hengel has in fact joined the “Supported by Iron Dames” project—a talent incubator designed to provide resources, visibility, and development opportunities for promising female drivers who align with the team’s values. Notably, she is the only GT racer selected for the program. As a bronze-rated driver, her presence is a valuable asset in sports car racing, where her categorization plays a strategic role in endurance racing.
While announcing her GT Cup Open Europe program with the newly formed Burgers Motorsport by HWM venture, where she will race alongside experienced driver Paul Meijer, an unexpected opportunity arose before her season had even begun. A last-minute call-up saw her take on her first-ever GT3 race at the 12H of Mugello, the European season opener of the 24H Series by Creventic.
With barely any time to prepare—or even process the opportunity—Laura responded with an enthusiastic ‘yes’ less than a day before she was set to drive the car for the first time. She would be racing on one of the most demanding circuits in Europe, Mugello, a track known for its high-speed, undulating, and technical corners that require absolute confidence in a car’s downforce.
"I was planning to have a barbecue this weekend, but this is better than a barbecue," Laura joked as she arrived at the circuit. She was set to compete in the #73 Porsche 911 GT3 R, operated by Proton Huber Competition, alongside an elite driver lineup featuring reigning FIA WEC champion and platinum-rated Klaus Bachler, silver-rated Manuel Lauck, and bronze-rated Jorg Dreisow. The team would be battling in the highly competitive GT3 ProAm class.
Despite not having experience of GT3 machinery, van den Hengel remained unfazed by the challenge. The Autodromo del Mugello, located in the scenic Tuscan hills, demands commitment and precision, especially in high-speed, banked corners where aerodynamics play a crucial role. Laura’s first opportunity to get behind the wheel came on Thursday during pre-event testing, where she completed just under 20 laps on older tyres. Even with limited track time, she quickly found her rhythm, setting encouraging lap times. By the end of the session, the team had posted the second-fastest time in class—in a promising start to the weekend.
On Friday morning, another test session provided additional track time before the official practice session. Van den Hengel continued to improve, initially running in the 1:51s, before progressing to a 1:50s pace. Her improvements were especially noticeable in Sector 1. Later in the session, Manuel Lauck further improved the car’s pace, setting the fastest time overall in the GT3 ProAm class, confirming that the #73 Porsche had the speed to contend at the front.
"I was still getting to know the car, and trying to find confidence with the aero in such fast and flowing corners, which requires some driving time", Laura commented. "But for a first day and on older tyres it was a solid start. Mugello is really difficult and I was trying to find the right balance."
"I tried to pick up as much information as possible from the team and analyzing data was really helpful. I'm still not satisfied, it's a big learning curve but I'm here to learn."
Friday afternoon saw the start of three-session qualifying, beginning with Jorg Dreisow in Q1. Despite a spin on fresh tyres early in the session, he recovered to set a 1:50.576, placing the team fifth in class and 13th among all GT3 entries. Manuel Lauck took over in Q2, delivering a strong 1:47.102 that put the team back into serious contention. Finally, Klaus Bachler took the wheel for Q3, shaving off even more time with a 1:47.061. With an average qualifying time of 1:48.246, the #73 Porsche secured third place in the GT3 ProAm class and an impressive fifth overall on the grid.
However, with heavy rain expected overnight, the race remained wide open. Sure enough, on Saturday morning, the rain arrived, making conditions extremely difficult for the 32 teams on the grid. With a circuit as challenging as Mugello, the Michelin 12H of Mugello was set to be a true test of skill and consistency.
Manuel Lauck took the start for the #73 Proton Huber Porsche, rolling off P5 overall and third in the GT3 ProAm class. At Turn 1, the German driver made a bold move to the inside, jumping to second overall in an outstanding start. As he completed Lap 1, he held P2 overall and in class, already pulling away from the cars behind.
Just after three laps, Lauck had extended a six-second gap to Josef Kral in third.
By Lap 12, Kral had however cut the gap to under a second, forcing Lauck into defensive mode. Eventually, Kral found a way past, moving Lauck down to third in class again.
The race’s first Code 60 caution was deployed when Calmon’s Vortex ended up in the gravel at Turn 15.
Lauck took the opportunity to pit under caution, handing the car over to Klaus Bachler. Moments later, another Code 60 was triggered when Lajoux beached his car in the gravel at Turn 1. Bachler pitted once more under Code 60 to top off on fuel before the race returned to green. However, the challenging conditions continued to catch drivers out, leading to yet another Code 60 for Porsche Baltic’s Kupcikas, who went off into the gravel. After the pit cycle, the #73 Proton Huber Porsche was running P7 overall and third in class. Once the race resumed, Bachler was immediately the fastest driver on track, overtaking Prinz for sixth overall.
By Lap 27, he made up another position in class, passing Cutrera for second in class. Still flying, Bachler climbed to P4 overall by Lap 30, continuously overtaking cars while cutting the gap to leader Josef Kral to under a minute. On Lap 32, he overtook Liang for third overall, further extending his margin over Cutrera behind.
Another Code 60 was deployed on Lap 40 when Duffieux went off into the gravel, presenting an opportunity for a pit stop and driver change. Lauck returned behind the wheel and later pitted again under the next Code 60, triggered by Donaldson’s incident in the IRC GT machine.
When Lauck rejoined, he was now second overall and, crucially, the class leader.
More incidents followed, including Corinna Gostner beached in her MP Racing Mercedes and a Vortex crashing into the barriers, leading to consecutive Code 60s. This played into the hands of Proton Huber, as the Pellin Racing Ferrari pitted under caution, allowing the #73 Porsche to take the overall race lead. Two more quick Code 60s followed, giving Lauck the chance to refuel.
When the race returned to green, Lauck maintained the overall and class lead, setting strong lap times before another scheduled refueling stop. At this point, he had built a 43-second gap to Jelmini in the Pellin Ferrari and a 50-second lead over Nicolae.
Another Code 60 was deployed when Lajoux’s Porsche 992 ended up in the gravel, prompting Lauck to pit. Jorg Dreisow took over the car for his first stint, now on fresh wet tyres.
Still in the lead, De Castro began closing in. By Lap 72, De Castro overtook Dreisow for the class lead. Over the next laps, Dreisow fell behind Tweraser and Matus Vyboh, settling into third in class as he gradually found his rhythm. With more confidence, his lap times improved.
By Lap 89, Dreisow set his personal best with a 2:17 lap time. He stayed out during the next Code 60 but, unfortunately, when the race went back to green, he lost control and hit the wall.
It was a major setback for the team, which had been a class victory contender all race - however in extremely tricky conditions that had caught out even experienced drivers. The car suffered significant front-end damage, and the stricken Porsche was recovered by a tow truck.
However, the Proton Huber Competition mechanics worked tirelessly, managing to repair the car in just over an hour. Their incredible effort paid off as the car was sent back out with Manuel Lauck behind the wheel for a check. Remarkably, Lauck immediately set purple sectors on his first flying lap, proving the car was still competitive.
After a few laps, Lauck pitted, and Laura van den Hengel took over for her first stint of the race, continuing on old wet tyres. Getting up to speed, Sector 1 was initially her strongest, where she was competitive also against the rest of the field. She soon broke into the 2:10s, and on the next lap, she improved to the 2:09s, despite the still extremely difficult and rapidly changing conditions.
The track remained in fact very wet, making it one of the toughest scenarios for any driver—even more so for a GT3 rookie. Nevertheless, van den Hengel handled it well, keeping the car clean throughout her stint. By Lap 114, she set her best lap of the race with a 2:06.6, matching the first-sector times of drivers inside the top five.
Another Code 60 was deployed when Alexander Prinz spun into the gravel on his out-lap on slicks, proving how treacherous conditions remained. Van den Hengel pitted for fuel but stayed on old wets, while the team made setup adjustments to improve the car’s handling in the unpredictable conditions.
During her next pit stop, van den Hengel remained in the car, this time switching to fresh wet tyres. While the track initially appeared to be drying, more rain arrived. A Vortex went off, bringing out another Code 60 with just 10 minutes to go in Part 1 of the race.
At the seven-hour mark, van den Hengel completed Part 1 of the 12H of Mugello, crossing the line fifth in class and 29th overall.
"The first day was tough, conditions were not easy and I didn't want to make mistakes, so that was the main target", she said. "I've always been fast in the rain but I'm getting more confidence in the car at every outing, and there was no need to take unnecessary risks."
Sunday morning marked the start of Part 2, with more overnight rain leaving the track damp. However, the downpour had stopped by the time the race resumed. Klaus Bachler was the designated driver for the #73 Proton Huber Porsche.
Bachler made an incredible start, charging from 13th on the main grid to second on the road by the end of Lap 1, despite still running 33 laps off the overall race lead and 28 laps behind the nearest competitor. Shortly after, a Code 60 was deployed for Tim Müller’s car stranded in the gravel.
Despite the delay, the team never gave up. Instead, they treated the final five hours as an extended test session, pushing hard to extract the maximum from the car and gain more experience.
Bachler was consistently the fastest on track, engaging in a thrilling battle with David Fumanelli’s Kessel Racing Ferrari. On Lap 149, he set the fastest lap of the race, and by Lap 156, he came into the pits for the team's first scheduled stop. Bachler remained in the car and switched to slick tyres, making the #73 Porsche one of the first cars to take the gamble on dry-weather rubber.
On his first flying lap on slicks, he immediately set the fastest lap of the race, then improved further to a 1:52.3. However, another Code 60 caution followed after Piktys’ Porsche Baltic entry went off into the gravel. The #73 Porsche took advantage of the caution to pit, with Jorg Dreisow taking over driving duties. Dreisow steadily improved his lap times in the opening phase of his stint. Unfortunately, he had a brief spin, which triggered another Code 60. However, the car remained undamaged, and after a quick pit stop, he was able to continue without issues. Dreisow settled into consistent 1:55 lap times throughout his stint.
Dreisow then pitted to hand the car over to Laura van den Hengel, who started her second stint on fresh slick tyres. Her first flying lap was a 1:54.0, and she continued to gain confidence with each lap, improving to 1:53.8, then 1:53.2.
Despite a few cars going off in the gravel in the changeable conditions, Laura kept her composure and continued improving. She soon set a new personal best of 1:53.1. By Lap 200, she posted her best final sector of the race, and on the next lap, with clear track ahead, she clocked a 1:52.7. Navigating traffic with growing confidence, she managed another lap in the 1:52s, demonstrating increasing comfort in race conditions.
After a 24-lap stint, she brought the car back into the pits. Her run was extremely consistent, with a safe approach—not taking unnecessary risks but showing solid progress. It was a strong step forward for the Dutchwoman, who completed another clean, mistake-free stint.
With Klaus Bachler back in the car, the Austrian immediately set a personal best lap, followed by the fastest lap of the entire race, proving once again that the #73 Porsche had podium-worthy pace. Over his 28-lap stint, he was the fastest driver on track for much of the run before handing the car over to Jorg Dreisow for the final 45 minutes.
Dreisow completed the race with a solid and controlled stint, consistently lapping in the 1:55s. Taking no risks, he brought the car home safely in fifth place in the GT3 ProAm class and 27th overall.
It was a strong second day for Proton Huber Competition, with all drivers delivering solid performances despite the setback in Part 1 of the race.
"I feel better with today's stint. Obviously I'm still not where I want to be, and I'm aware that I need all the track time possible", she summarized. "But overall I can say that I was feeling the car better, I felt the setup adjustments and I was getting better at each lap."
For Laura van den Hengel, the race was an invaluable opportunity to gain experience at this level of racing. Competing against highly experienced GT3 drivers, she delivered a consistent performance, keeping it clean throughout her first endurance race of this length. The race provided great learning moments, particularly from working alongside teammates like platinum-rated driver Klaus Bachler, a priceless experience for her development as a racing driver.
"It was a great learning opportunity, and I’m massively grateful to Iron Dames and Huber Racing for this crazy last-minute chance", Laura concluded. "It was one of the biggest challenges, and I will continue to work hard for the next ones."
While the final result didn’t reflect the pace of the car, van den Hengel gained valuable track time and must be commended for taking on such a last minute challenge; the Supported by Iron Dames driver will now continue her preparation for the upcoming GT Cup Open Europe season.
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