Marc Gené facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Marc Gené

Gené in 2007
Born	Marc Gené i Guerrero (1974-03-29) 29 March 1974 (age 51) Sabadell, Spain
Formula One World Championship career
Nationality	Spanish
Active years	1999–2000, 2003–2004
Teams	Minardi, Williams
Entries	36
Championships	0
Wins	0
Podiums	0
Career points	5
Pole positions	0
Fastest laps	0
First entry	1999 Australian Grand Prix
Last entry	2004 British Grand Prix
24 Hours of Le Mans career Years 2007–2014 Teams Team Peugeot Total, Audi Sport Team Joest Best finish 1st (2009) Class wins 1 (2009)

Marc Gené i Guerrero (born March 29, 1974) is a Spanish professional racing driver. He is well known for testing Formula One cars for teams like Williams and Ferrari. He also raced in Formula One for the Minardi team. Outside of F1, he was a factory driver for Peugeot's Le Mans team. He even won the famous 2009 24 Hours of Le Mans race with Peugeot. Marc's brother, Jordi, is also a racing driver. Marc started 36 Formula One races. He earned his first point in F1 at the 1999 European Grand Prix.

After his racing career, Marc Gené started commenting on Formula One races for Spanish television. He also became an expert analyst for Sky Sport F1 HD in Italy. Today, he continues to work with Ferrari as their brand ambassador.

Marc Gené's Early Racing Days

Marc Gené was born in Sabadell, Spain. He started his racing journey in karting at age 13. In 1987, he finished second in the Catalan Kart Championship. The next year, 1988, he won both the Catalan and Spanish Kart Championships. In 1990, he became the youngest driver to win the Senior Class of the Spanish Kart Championship.

In 1992, Marc moved up to Formula Ford racing. He finished fifth in the Spanish championship, winning one race. In 1993, he was the runner-up in the European Championship. He also took second place at the Formula Ford World Cup and Festival. In 1994, he was named Rookie of the Year in the British Formula 3 Championship. Later, in 1998, he won the Open Fortuna by Nissan Championship. He won six races and earned three pole positions that year.

Marc Gené in Formula One

Marc Gené got his big chance in Formula One in 1999. He joined the Minardi team as a race driver. It was a tough year for the team. However, Marc managed to score his first Formula One point. He finished sixth at the 1999 European Grand Prix. This was Minardi's first point since 1995. He continued with Minardi in 2000 but did not score any points. His best finishes that year were eighth place at the Australian and Austrian Grands Prix.

Gené during practice for the 2004 British Grand Prix.

Testing Formula One Cars

In 2001, Marc Gené became a test driver for the Williams team. Test drivers help develop the car and practice for races. He raced in three Grands Prix as a substitute driver. His first substitute race was the 2003 Italian Grand Prix. He filled in for Ralf Schumacher and finished fifth, earning four points. In 2004, he raced in the French and British Grands Prix. After these races, he did not compete in F1 again.

Gené testing for Ferrari in 2007.

In November 2004, Marc Gené joined Scuderia Ferrari as a test driver. He continued in this role for several years. Testing rules in Formula One changed, which limited how much he could drive. At the end of 2010, he was replaced as a Ferrari test driver.

Sportscar Racing Adventures

Marc Gené also became a factory driver for Peugeot. He raced their 908 HDi FAP car in the Le Mans Series and the 24 Hours of Le Mans race. In 2008, he had a crash during practice for the 2008 24 Hours of Le Mans but was not seriously hurt.

A year later, in 2009, he had a fantastic race. The Peugeot car he shared with David Brabham and Alex Wurz won the 2009 24 Hours of Le Mans. This was a huge victory for Peugeot. Marc drove the final part of the race, bringing the car across the finish line. This win helped stop Audi's winning streak at the event. He also won the 1000 km Spa endurance race in 2008.

Career Highlights

• Grands Prix started: 36
• Points scored: 5
• Best Championship position: 17th (2003)
• Most points in one season: 4 (2003)
• Best race finish: 5th (2003 Italian Grand Prix)
• Best starting position: 5th (2003 Italian Grand Prix)

Formula One Race Results

(key)

24 Hours of Le Mans Results

Year	Team	Co-Drivers	Car	Class	Laps	Pos.	Class Pos.
2007	Team Peugeot Total	Nicolas Minassian Jacques Villeneuve	Peugeot 908 HDi FAP	LMP1	338	DNF	DNF
2008	Team Peugeot Total	Nicolas Minassian Jacques Villeneuve	Peugeot 908 HDi FAP	LMP1	381	2nd	2nd
2009	Team Peugeot Total	David Brabham Alexander Wurz	Peugeot 908 HDi FAP	LMP1	382	1st	1st
2010	Team Peugeot Total	Anthony Davidson Alexander Wurz	Peugeot 908 HDi FAP	LMP1	360	DNF	DNF
2011	Peugeot Sport Total	Anthony Davidson Alexander Wurz	Peugeot 908	LMP1	351	4th	4th
2012	Audi Sport Team Joest	Romain Dumas Loïc Duval	Audi R18 ultra	LMP1	366	5th	5th
2013	Audi Sport Team Joest	Oliver Jarvis Lucas di Grassi	Audi R18 e-tron quattro	LMP1	347	3rd	3rd
2014	Audi Sport Team Joest	Tom Kristensen Lucas di Grassi	Audi R18 e-tron quattro	LMP1-H	376	2nd	2nd
Sources:

Images for kids

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  Gené won the 2010 12 Hours of Sebring with team-mates Alexander Wurz and Anthony Davidson.

See also

In Spanish: Marc Gené para niños