LAURA VAN DEN HENGEL Bounces Back for 6th ProAm Win, Extends Championship Lead

September 22, 2025

by RACERS // from www.racers-behindthehelmet.com

GRRL! SUMMARY:

LAURA VAN DEN HENGEL and teammate Paul Meijer turned a challenging Saturday into championship gold with their sixth ProAm victory at Barcelona, proving once again that we’re watching a driver who refuses to stay down. After missing the podium entirely in Race 1 despite starting from pole, VAN DEN HENGEL came back swinging in wet qualifying conditions, securing ProAm pole before delivering a solid opening stint that set up another masterclass recovery drive. Only in her second full season of car racing, she’s consistently running in the top ten overall and establishing herself among the strongest bronze drivers in the series.
The wet qualifying session showcased exactly why VAN DEN HENGEL belongs at this level, as she navigated treacherous conditions that caught out multiple drivers and red-flagged the session repeatedly. While others spun off in the aquaplaning chaos, she kept it clean and delivered when it mattered, setting a crucial banker lap that secured second in class. Her racecraft in the Sunday race was equally impressive – maintaining position through Turn 1 chaos, defending strongly against faster cars, and keeping the gap to leaders within striking distance before handing over to Meijer for the victory charge.
This Barcelona weekend perfectly encapsulates what makes VAN DEN HENGEL such a compelling championship contender – the ability to maximize results even when the car isn’t perfect. Despite struggling with setup work due to red flag interruptions in practice and facing a 20-second success handicap from their previous dominant weekend, the Burgers Motorsport duo extracted every possible point. With five ProAm podiums at every race meeting this season and now a healthy championship lead heading to Monza, VAN DEN HENGEL has positioned herself to claim the GT Cup Europe ProAm title in what would be a remarkable achievement for someone still in the early stages of her car racing career.