24h Le Mans
The Iron Dames will open a new chapter in their FIA World Endurance Championship story after striking a deal with Manthey Racing for the 2025 season.
To renew with the success achieved with Porsche in the 2023 FIA WEC season, climaxed by the last-ever LMGTE win at the 8 Hours of Bahrain, the Iron Dames are about to embark on a new era guided by the expertise of Manthey Racing. The German outfit has seven overall wins at the 24h Nürburgring to its name and has enjoyed considerable success at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Manthey is therefore an ideal partner to help the Iron Dames reach new heights.
For Manthey Racing GmbH Managing Director Nicolas Raeder, Manthey and Iron Dames form a promising team. “We are proud to join forces with the Iron Dames in the WEC next year,” he says. “We are confident that this is a great opportunity to develop together and to reach a new level with our experience in endurance racing and the tireless efforts of the Iron Dames.”
Next year, the Iron Dames #85 Porsche 911 GT3 R LMGT3 will be driven by Michelle Gatting, Rahel Frey and Celia Martin. While Gatting and Frey are established figures of the Iron Dames WEC setup, Martin is a rising star of endurance who is making the step up after a remarkable Michelin Le Mans Cup campaign.
“Our 2025 lineup of Michelle, Rahel, and Celia represents both continuity and innovation as well as the transmission between generations which is a value at the heart of the project,” says Deborah Mayer, founder of the Iron Dames project. “I am proud of what we have accomplished so far and confident in what lies ahead. We are committed to writing a new chapter in Iron Dames’ endurance racing history, demonstrating that women have their rightful place at the top of the sport, inspiring generations to come.”
“We have always admired the [Iron Dames] project and have had many exciting but fair on-track duels with them in the past,” Raeder adds. “We are looking forward to the 2025 season and to being able to bring a Porsche in pink to the starting grid.”
The first all-female trio to win a round of the FIA WEC and finish runners-up in the 2023 championship, the Iron Dames have chalked up 27 races and achieved seven pole positions and five podiums. As the countdown to the new season begins in earnest, the team is eager to get its collaboration with Manthey and Porsche underway. “We are ready to make history once again,” Mayer concludes.
