Laura van den Hengel

Laura van den Hengel is a Dutch GT driver who moved straight from karting into sportscar racing. In 2025 she became the first woman to win a title in a GT Sport championship, and in 2026 she races for Iron Dames in the GT2 European Series. #ThroughHerEyes

Laura van den Hengel: Fast Facts

Nationality: Dutch
FIA rating: Bronze
2026 team: Iron Dames by SP Racing (#85, Pro-Am)
2026 series: GT2 European Series
Team-mate: Sarah Bovy
Biggest title: GT Cup Europe Pro-Am champion 2025

From karting to GT cars

Van den Hengel started karting in 2010 and won the Dutch karting championship in the O18 class. After a break from racing she switched to GT cars, without the usual years in single-seaters. Early in 2025 she joined the “Supported by Iron Dames” programme after a test.

A historic 2025

In 2025 she raced in GT Cup Europe with Paul Meijer for Burgers Motorsport by HWM. She won the Pro-Am class in the season opener at Portimão, the first race win for a woman in the series, and added more class wins at Spa-Francorchamps, Paul Ricard and Barcelona before clinching the Pro-Am title at Monza. It made her the first woman to win a title in a championship promoted by GT Sport.

Iron Dames in 2026

For 2026 she moved up to the Iron Dames main programme, sharing the #85 car with Sarah Bovy in the Pro-Am class of the GT2 European Series. Read more: Iron Dames close their GT2 season at Portimão.

Sources: Iron Dames, Racers Behind the Helmet.