After the all-female racing team Iron Dames, grabbed their first pole position in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), with Sarah Bovy guiding her Ferrari 488 GTE to the top of the timesheets after a sensational qualifying session for the 6 Hours of Monza, the team have followed up the result with their first ever podium.
“I’m out of words – thanks a lot for all your messages and support – today I was not alone in the car, I was carried by my team, my team mates and all of you,” said Sarah Bovy on Instagram after taking the pole position.
The Iron Dames made history, with Sarah becoming the first female ever taking pole position in FIA World Endurance Championship, the Team are first all-female team to start from pole position in a FIA WEC LMGTE Am race and now the first to achieve a podium finish in second place.
Sarah Bovy lead from the start and battled hard to maintain position during the opening stints full of incident. The pace continued in the hands of Michelle Gatting, as the Danish racer looked to consolidate the leading fight before handing over to Rahel Frey.
The Swiss driver continued to push hard in the latter stages as the #85 Iron Dames car fought for overall victory. Michelle resumed racing duties for the final stages of the race, and ultimately brought the car home in a sensational second place, finishing the weekend in style and recording the team’s best ever result in the series.
“I am extremely proud of this result. This is an important day for the Iron Dames and for all women in motorsport. We are now focused on tomorrow. I am very confident that Sarah, Michelle and Rahel can convert this historical pole into a great result tomorrow. This was a team effort and I’d like to thank everyone – we are one family, Iron Lynx and Iron Dames,” said Iron Dames Founder, Deborah Mayer.
Looking forward to the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps at the end of July, 18-year-old, Doriane Pin, was present with the Iron Dames team in Monza. Fellow Iron Dame racers, Maya Weug and Manuela Gostner, were also with the team, taking part in team photoshoots and social activity during the weekend.
The 2022 FIA World Endurance Championship continues at the 6 Hours of Fuji in Japan on the 11th September and concludes with the 8 Hours of Bahrain.
Photographs by Iron Lynx.