Iron Dames delivered consistent and clean drives at the 12 Hours of Sebring, running in contention for the top ten for most of the very demanding race, ultimately crossing the finish line in P11.
Iron Dames endured a challenging second round of the 2025 IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup, running consistently and trouble-free throughout the 12 Hours of Sebring but finishing just one lap short of the top ten.
Michelle Gatting, Rahel Frey, and Sarah Bovy were, in fact, protagonists of a solid race, making no mistakes and perfectly managing traffic and conditions at the extremely demanding event on a notoriously tough circuit that puts both drivers and machines to the test with its relentless bumps.
All three drivers ran consistent stints—including a particularly strong opening phase for Gatting, who made up places into the top ten, an equally positive run for now-silver-rated Bovy, who held her own among experienced drivers while climbing to eighth, and a later stint for Frey, who consistently kept the car in contention for the top ten.
Nevertheless, the pink #83 Porsche 911 GT3 R struggled all week for pace compared to direct competitors, and despite improvements from the team, the car's outright speed remained the primary issue. In the very closing stages, after a late caution, the hard fought top ten ultimately slipped away.
Iron Dames had an encouraging start to their IMSA campaign at the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona earlier this year, where they claimed eighth place, with young Swiss driver Karen Gaillard also joining the main lineup for the first time.
Back in FIA WEC, however, the team struggled for outright pace, this time severely limited by an unfavorable BoP that effectively took both Porsche LMGT3 cars out of contention.
Returning to North America's premier sports car championship for the second round, the prestigious Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, Iron Dames aimed to continue building on the steps forward made at Daytona.
In free practice, the team made improvements over the sessions, gradually closing in on the top 15. By the final session, Gatting set a 2:01.819, placing the #83 Porsche in eleventh, showing that a top ten over the longer runs was an achievable target.
Michelle Gatting took over driving duties for qualifying and once again made good progress from practice. The #83 Iron Dames Porsche was just outside the top ten and would line up in P11 in GTD after a strong session for the Dane, who clocked a 2:00.843. The all-female team had made a good step forward, and with their renowned consistency, the car was expected to perform better in long runs.
A very warm day in Florida greeted the teams at the start of the race on Saturday morning, making conditions even more testing for both cars and drivers. Gatting started the race and held P11 after the first few laps.
The first Full Course Yellow of the race came after just two laps following an incident between the #88 AF Corse LMP2 Oreca of Pérez Companc and the #18 Era Motorsport LMP2 of Lutke. Both picked up damage but managed to limp back to the pits.
Gatting had a really strong opening phase, consistently moving forward and breaking into the top ten, making it up to ninth by lap nine.
Iron Dames’ Porsche indeed showed stronger pace in the longer runs, with Gatting running consistently in the 2:02s, closely chasing a group of cars ahead.
Charlie Scardina was sent into the wall by the #10 WTR Cadillac at the one-hour mark, causing a big impact with the barrier, which also needed repairs. Scardina was luckily unhurt, but the #023 Triarsi Ferrari was out with significant damage. The second FCY of the race followed.
The GTD class pitted under caution on lap 27: Iron Dames stayed out, briefly cycling up into second before pitting the following lap. Rahel Frey took over the #83 Porsche, and she would restart from tenth in class.
Frey had to defend from the fast-recovering Simon Mann in the formerly pole-winning #21 Ferrari and dropped to P11. However the third caution of the race soon followed when the Era Motorsport LMP2 Oreca of Tobi Lutke crashed into the wall at Sunset Bend.
Frey restarted in tenth and made a great recovery, soon passing the #96 Turner Motorsport BMW, the #34 Conquest Racing Ferrari, and the #021 Triarsi Ferrari to climb to eighth. However, Franco fought back, and the two traded positions.
More interruptions soon followed, with two separate incidents among LMP2 entries prompting another FCY, as the AO Racing Oreca ended up in the barriers at Turn 1.
When the GTD class pits opened, Frey pitted and rejoined ninth, staying behind the wheel.
Frey battled with the Wright Motorsport Porsche of Adelson for ninth place on the restart; over the next laps, she fought with determination in a tightly contested group for the top ten. Rahel eventually pitted on lap 76 at the three-hour mark, with Sarah Bovy taking over from P12.
The Belgian soon gained one position when Hasse Clot spun; she then made it back into the top ten within the next 30 minutes, as she continued to improve throughout her stint.
After the team's fourth pit stop, she remained in the car and set a 2:01.9—going under the 2:02 mark for the first time and recording the team’s best lap so far. Running just outside the top ten after four hours of racing, Iron Dames were clearly in the mix for a good result.
With 7 hours and 40 minutes remaining, an Full Course Yellow was triggered when the #40 Cadillac hit the wall at the final corner. Bovy had just made it back into the top ten after the #96 BMW pitted before the neutralization. The pit lane opened, and Bovy pitted, staying in the car and rejoining in P13.
She recovered one position after the #36 DXDT Chevrolet received a drive-through penalty, getting back into competitive lap times in the 2:03s and gaining ground on several cars ahead. Bovy then lost some time in traffic, but successfully managed to climb back into tenth, battling with Charlie Eastwood's DXDT Corvette, before clearing also Sbirrazuoli's Ferrari.
As the next round of pit stops approached, Bovy cycled up into fourth before bringing the #83 Porsche back in on lap 147, with Michelle Gatting returning for her second stint.
Michelle passed the #021 Triarsi Ferrari and made it back into the top ten, then gained another position, climbing to ninth and making up ground on Robby Foley.
Another strong stint for the Dane saw her move up to seventh before the next pit stop.
Drama in GTD saw race leader Kenton Koch in the #32 Korthoff Mercedes coming to a halt, allowing Gatting to gain one spot and move into tenth.
In this stage of the race, Michelle maintained a consistent 2:03s pace, matching most of the GTD class top ten, before pitting for the eighth time on lap 203, with Rahel Frey taking over.
A largely uninterrupted section of the race followed, causing gaps to spread out.
Frey rejoined in P11, just a few seconds behind the #96 Turner Motorsport BMW for a top-ten spot. Frey showed better pace, one of her most consistent runs, maintaining a safe gap to the car behind.
When the class-leading #21 Ferrari came to a halt, Frey moved up to ninth. She found even stronger pace in the second half of the stint, running competitive lap times. The Swiss pitted and remained in the car, staying in the top ten.
The race saw its first FCY in several hours when Casper Stevenson spun at the final corner.
Once the pit lane opened for GTD, Iron Dames pitted, with Sarah Bovy taking over. The Belgian rejoined in 11th.
The race barely went green before returning to caution, as Matias Pérez Companc crashed the #88 AF Corse LMP2 Oreca at the final corner.
With the sun setting over Sebring, scenic golden hour conditions framed the final phase of the race.
On the restart, Bovy dropped behind the #021 Triarsi Ferrari - however, she regained the position from Skeen a few laps later when the latter had to pit. Sarah made it back into the top ten and then climbed further to ninth, gaining a place on the #34 Conquest Racing Ferrari with two hours to go.
Sarah Bovy completed a great stint, having ran as high as third, before Michelle Gatting jumped into the Iron Dames Porsche on lap 274, having to make her way forward from eleventh.
Cycling between 11th and 9th at each pit stop, the team was now 16 seconds behind the tenth-placed AWA Chevrolet. At the same time, Gatting had to defend from the #021 Triarsi Ferrari, which got past with 1 hour and 30 minutes to go. Gatting however recovered into P10 and shrugged off the pressure from McAleer.
With now a one-lap advantage over the #13 Corvette, she pitted for the final time with 50 minutes to go. When the position seemed secure, the #80 Lone Star Mercedes picked up a puncture and lost the entire tyre carcass on the back straight, triggering a full-course yellow with 45 minutes to go. Gatting moved up into ninth as the race was neutralized - however it brought back into contention a few more cars that received the pass-around.
The race restarted with 31 minutes to go; Gatting lost two places at the restart, falling behind the AWA Corvette and the Lone Star Mercedes. These three cars would battle for the top ten in the final minutes.
Gatting dipped under the 2:03 barrier again as she closed in on Scott Andrews while also managing traffic; just ahead, Bell was hit by the #04 Oreca in traffic and sent into a spin at Turn 17, opening the door for Gatting to reclaim tenth place. She was now five seconds behind Andrews.
Bell, with more pace in the Corvette, hunted down Gatting in the closing laps. He recovered and was right behind the #83 Porsche on the final lap. Michelle defended as hard as she could but ultimately finished just 0.8 seconds short of a top-ten result, losing the position on the last lap.
Iron Dames crossed the finish line of the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring in P11. It was a tough race, but the team made it to the end with no issues or mistakes, with all three drivers delivering a strong performance.
Despite a challenging start to their season, Iron Dames are building a solid foundation for the rest of their campaign. The team plans to regroup and come back stronger at the next IMSA endurance round—the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen on June 22.
Before that, Bovy, Gatting, and Célia Martin are set to take on the European Le Mans Series prologue and season opener in Barcelona during the first week of April.
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