KAREN GAILLARD Recovers 12 Places for First Top-15 Porsche Sprint Challenge Finish

March 2, 2025

GRRL! SUMMARY:

KAREN GAILLARD delivered her breakthrough performance in just her second Porsche Sprint Challenge Southern Europe weekend, climbing from P26 to P14 in Race 1 at Barcelona – a massive 12-place recovery that showcased exactly why she earned that Porsche Junior shootout win. The Swiss Iron Dame navigated multiple safety car restarts and Turn 1 chaos like a veteran, proving she’s quickly adapting to the trickier Cup car dynamics without ABS or full GT3 aero.
We’re watching GAILLARD methodically build the foundation for her upcoming Porsche Carrera Cup France campaign, and this weekend showed real progress from her Valencia debut just seven days earlier. She qualified P16 overall and fourth among rookies with a lap time less than a second off pole – that’s the kind of gap-closing that tells you someone’s putting in serious work between sessions.
Race 2 ended in frustration when GAILLARD was collected in a first-lap incident at Turn 5, spinning and ultimately retiring after a pit stop assessment revealed damage. But here’s what matters: she’s treating these Sprint Challenge outings exactly as intended – as valuable preparation time rather than must-win scenarios. Smart approach for someone building toward bigger goals in France’s premier Porsche series.