RACING driver Marta Garcia is recovering in the hospital after a high-speed crash left her trapped inside her flaming Porsche.<br /><br />The first F1 Academy champion smashed into a barrier at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on Saturday.<br /><br />The incident occurred during Le Mans Cup action at the venue, which plays host to Formula One’s Spanish Grand Prix.<br /><br />Garcia was in the lead of the GT3 class for Iron Dames when her Porsche 911 was clipped from behind by the second-placed Elesio Donno in the AF Corse Ferrari.<br /><br />The hit sent Garcia, 24, hurtling into the tyre wall barrier at speed as the wrecked airborne Porsche flew back onto the circuit, with cars surrounding it.<br /><br />The rear of the car then immediately burst into flames after coming to a stop in the middle of the back straight.<br /><br />Several sets of tyres also flew across the track as drivers swerved and dodged the sea of debris.<br /><br />The race was instantly red flagged and Garcia later revealed she was trapped inside her car, before marshals broke the door to get her out.<br /><br />She was able to walk away from the wreckage and was taken to the hospital for precautionary checks after inhaling too much smoke.<br /><br />But Garcia has since opened up about her panic while she scrambled to find a way out of the trapped door.<br /><br />The former Renault F1 junior driver posted a picture of herself in a hospital bed on Instagram, alongside an update for fans.<br /><br />The Spaniard wrote: "Hello everyone, yesterday I experienced one of the toughest moments in my career.<br /><br />"The car caught fire, and although I managed to get out by myself, I inhaled some smoke and felt dizzy afterwards.<br /><br />"I couldn’t open my door because it was stuck from the impact, and I started panicking as more and more smoke was coming into the car.<br /><br />"Until the marshals broke the co-driver’s door and got me out. I’m so thankful to them for reacting so quickly and for the job they did."<br /><br />Garcia will spend another night in the hospital as a precaution.<br /><br />Thankfully, all the scans came back clear, but she feels "shaken".<br /><br />After a lengthy clean-up, the race resumed with 30 minutes to go.<br /><br />The Le Mans Cup race was won outright by Cedric Oltramare and David Droux for CLX Motorsport in their LMP3 Ligier JS P325.
