IRON DAMES EXPERIENCE A WEEKEND OF HIGHS AND LOWS ACROSS ENDURANCE RACING AND RALLYING

This weekend proved to be a mixture of misfortunes and bright prospects for the Iron Dames, as they embarked on two distinct motorsport fronts.  

At Sebring in the IMSA Sportscar Championship, Sarah Bovy, Michelle Gatting, and Sarah faced a series of unfortunate setbacks throughout the weekend. A faulty tyre in Qualifying rendered Sarah unable to set a competitive lap time. After some penalties for other GTD cars, the pink #83 Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo 2 lined up 18th in class for the 12-hour race.

After avoiding some frantic moments in the early stages of the race, Sarah was able to find some rhythm in and out of the many caution periods and climb up the order. By the end of the first hour, she had climbed towards the end of the top 10 and when she handed over to Michelle the pink car was sat in fifth place. The Danish driver began her run strongly, working her way up to fourth place, but their momentum was abruptly halted due to technical issues.  Although the problem was eventually fixed, the Iron Dames lost more than 30 laps and the team opted to retire the #83 in order to preserve it for the upcoming races.

Although disappointed, the trio now looks forward to Barcelona, where they will kick-off their European Le Mans Series season behind the wheel of the Porsche 911 GT3 R with renewed determination and strong ambition. Barcelona will also mark the debut of two new Iron Dames, Célia Martin and Karen Gaillard, as they take on the challenge of the Michelin Le Mans Cup.

Additionally, they will return to the United States for the next IMSA Endurance Cup round at Watkins Glen in June, and can count on the fervent support of the American public, who increasingly embrace the driving force behind the project and its commitment to empowering women.

Meanwhile, Sarah Rumeau and Julie Amblard embarked on their inaugural Iron Dames campaign, proudly donning the iconic pink livery. In the opening round of the French Rally Championship, the Rallye Le Touquet Pas-de-Calais, the duo secured a respectable 16th in class and 20th overall following a measured drive in tricky conditions.
 
Officially an asphalt event, rain throughout combined with the mud pulled out onto the road across hundreds of corners led to stage conditions and grip levels more normally expected on a gravel event. Rather than pushing for outright stage times, Sarah and Julie’s focus was on gaining experience across the 182km of stages and making it to the end of the rally, a target they achieved.
 
This more reserved performance was an approach which paid off and helped build confidence for the year ahead, as they familiarise themselves with the nuances of 4WD cars in their first season in a Ford Fiesta Rally2 with the support of the renowned team Sarrazin Motorsport.
 
On the final stage and with their newfound experience under their belts, Sarah and Julie increased their pace and moved up a position in the overall standings. Their result also secured trophies. The Iron Dames were the highest placed all-female crew in the event; Sarah took the honours of finishing as the highest placed woman driver and Julie the third placed woman co-driver.
 
The next event for the Iron Dames will be the Rallye Terre des Causses in the French Gravel Rally Championship from 5-7 April.