A ROLLERCOASTER RACE IN FUJI

The Iron Dames FIA World Endurance Championship line-up of Michelle Gatting, Rahel Frey and Célia Martin contested the 6 Hours of Fuji for the penultimate round of the season.

The legendary Fuji Speedway hosted Round 7 of the 2025 FIA World Endurance Championship and, after a challenging qualifying session on Saturday, the Iron Dames were firing on all cylinders in the race.

Having started from 17th on the grid, Célia Martin was quick out of the gates, vaulting up to 14th on the opening lap and continuing to work her way up to 11th before the first round of pit stops.

After 50 minutes of running, Célia pitted under VSC conditions and rejoined, hanging onto 11th place. Her march forward continued in the second stint, as she battled for fifth position with the Manthey Porsche and the Corvette of Ben Keating.

Just before the four-hour mark, Célia handed over to Rahel Frey, who rejoined in 14th, just ahead of the Manthey car.

A third-hour Safety Car deployment presented the opportunity for another shortened pitstop, and, reemerging in second, Rahel was poised to make further progress at the restart.

With racing back underway, Rahel astutely seized the lead and began to streak clear at the front of the field.

Rahel then headed for the pits once again, retaining second place once the next round of stops had cycled through.

The timing of a late-race Safety Car played against the Iron Dames’ strategy, undoing what had been a remarkable recovery drive until that point.

By the time Michelle Gatting got behind the wheel, the #85 Porsche 911 GT3 R had dropped to 16th, and in the final 90 minutes, she battled fiercely to recover as many positions as possible.

Eventually, she crossed the line 13th after a gruelling six hours, a result that failed to represent the front-running pace each of the drivers had exhibited during the race.

RESULTS

Michelle, Rahel, and Célia: 13th (LMGT3)

“Another WEC race complete here in Fuji. At one point, it was looking very good – Rahel had put the car in front. Unfortunately, the timing of a Safety Car took us out of the running once again. It was a shame because it was looking like a podium. In the end, we finished 13th due to reasons we weren’t 100% in control of. We will improve every time to get better. Step by step, we’re getting there, so hopefully Bahrain will be the one.”

Michelle Gatting

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