ELMS: Iron Dames take fourth at 4H of Spa, just miss out on podium for late fuel drama
- RACERS
- Aug 25
- 4 min read
Iron Dames returned to ELMS with a strong performance at the 4 Hours of Spa, with Martin, Bovy and Gatting running at the front throughout but narrowly missing the podium due to a late-race refuelling, securing a highly valuable fourth place and closing to within one point of the LMGT3 championship lead.
Iron Dames returned to the European Le Mans Series for the fourth round of the 2025 season – marking the start of the second half of the championship – and claimed a highly valuable fourth-place finish. Célia Martin, Sarah Bovy and Michelle Gatting only narrowly missed out on a podium after late-race fuel strategies forced most of the front-runners to pit in the final laps.
The Iron Dames’ consistency throughout the ELMS campaign has kept them firmly in the title battle. With the points scored at Spa, the team retained second place in the class standings and closed the gap to the leaders to just one single point.
Coming off a difficult round at Imola – where changeable weather conditions resulted in a ninth-place finish – the all-female trio returned to action after the summer break at the legendary Belgian circuit of Spa-Francorchamps, home track of Sarah Bovy and venue of many successful outings for the outfit founded by Deborah Mayer.
In opening practice, the team focused on fine-tuning the Porsche 911 GT3 R’s setup and balance, setting a 2:18.620 lap, just 0.6s off the pace-setters. In the bronze-driver collective test, Célia Martin took the wheel and impressed once again, setting the second-fastest lap in LMGT3 and confirming her status as one of the series’ top bronze drivers. On Saturday morning, setup work continued with a focus on longer runs, where Bovy showed promising pace.
Qualifying was run in typical Spa weather, with rain arriving in the Ardennes. Bronze driver Célia Martin took on the session, having already established herself as one of the strongest in the category. She initially slotted into fifth with a 2:43.039, before improving in the third sector to move up to second with a 2:38.918. As conditions improved, times tumbled, and despite further progress on her final run with a 2:38.301, Martin ended the session in fifth – a strong performance given her limited track time in wet conditions.
Race day however brought back the sun at Spa-Francorchamps for the start of the 2025 4 Hours of Spa. Martin took the start from fifth in LMGT3 and had a clean getaway through La Source. On the opening lap she moved into third, and by the second lap had overtaken Duncan Cameron’s Spirit of Race Ferrari for second. Setting purple sectors, the Frenchwoman immediately closed in on Clement Mateu’s Racing Spirit of Léman Aston Martin.
Half an hour into the race, the #31 Racing Spirit of Léman LMP3 Ligier went off at Les Combes, triggering pit stops under a Virtual Safety Car. Martin pitted from second on lap 16, and as the VSC turned into a full Safety Car, she rejoined in P2.
After more than 30 minutes of caution, racing resumed – only for multiple accidents to immediately bring the Safety Car out again. Nearly a full hour was spent under caution, hurting the rhythm of the Iron Dames’ strategy.
At the restart with 2h28m remaining, Martin wasted no time and overtook Mateu for the LMGT3 lead. However, another incident for the #23 United Autosports McLaren brought out a Virtual Safety Car and another wave of pit stops. The Iron Dames initially stayed out, but boxed a lap later.
Sarah Bovy took over from Martin, rejoining third behind the Iron Lynx Mercedes and the Racing Spirit of Léman Aston. With pro drivers cycling in across the field, Bovy was soon under pressure; she initially lost third to Erwin Bastard in the #59 Aston but settled into a strong rhythm.
Despite being one of the few silver-rated drivers in the top positions at this point, Bovy lapped consistently in the 2:21s, holding her ground against experienced competitors. Managing LMP3 traffic perfectly, she kept the Iron Dames firmly in podium contention.
Bovy handed over to Michelle Gatting with just over an hour remaining, the car still in the top three after a trouble-free and competitive stint for the home racer.
A clash at the Bus Stop between the #75 Kessel Ferrari and the #60 Proton Porsche of Alessio Picariello brought out another Full Course Yellow. The Iron Dames opted for an early stop, hoping to gain an advantage. Gatting rejoined in eighth but quickly climbed back through the order, setting the team’s fastest lap of the race with a 2:20.097.
With 40 minutes to go she was up to fifth, and shortly after grabbed fourth. However, it was clear that fuel mileage would be decisive. Having stopped early, the Iron Dames needed rely on further neutralizations to reach the end. Gatting pushed hard, closing in on the leaders, but with just minutes remaining she was forced to make a late splash-and-dash stop.
As several rivals also fell short on fuel, the #59 Racing Spirit of Léman Aston Martin took victory ahead of the Iron Lynx Mercedes and the Kessel Racing Ferrari. Gatting crossed the line in fourth, narrowly missing the podium after a superb effort from all three drivers.
From Martin’s aggressive opening stint that brought the team into contention, to Bovy’s consistent drive against strong opposition, and Gatting’s charge in the decisive final hour, the Iron Dames once again delivered a flawless performance.
“We crossed the line in P4 after running inside the top three for most of the race," said Sarah Bovy. "Clearly P1 and P2 were out of reach today, but I think we’ve been giving a good fight to the rest of the field and at the end, we can be very proud of the performance. We made no mistakes, there were no penalties, no contact, nothing. It was a proper Iron Dames race. We will come back, and I’m telling you, we’re still fighting for that championship!”
Célia Martin was once again awarded the Goodyear Wingfoot Award for most valuable driver in class. With their Spa result, the Iron Dames remain second in the LMGT3 standings, just one point off the championship lead, as the title fight enters its decisive phase.
The next round of the European Le Mans Series will be the 4 Hours of Silverstone on 14 September, a new circuit for most of the teams.
