Marc Gené
Marc Gené i Guerrero ( born March 29, 1974 in Sabadell ) is a Spanish racing driver. He launched between 1999 and 2004 in Formula 1, winning in 2009, with David Brabham, and Alexander Wurz in the 24- hour race at Le Mans. From 2004 to 2012, he was a test driver in Formula 1 racing team Ferrari.
Genes older brother Jordi is also a racing driver.
- 2.1 Career stations
- 2.2 Statistics in Formula 1 2.2.1 Individual Results
Career
Beginnings in motorsport
Gene began his motorsport career in karting in 1987, which he held until 1991. Among other things, he was 13 years old in 1987 Catalan Vice Kart champion of the national class and winning this and the Spanish Karting Championship a year later. In 1989 he drove in both Europe as well as in the World Cup. In 1990, Gené the Spanish Karting Championship as the youngest driver their history. He was also 13th in the world championship.
In 1992 he moved to Formula racing and was a win fifth in the Spanish Formula Ford 1993, he was vice-champion of the European Formula Ford He also finished second at the Formula Ford Festival and finished eighth overall in the British Formula Ford in 1994, he joined the British formula 3 Championship. After he had in his first season is the top newcomer to 15th overall, in 1995 he became a podium placing eleventh overall. He became a master of the Italian Super Formula 1996.
1997 started Gené four races of the Formula 3000 and finished at the end of the season without points 25th place overall. In 1998 he moved to the Open Fortuna by Nissan, the predecessor series of World Series by Renault. For starting Campos Motorsport won the Spaniard six races and won the championship.
Formula 1
After winning the championship changed Gené 1999 Minardi in Formula 1 After he had reached some place in the top ten pilots, he took sixth at the European Grand Prix on the Nürburgring his first point in Formula 1, he benefited from the failure of his team Luca Badoer Kollegens, who had finished fourth. At the end of the season Gené finished in 17th place overall. In 2000 he stayed with Minardi and received with Gastón Mazzacane a new teammates. Gené had no points, but was faster than Mazzacane. In the overall classification, he finished 19th overall.
After 2001 no cockpit found, he became a test driver at Williams, where he was employed as a test driver for four years. In 2003 he took his next test driver involvement to ten races of the World Series by Nissan, whose previous series, he had won in 1998, in part and decided a race for themselves. In the overall classification, he finished twelfth. Genes personal highlight of the season was the use of the Grand Prix of Italy in 2003, where he went to Williams for the launch as a replacement for the injured Ralf Schumacher. He was fifth that finished 17th in the drivers' world championship. A season later, the Spaniards came again for Williams to use. After a serious accident by Ralf Schumacher Gené was allowed to start in two races. Since he could not meet the expectations of the team, he was then replaced by Antonio Pizzonia. In the overall classification, he finished 23rd place this season.
End of 2004, Gene moved to Ferrari, where he also got the task of the test driver. He met with Ferrari on his former Minardi team mate Badoer, who had long been active as a test driver of the Scuderia. Despite the 2007 test limits adopted and came into force from 2009 test ban Gené was further obliged by Ferrari as a test driver and was also in 2010 together with Badoer and Giancarlo Fisichella as a test pilot of the Italians under contract. Gené is until the end of the 2013 season a test driver for Ferrari.
GT and sports car racing
Parallel to his involvement as a Formula 1 test driver for Ferrari 2006, he received the opportunity to two races of the American Le Mans Series in a Ferrari F430 GT participate. Both runs he finished in the points, but missed with both Toni Vilander, as well as with Mario Dominguez Podium its class. In 2007 he was hired by Team Peugeot Total for the Le Mans prototype project. He now start with Nicolas Minassian in the Le Mans Series. In the 2007 season he finished three of the six championship runs as the winner, but he and Minassian in the overall standings at the end of the year was only third. In the not to the championship scoring 24 - hour race at Le Mans 2007 he Minassian and Jacques Villeneuve was supported. However, the Peugeot 908 HDi FAP retired with engine failure. The driver duo 2008 remained at Peugeot and finished with two overall wins and another podium finish the season in the Le Mans Series as runner-up. At the official test day before the 24 - hour race at Le Mans in 2008 with the diesel prototype crashed Gené while his vehicle destroyed so much that needed to be made a new chassis for Le Mans. Gené was uninjured, run a few days later in the race and crossed with Villeneuve and Minassian the finish line behind main rival Audi Sport North America in second place overall.
2009 Peugeot now completely focused on Le Mans and came only at the 1000- km race at Spa -Francorchamps in the Le Mans Series. In addition, the vehicle occupations rotated at Peugeot and he got so with Alexander Wurz and David Brabham two new teammates. At Spa, the driver trio indeed able to finish due to technical problems, not took the 12th place but finished in the points. At the 24 - hour race at Le Mans in 2009, he won, Wurz and Brabham the endurance classic with a lap ahead of the second Peugeot 908 HDi FAP of the factory teams and thus ended the five-year winning streak of Audi. 2010 Gené was then used in another long distance race. He, Wurz and Anthony Davidson finished the 12 - hour race at Sebring in her first start as the overall winner. At the 24 - hour race at Le Mans his team was eliminated this year.