Iron Dames racing in Le Mans 24. Photo credit: Iron Dames via Twitter.
A 4th in class finish in this weekend’s 24 hours of Le Mans race meant the Iron Dames racing team narrowly missed out on their goal of a podium but the grueling 24 hour race proved one thing without any doubt. This team isn’t just here to participate. They’re here to compete.
Created and led by Deborah Mayer, the Iron Dames pride themselves as a team who champion women in motorsport at every level from drivers to mechanics. 2023 marked the fifth consecutive year of the team entering an all-female line up in endurance’s most prestigious race. Placing ninth in their class on the first three occasions, a team best of seventh in class was achieved last year but it was clear the Iron Dames wanted more.
With a returning lineup of Rachel Frey, Michelle Gatting and Sarah Bovy, a podium position was achievable. This year alone, the team took pole position in the opening race of the World Endurance Championship and continued with a podium at the 6 hours of Portimao. Le Mans however poses a unique challenge. The season’s longest test of endurance, finishing the race can be a challenge in itself.
Qualifying midpack within their class meant race pace would be critical for success. As the race progressed it became clear that not only did the team have pace, their ability to stay incident free was helping them progress further up the pack. In a race where less than half the class would manage to finish, the Iron Dames dealt with the mixed conditions to put themselves in contention for the class win. By hour 4, the team had established their lead and began fighting to stay there. Unfortunately for the Iron Dames, the Corvette C8.R proved to be unstoppable in the long term, recovering from an issue with the rear damper which affected their early stint in the race.
The Iron Dames were left battling with ORT by TF for second place. With just under an hour left of the race, the team looked to have secured their spot on the podium until a cruel stroke of luck resulted in a slow brake change in the final pitstop. The car dropped to fourth position and, despite Frey’s best efforts in the final stint, the team was unable to recover. By the end of the race just 5 seconds separated the Iron Dames team from third place.
We believe that today not many words are needed…
P4 still gives us our best @24hoursoflemans finish, and we are proud of the incredible dedication of everyone on our team.
Starting outside the Top 10 to leading the race and battling for the win inside the Top 3 just shows… pic.twitter.com/OBkLFhmeXF
— Iron Dames (@IronDames_) June 11, 2023
While Le Mans 24 may be over for the year, the World Endurance Championship is not. The fourth place finish takes the Iron Dames to third in the class with three more events to go. Up next is the 6 hours of Monza, taking place on July 7th. The Iron Dames finished second in this race last year and, inspired by their performance this weekend, will be hoping to challenge once again.
Written by Emma Knights
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