The guardian angel of AF Corse’s tires

At only 24 years old, Laura Gonsard is participating in the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the third time. In 2022, she is in charge of monitoring and preparing the tires for the Italian team AF Corse's Ferrari number 61.

Logo Mi mini
Rédigé par Par

Friday morning. In the stands of the 24 Hours of Le Mans circuit, activity is at its peak. Yet, on the track, no cars. No engine revving, no action. But all the participating teams and the numerous mechanics are busy preparing for the famous endurance race, which will start this Saturday at 4 p.m.

Among all these little hands that make up the immense anthill that is the stands and paddock of the Circuit de la Sarthe, a rare feminine presence is noticed at the back of AF Corse’s garage. In the midst of stacks of tires, which are sometimes taller than her, Laura Gonsard works hard to prepare the wheels of the Ferrari emblazoned with the number 61, which will start from the 19th row.

From the FFSA Academy to endurance.

The 24-year-old young woman is participating in the largest endurance race in the world for the third time. In 2019, for her first experience, she joined the SMP team, which was in the LMP1 category (Prototype). Two years later, it is the IDEC Sport team (LMP2) that she has gained the trust of.

“At IDEC, I was at the fire extinguisher, I’m quite small, I had a helmet and a suit. When they saw me, a mechanic said, ‘oh, you look like a Pokémon’ and it stuck.”

Since she was 10 years old, the Saint-Chéronnaise (Essonne) has been passionate about cars and wants to follow in the footsteps of her childhood idol. « My favorite actor was Patrick Dempsey and I saw in an interview that he was into motorsports. Some time later, it was the 24 hours race. He was participating, so I watched it. And at that age, you want to kind of follow what your idol does. I watched the race and when I saw the mechanics during the pit stops, I thought to myself, “oh, I want to do that”. »

Wishing to fuel her passion for motor racing, she is pursuing a Vocational Baccalaureate in mechanics before continuing with a BTS in automotive mechanic technician. In 2018, she applied to the FFSA Academy, where she was eventually accepted. During her training at the center located near the Le Mans circuit, she completed several internships with top teams. “I did my first internship at ART Grand Prix and then a second one at IDEC Sport,” said the young woman, who also enjoys horseback riding and tennis.

It's his third time at Le Mans.

Unfortunately, after her year of training, she fails to join one of the two teams where she completed an internship. But with a bit of luck, she lands a job. I received an email saying that the Spark Technology team was looking for a mechanic for the construction of Extreme E vehicles (electric off-road championship). I thought to myself, “It’s a way to get a foot in the motorsport industry,” so I joined them for a year, reveals the person who loved playing with toy cars during her childhood.

Following this short experience, she gives it another try at IDEC Sport, where a position becomes available. This time, it’s the right one. The French team hires her and puts her in charge of fire safety, where she takes care of extinguishers. She then has to wear a full suit and a helmet that protects her from fire, which gives birth to her nickname. « Upon seeing me, a mechanic said, “oh, you look like a Pokémon.” It stuck. »

A return to the roots

However, a finger injury ended his season during an endurance round at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit. After a long period of inactivity, his contract was not extended. He bounces back within the Italian AF Corse team for the 2022 24 Hours of Le Mans.

There, she swaps her fireproof suit to take care of the Michelin tires on car number 61. « I manage everything related to temperature, their pressure, and the delivery of the tires to the car during pit stops », specifies the mechanic whose nails are colored like Pikachu and Poké-balls, a little nod to her nickname.

The rear wheel can reach 25 kilos.

Throughout the race week, she is required to work on sets that can weigh up to 25 kilograms for the rear wheels. It’s not always an easy situation for the young woman. However, we always manage to get by. Compared to some men, we may have less strength, but we increase our muscle mass and there are techniques available.

Considering herself lucky to be part of one of the most victorious teams in GT (Grand Touring) at Le Mans, the Saint-Chéron native would like to go back to her roots and work on pure mechanics. “I don’t think it’s possible at AF Corse, I don’t have enough experience,” said the woman who holds the position of “tire changer.” To achieve this, she has several ideas in mind. One of them would be to apply to smaller teams before returning to the ranks of AF Corse. Regardless of her future employer’s name, Laura Gonsard has only one goal and she clearly states it: “I want to stay in motorsport.”

Votre commentaire

Vous recevrez un e-mail de vérification pour publier votre commentaire.

Haut
Motorsinside English
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.