Natacha Gachnang

Biography

Natacha Gachnang was born October 27, 1987, in Vevey, Switzerland, a picturesque town on the north shore of Lake Geneva. A precocious youngster with an adventurous spirit, she was introduced to racing by her grandfather Georges, an accomplished driver who spent his own youth competing in some of Europe’s most prestigious endurance events, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the 24 Hours Nürburgring. Georges placed her

behind the wheel of a go-kart when she was just 5 years old, and as Natacha Gachnang recalls, she was immediately hooked. "I don't remember asking to try it,” she says. “But, once I started I liked it."

natacha gachnang joins the bmw adac f

or

mula junior cup series

Natacha Gachnang spent the ensuing decad e sharpening her skills before eventually capturing Switzerland’s coveted Junior Karting Championship in 2001. The victory convinced her she could compete with the big boys, and she graduated to the BMW ADAC Formula Junior Cup series the following year, finishing fourth out of 64 drivers during her inaugural season. Natacha Gachnang proved to be one of the fiercest drivers in the series over the next three years as she captured three podium finishes while routinely outpacing more celebrated drivers like Federico Montoya, the younger brother of Indy 500 winner Juan Pablo Montoya.

natacha gachnang graduates to formu

la 3

Natacha Gachnang switched gears again in 2006 when she joined the ultra-competitive Formula 3 Circuit, where she r

aced to nine top 10 finishes. Despite her success, Formula 3 proved to be too expensive an undertaking and she was forced to consider other options at the end of season. “We thought it was better that we go one step back and pay to go in the best team and race for the best sponsor, but it was not possible to drive BMW,” she explains. “So we chose Formula Mazda. [It] is a good series because it has some races with Champ Car and the American Le Mans Series." It proved to be a savvy move, and Natacha Gachnang enjoyed an unbroken string of top 10 finishes in 2007, including a second place finish in Portland and a third place finish in Cleveland. She also spent part of the year competing in the F3 Euro Series and the Austrian Formula 3 series, where she finished in fourth place overall.

natacha gachnang dominates the spanish formula 3 series

2008 was another big year of change for Natacha Gachnang as she migrated to the Spanish Formula 3 series. Although the scenery may have been different, the results were the same and she thoroughly dominated the competition, racking up five wins, 12 podium finishes, three pole positions, and seven fastest laps in just 17 races en route to finishing third in the overall championship standings.

natacha gachnang joins the formula 2 series

Natacha Gachnang began 2009 in yet another new series as she joined the recently re-established Formula 2 circuit. “F2 will be a big step up from F3, and people might expect me to struggle, but I’m really looking forward to the challenge and showing everyone what I can do,” she says. “As a driver you want to be racing against the best because you need to be constantly challenging yourself to get better.” The Formula 2 season begins on May 29th in Valencia, Spain.