24H Le Mans, 8H update: Iron Dames, Chadwick running in class top five

At sunset at Le Mans, both the Iron Dames Porsche and Jamie Chadwick's IDEC Sport Oreca are running fifth in class through pit cycles, while Lilou Wadoux had a strong couple of stints and continues the Richard Mille Ferrari recovery after a pit penalty.

Photo credits: DPPI

At sunset at Le Mans, both the Iron Dames Porsche and Jamie Chadwick's IDEC Sport Oreca are running fifth in class through pit cycles, while Lilou Wadoux had a strong couple of stints and continues the Richard Mille Ferrari recovery after a pit penalty.

As the race moved towards the end of its first third, the sun dipped below the horizon at Circuit de la Sarthe, setting the stage for the long night ahead in the 93rd running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. With five female drivers over three teams, the first four hours marked significant progress from their starting positions. Iron Dames continue to deliver a strong performance in LMGT3, while consistent runs from Jamie Chadwick, and Lilou Wadoux – who was back in the car as the darkness approached with great laps – are keeping the #18 IDEC Sport and #150 Richard Mille Ferrari crews competitive in their respective classes.

At the end of the fourth hour, Sarah Bovy had pushed the #85 Iron Dames Porsche into P4 with a stellar stint, even briefly leading the LMGT3 field during the next pit cycle before handing back over to Célia Martin. Despite intense pressure from pro drivers behind, Martin held her ground with consistent 4:00-minute laps, maintaining a position inside the top ten.

Jamie Chadwick, who had ran a convincing first ever stint at La Sarthe, completed her first run in the #18 IDEC Sport LMP2 car, handing over to Mathys Jaubert in P6. Jaubert, also in his first Le Mans appearance, quickly settled into a strong rhythm and was lapping in the low 3:40s, keeping the team firmly in contention in the top six.

In LMGT3, Riccardo Agostini impressed during his early stints with some of the best lap times in class. His run brought the #150 Richard Mille Ferrari back into the mix after early setbacks, climbing up to P16 by the four-hour mark. After Agostini’s stint, Custodio Toledo returned to the cockpit as teams cycled back to their bronze-rated drivers.

As darkness fell, the pace remained relentless. Martin continued to show her strength at the wheel of the Iron Dames Porsche, holding off faster traffic and managing pressure superbly through the early hours of the night. Martin had particularly impressive second sectors, among the fastest in class, holding off a few fast cars. After another solid run, she handed over to Rahel Frey on lap 93. The Swiss veteran immediately began making up ground, rejoining in P10 and climbing quickly as other cars cycled through stops. She set a 3:58.9 and continued improving, eventually bringing the car back into the top five, as she clocked a 3:58.313—Iron Dames' best lap so far.

Meanwhile, Lilou Wadoux returned to the #150 Ferrari following Toledo’s stint, but the team’s strategy faced a hurdle during a Full Course Yellow when they made their stop under caution. The resulting pit infringement led to a drive-through penalty, which Wadoux served shortly afterward, dropping the car down the order after what had been a promising recovery from an earlier contact for Toledo.

Undeterred, Wadoux began a determined push: she found a strong rhythm in the dark and started to collect several sub-4:00 laps, including a 3:58.002—her personal best and the second-fastest time in LMGT3 on that lap. By lap 106, she had clawed back to P15, continuing to make progress before eventually pitting to hand the car back to Riccardo Agostini with eight hours remaining.

In LMP2, Jaubert remained one of the fastest and most consistent drivers in the class, delivering crucial pace for IDEC Sport. On lap 105, he pitted to hand over to endurance veteran André Lotterer, who resumed the team’s charge with more 3:40s laps and closed in on the Pro-Am entry of Hyett. Lotterer eventually moved into P5 when others cycled through pit stops.

Rahel Frey also maintained her good pace, briefly coming under pressure from Ben Barker in the #77 Proton Mustang but holding position. By the time the race hit the 8-hour-to-go mark, Frey had cycled back into P5 after a flawless run from all three Iron Dames drivers—Bovy, Martin, and Frey—who continue to keep the team firmly in contention for a top five.

With 16 hours still to run, teams and drivers will now enter the most complex part of the race, when physical and mechanical tiredness can play a part. Nightfall has not however slowed the momentum of the female entries, with Iron Dames and Jamie Chadwick's team both running in P5, in an very clean and uninterrupted race so far.

Photo credits: DPPI