Iron Dames complete FIA WEC season with comeback to P10 at 8H of Bahrain

Iron Dames drivers Sarah Bovy, Rahel Frey and Michelle Gatting completed the 2024 FIA WEC season with a hard-fought tenth place at the 8 Hours of Bahrain, nearly turning around a challenging start to contend for the podium midway through the race.

Photo credits: Javier Jimenez / DPPI

Iron Dames drivers Sarah Bovy, Rahel Frey and Michelle Gatting completed the 2024 FIA WEC season with a hard-fought tenth place at the 8 Hours of Bahrain, nearly turning around a challenging start to contend for the podium midway through the race.

An unfortunate drive-through penalty in the closing hours, however, took the #85 pink Lamborghini out of podium contention, but a superb final stint by Michelle Gatting allowed Iron Dames to recover and finish in tenth, gaining one point to bring their total to 54 and eighth in the final standings.

Despite a season marked by some unlucky moments across their programs, Iron Dames demonstrated great fighting spirit, consistently contending for podiums in most rounds and ultimately securing three top-five results, including their best-ever finish at Le Mans with fourth place.

The inaugural LMGT3 season brought steady improvements for the Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo2, though technical issues hindered the team at certain rounds. Nevertheless, Sarah Bovy – known for her qualifying speed – continued to shine in the opening stints as the bronze driver, while Rahel Frey and Michelle Gatting showcased their consistency in the latter stages of the races.

The 2024 8 Hours of Bahrain, marking a year since the team's historic first WEC win, once again highlighted the drivers' consistency, as their strong performances in high-tyre-degradation conditions allowed them to fight back in the second half of the race, with Bovy taking the lead midway through and holding her own amidst silver and gold rated drivers in her final race as a bronze.

Following a successful European Le Mans Series season finale at Portimao, Iron Dames returned to WEC for the final round, on a circuit that had previously brought the team one of its greatest successes.

From early in the weekend, however, it became evident that tyre management would be crucial in the 8-hour race, as high degradation marked practice sessions and forced teams to explore alternative strategies.

During the first practice, Gatting clocked a 2:04.509 lap time, with Frey and Bovy also getting up to speed to record the 16th fastest time in LMGT3. Bovy was the fastest of the trio in the second session, with a 2:03.095 lap placing the team fourth in class. The team continued refining their car setup in FP3 on Friday morning, ahead of the final WEC season qualifying later that day.

In her final qualifying session of 2024, Sarah Bovy took time to prepare her tyres, initially running 15th before jumping to P3. She attempted a second flying lap but didn’t improve, nevertheless advancing to Hyperpole with the third-fastest time.

In the last Hyperpole of the season, Bovy set a 2:03.020 lap to secure P2 briefly before the two United Autosport McLarens and the AF Corse Ferrari of François Heriau topped her time. Bovy attempted another flying lap, posting purple times in sector one as she tried to respond back. She shaved her time to 2:02.636—enough for third before two United Autosport McLarens edged into the top spots, separated by a mere 0.002 seconds.

While tyre degradation didn't allow for more attempts in the end, Bovy held onto fourth and secured a second-row start for Iron Dames in the Bahrain finale.

Photo credits: Julien Delfosse / DPPI

Starting from fourth, Sarah Bovy quickly settled into the race, engaging in an intense battle for third place with the #55 Vista AF Corse Ferrari of François Heriau. Bovy kept close pace with the United Autosport McLarens, who led the LMGT3 class, but was also mindful of tyre management on Bahrain's challenging circuit in the opening hours of the race, where high temperatures forced drivers to save tyres from the outset.

As the first stint unfolded, the #85 Iron Dames Lamborghini came under pressure from the #81 TF Sport Corvette. Van Rompuy managed to overtake on lap 10, and a few laps later, Aliaksandr Malykhin in the Manthey Racing Porsche also went by, pushing Bovy down to sixth. Nevertheless, Bovy fought back, fending off the #54 AF Corse Ferrari driven by Francesco Castellacci and closing back in on Malykhin, as the top seven in LMGT3 remained tightly grouped after nearly an hour of racing.

When the leaders pitted for the first time, Bovy stayed out an extra lap and took the lead by lap 25, before rejoining in fourth after a quick pit stop. However, on her return, Bovy found herself back in the thick of LMGT3 traffic, dealing with faster hypercars mixed in. On old tyres, she struggled to maintain the previous pace and dropped to P9 as silver-rated drivers moved ahead. Surviving a challenging stint however, Bovy did well on very worn tyres.

In the second hour, Rahel Frey took over after a pit stop on lap 51. Now on fresh tyres, Frey quickly settled into a consistent rhythm, climbing back into contention with strong lap times. Over the next two hours, she meticulously worked her way up the field, often clocking 2:05s to stay competitive with the lead pack.

By the third hour, Frey’s stable, impressive pace had brought Iron Dames back up to seventh place before the team pitted again, with Frey holding P13 after rejoining.

As Frey’s second stint progressed, her consistent pace saw the car climb back into the top ten. Her strong run was elevated Iron Dames to eighth place by lap 101, when she handed over to Michelle Gatting.

On fresh tyres, Gatting wasted no time setting the team’s fastest lap, soon dipping under the 2:04 mark as she made her way through the field. Within laps, she caught and passed Sebastian Baud’s #82 TF Sport Corvette to reclaim ninth.

When a Full Course Yellow was called with 4 hours and 40 minutes remaining due to debris on the track, Gatting took advantage to hunt down François Heriau’s #55 Ferrari, gaining nearly a second per lap. By the second pit cycle, Gatting stayed out longer, cycling the Iron Dames Lamborghini into second before pitting for fuel, rejoining in tenth.

Photo credits: Julien Delfosse / DPPI

Her consistent 2:06 lap times on worn tyres kept the team competitive, as she continued closing gaps on the cars ahead. Around hour five, Gatting’s relentless pace brought her back to seventh place after overtaking Alessio Rovera’s Porsche and clearing Baud’s Corvette.

Capitalizing on the first Full Course Yellow caused by a Proton Mustang issue, Iron Dames seized the opportunity to pit, swapping Gatting for Sarah Bovy, who needed to serve her remaining bronze driver time.

Now back in second with several silver and gold drivers behind, Bovy showed outstanding speed, setting a new team best lap at 2:03.856 and passing Rui Andrade’s Corvette for the race lead. Her consistency helped her hold the lead briefly, fending off Alex Riberas in the #27 Heart of Racing Aston Martin, until Riberas reclaimed the position, and Bovy slotted into the leading pack as a virtual safety car neutralized the field with under two hours to go.

After pitting again under caution, Rahel Frey returned to the track, rejoining in second place. She immediately faced fierce competition from Riberas and Morris Schuring, as several LMGT3 frontrunners battled to claim the lead.

Frey attempted an overtake on Riberas but was forced to back off when the AF Corse Ferraris took advantage of the opportunity, pushing the #85 Lamborghini down to fourth in a chaotic series of position changes.

In a tough blow, Iron Dames were then handed a drive-through penalty for a Virtual Safety Car procedure infringement, dropping Frey to 12th. With an intense final push to recover positions, Frey tried to close the gap and handed over to Michelle Gatting for the final stint.

Gatting, on fresh tyres as track temperatures dropped, set a blistering 2:02.768, Iron Dames’ best lap of the race, and steadily climbed through the field from P14.

In a fierce duel with Alex Riberas, Gatting emerged ahead and gained P11, then passed Augusto Farfus to reclaim a spot in the top ten.

Though too far from the cars ahead, Michelle’s final stint allowed Iron Dames to take the chequered flag in tenth position, salvaging a hard-earned point from a challenging finale after their penalty setback.

The Iron Dames’ final race of the season showcased once again their determination, with all three drivers executing impressive stints in the cooler temperatures and managing to fight back from early difficulties to make the most of their strategy.

As the team wraps up 2024 and looks ahead to 2025, the all-female team will now welcome the addition of new bronze driver Célia Martin, setting sights on returning to the podium next season, with the rest of the crew still to be announced.

Photo credits: Javier Jimenez / DPPI