24h Le Mans
The Iron Dames once again captured people's hearts in their sixth consecutive appearance in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The trio Sarah Bovy/Rahel Frey/Michelle Gatting delivered an exemplary performance in the new and highly competitive LMGT3 category at the wheel of their Lamborghini Huracán LMGT3 Evo 2, finishing fifth.
Since the 2019 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Iron Dames have continued to demonstrate their speed, and this year was no exception. A bold strategy out of the gate allowed Rahel Frey to reach P3 in the LMGT3 category. However, an incident with Porsche Penske Motorsport's #4 Porsche 963 cost the team a full minute. Despite the setback, the all-female trio remained competitive, carrying out masterful stints.
Michelle Gatting and Rahel Frey delivered outstanding performances during the night, taking the #85 Lamborghini back to P3 by dawn. After the hours ticked by and sporadic showers continued to disrupt the race, the Iron Dames made it to the chequered flag in fifth place behind Manthey EMA, Team WRT and Proton Competition.
Sarah Bovy: I think that since we arrived this week, I’ve been saying that if we finished in the top five, we’d be happy. We know that this is a new category and we’ve been building up little by little, but we knew that the competition here would be very fast. The team did a great job in terms of strategy, car preparation and reliability. Hats off to the team for that. We’ve done nothing but climb up the field and I don’t have the disappointment of thinking that we’ve missed out on something. This year was the best we could have hoped for, and we’ll have to hopefully come back and try to finish on the podium.
The Iron Dames also made their mark with the "Every Dream Matters" project. The initiative resulted in the team's stunning livery design by reflecting the imagination and aspirations of local kids.
The Michel-Ange schoolchildren's visit to the circuit was a particularly moving moment of Race Week. The young students got to meet drivers and learn more about their life in racing. They were also able to lay eyes on the livery of the car inspired by their designs and write their names on the car. Talk about a core memory!
Iron Dames founder Deborah Mayer became the first woman honoured with the Spirit of Le Mans trophy this year. The award underscores the fundamental values of the 24 Hours of Le Mans and endurance racing: devotion, commitment, teamwork and sporting effort. Mayer’s recognition is a prestigious acknowledgement of her relentless pursuit of excellence and inspiring role in motorsport, mirrored by the Iron Dames team itself.
