The all-female Iron Dames line-up of Sarah Bovy, Rahel Frey and Michelle Gatting drove a brilliant race in the #85 Porsche 911 RSR-19, in front of a huge and passionate crowd celebrating a landmark anniversary in recognition of 100 years of endurance racing on the Circuit de la Sarthe. The LMGTE AM race was one of the closest fights, with four cars locked in an intense battle for the entire 24 hours.
“P4 at Le Mans, our best result so far but after being in the top two for so many hours, a brake change took us away from the podium in the end, although safety comes before anything else. I am proud of our team,” said Michelle Gatting.
The pink crew made the most of an apocalyptic start with no room for mistakes for anyone and quickly fought at the front, with the lead changing hands several times as the race ebbed and flowed, with Safety Cars, yellow flags, slow zones and track evolution all coming into play.
“I think we did the most important thing: We gave our everything and we drove our hearts out. As an Iron Dame, we never ever give up, we are driven by a dream. So we keep dreaming, we keep working hard and hopefully we will come back,” Rahel Frey.
The race was hotly contested in the LMGTE Am class, with the Iron Dames playing the leading roles stint after stint. They fought for victory against the #33 Corvette Racing entry and the #25 ORT by TF Aston Martin. A final pitstop with a change of brakes inside the 24th and decisive hour dropped them back to fourth place, losing track position to the #86 GR Racing Porsche. As fate intervened, the pink car was denied a top three finish to come home fourth.
“Obviously we are super disappointed. Finishing so close to the podium after fighting for the lead for so long is painful. The team did a tremendous job. At the end we were fourth and it is the best result we have done so far at Le Mans,” said Sarah Bovy.
The 2023 Le Mans 24 Hours was a tough one for Iron Dame, Doriane Pin, as her #63 Oreca LMP2 had to be retired. Taking on the second stint from Daniil Kyat, while the legendary track was hit by adverse weather, Doriane managed the conditions to perfection. She continued a remarkable comeback started by Daniil from P22 when air intake and bodywork issues, caused by debris from lap one, prompted a pair of early pitstops.
“My first 24 Hours of Le Mans was an amazing experience and very formative for the future. The support I’ve received all week has touched me and given me a lot of strength. Of course, I’m extremely disappointed that the race ended so early for the three of us. All the team worked very hard to get ready and after not an easy start, we had begun a strong comeback. But that’s part of the sport, and we’ll come back stronger for the next one in Monza in a month. I’m more determined than ever and will give my all to get the opportunity to come back here next year. This is just the beginning of my story with Le Mans,” said Doriane Pin.
Unfortunately, when chances seemed brighter for a podium battle, Kvyat lost control in the Porsche Curves, making multiple impacts with the barriers. The driver emerged from the incident unscathed, but was forced to retire the #63 with severe damage.
“This fourth position signs a significant progression in Iron Dames results at Le Mans but has a feeling of incompleteness. Thank you so much to everyone in the team for their incredible hard work and never-give-up attitude. We are pleased to fly the flag for women in motorsport and inspiring others to do the same. With regards Doriane, despite the final disappointment, she had an outstanding week for her first date with the 24 Hours of Le Mans and made her mark for the future. This trying experience will make her grow even faster. We’ll be here next year with determination and great ambitions,” said Deborah Mayer, Iron Dames Project Founder.
For the 18 or so hours of Le Mans that I watched live (mostly the night stint due to our time difference) the Iron Dames were either leading their class or within podium contention, so not to see them on the podium is disappointing. But not to sound trite, just finishing Le Mans is a victory in itself. Keep pushing ladies, the podium will come!
Photographs by Iron Lynx.