IRON DAMES SHOW PODIUM-WORTHY PACE IN FIA WEC LONE STAR LE MANS

From the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, to the dry and dusty passes of Lozère in the Occitanie region of France, the Iron Dames were in action as Sarah Bovy, Rahel Frey, and Michelle Gatting returned to the FIA World Endurance Championship while Sarah Rumeau and Julie Amblard teamed up once again in the French Gravel Rally Championship.

FIA World Endurance Championship

In Austin, Texas, the Iron Dames were back in action in the FIA World Endurance Championship, competing in the 2024 edition of Lone Star Le Mans at the Circuit of the Americas. In Qualifying, Sarah Bovy showed strong pace behind the wheel of the #85 Lamborghini Huracán LMGT3 Evo 2 to secure second on the grid and started the six-hour race from team-mates Rahel Frey and Michelle Gatting.
 
During her time at the wheel, Sarah executed a strong performance and maintained second over the course of the opening hour after briefly slipping to third on the first lap. The Belgian continued to run long into the race after completing a double stint and consistently harried the #27 Aston Martin for the lead before handing the car over to Rahel just before the end of the second hour.
 
Rahel rejoined the race in third and set out to reclaim second, but unfortunately sustained damage following contact with the #82 Corvette with three and a half hours remaining. Forced to pit for repairs, the #85 lost four laps in the pitlane but resumed the race with Rahel in the cockpit in 17th.
 
The Swiss racer continued to work her way forward over her final stint and moved into 16th, and then handed over to Michelle with two and a half hours remaining. The Dane completed a double stint before returning the car to Rahel who took the #85 to the chequered flag, finishing 13th.

Meet the Iron Dames returns in Austin

On Friday in Austin, the Iron Dames had the honour of hosting a group of students from Hockaday School in Dallas, offering them a one-in-a-lifetime experience at the Circuit of the Americas. Aged between 15 and 16, these girls had the opportunity to meet their idols and draw inspiration to fuel their own personal aspirations.
 
Their visit began with an hour-long discussion with Sarah Bovy, Rahel Frey, and Michelle Gatting, who shared their personal journeys and experiences as women in motorsport, while providing valuable advice on pursuing dreams. Following this exchange, the students were given a full garage tour to become fully immersed in the life of a racing team by experiencing an FIA World Endurance Championship practice session first hand.
 
Their meeting is in-line with various “Meet the Iron Dames” events around the world as part of the educational and inter-generational dimension of the overall project.

French Gravel Rally Championship

In the French Gravel Rally Championship, Iron Dames Sarah Rumeau and Julie Amblard scored a season-best fifth place finish in the Rallye Terre de Lozère as the series entered the second half of its 2024 campaign.
 
Sarah and Julie unfortunately suffered a stall on the opening stage of the event which cost the duo 20 seconds, but after falling outside of the points-paying positions, the pair pressed on and ended the first day in seventh after setting a string of top 10 times over the next five stages.
 
That speed continued on Sunday, and my midday, Sarah and Julie had moved up to sixth and solidified their position over the final afternoon, before being promoted to fifth post-event. Their season will resume next weekend in the French Rally Championship, as the all-asphalt series returns from an extended summer break at the famous Rallye Mont-Blanc Morzine.

That speed continued on Sunday, and my midday, Sarah and Julie had moved up to sixth and solidified their position over the final afternoon, before being promoted to fifth post-event.

Their season will resume next weekend in the French Rally Championship, as the all-asphalt series returns from an extended summer break at the famous Rallye Mont-Blanc Morzine.

Unfortunately, shortly after I gave the car to Rahel we had contact with another car. That car received a penalty for the incident, but we had a broken suspension out of it which meant that we lost three laps in the pits. Obviously it’s not fun to fight alone, but we tried to reach the finish line because that’s what we do. We will try again in Fuji.

Sarah Bovy