Iron Dames fighting spirit on full display as Bovy, Frey, and Martin battle setbacks at La Sarthe
- RACERS
- Jun 15
- 6 min read
"It's not how we wanted to finish, but that's racing” – It was once again fighting spirit on full display for the Iron Dames, as Sarah Bovy, Rahel Frey, and rookie Célia Martin battled setbacks and heartbreak at La Sarthe, still crossing the finish line with some brilliant final stints.
The Iron Dames entered the most prestigious endurance race on the planet—this year’s at its 93rd edition – the 24 Hours of Le Mans, with high hopes and solid momentum. But drama struck before the race had even begun: star driver Michelle Gatting sustained two fractures in her right foot during a pre-event testing accident in a pit stop practice, ruling her out of the crown jewel event of the FIA World Endurance Championship.
Her absence meant a last-minute call-up for Sarah Bovy, a longtime Iron Dames member and current silver-rated driver in the European Le Mans Series. While Bovy had years of experience with the Iron Dames family, this would be her first outing with Manthey Racing, who now operates the Iron Dames' WEC effort. Despite being a late addition and needing to adapt to new engineers and systems, Bovy quickly found her rhythm—setting the tone for a determined Iron Dames charge.
FP1 saw Bovy immediately up to speed, remarkably setting the fastest lap of the trio despite no preparation. Her ability to hit the ground running was impressive, while rookie Célia Martin, racing at the main Le Mans event for the first time, also logged a solid debut performance, gaining crucial track experience.
In FP2, held at night following qualifying, Rahel Frey set a 3:59.2 during longer stints that confirmed promising race pace. Martin continued to improve, showing encouraging progress across sectors.
FP3 on Thursday afternoon took place in dry, warm conditions. After a wet morning, Frey made a significant step forward by breaking the 3:59 barrier, clocking a 3:58.371 that placed the team P19 in LMGT3. Bovy also regained rhythm during the session, continuing her adaptation.
In the second night session, FP4, the Iron Dames kept improving. Bovy ran consistent sub-4-minute laps, while Frey recorded a 3:58.616 late in the session, propelling the team to P11 and confirming a competitive pace for the race.
Under the qualifying format, bronze-rated drivers contested the initial session, aiming to place in the top 12 and secure a spot in first Hyperpole session. Célia Martin therefore took the wheel for Iron Dames in the Wednesday session.
Martin got up to speed and pitted for new tyres, but a red flag due to the sister #60 Iron Lynx Mercedes halting on track interrupted the session. When running resumed, Martin managed a 4:00.026, placing the team 19th. Another red flag with under four minutes to go ended the session prematurely—denying many drivers, including Martin, a final flying lap.
The #85 Iron Dames Porsche would line up P18 in LMGT3 for the main event.
Under slightly overcast skies but an electrifying atmosphere, the 93rd 24 Hours of Le Mans roared to life. Frenchwoman Célia Martin took the start in the #85 Porsche, beginning her first-ever stint at Le Mans from P18 in class.
Martin completed the opening lap in P20 but immediately began moving forward. She passed Darren Leung’s United Autosports McLaren on lap 2 and quickly became the fastest bronze driver on track, dipping into the 4:00 range before going sub-4 with a 3:59.9. She then began chasing the sister Manthey Porsche.
After a 10-lap opening stint, Martin pitted and stayed in for a double stint. She emerged P13 and continued setting competitive times, moving up into P11. Her third stint was even stronger: a decisive overtake and subsequent duel with Heriau at Indianapolis saw a combative Célia climbing to P10.
She remained consistently in the 4:02 range and challenged Ian James’ Heart of Racing Aston Martin. After a three-stint opening effort, Martin pitted on lap 30 and handed the car over to Sarah Bovy.
Back in the car, Bovy was immediately quick. Her first stint featured impressive traffic management and racecraft. She went under the 4-minute mark and eventually set a 3:58.591, taking P9 after a clean overtake on the #27 Aston Martin.
Bovy stayed in for another stint, emerging in P6, and then climbed to P5 as other cars cycled through pit stops. She briefly led during a pit cycle before pitting on lap 53 and handing back to Martin with four hours completed.
As the sun dipped over the Sarthe circuit, Martin held on bravely in P9 despite a host of faster, pro-rated drivers behind her. She continued delivering 4:00 laps and maintained P7 after another fuel stop. Later, she re-entered the top five on lap 93 before handing over to Rahel Frey—who would carry the Iron Dames into the night.
Frey started her stint in P10 but soon surged forward. She set a 3:58.313 on lap 107 and brought the car into P5. With just over 8 hours to go, Frey handed over to Martin again—marking a first full-night stint for the bronze-rated driver.
Martin fell behind pro drivers Ben Barker and Davide Rigon but maintained competitive pace. She brought the car back to P7 in the pit cycle and then handed over to Bovy once more.
Bovy engaged in a battle with Lilou Wadoux and eventually passed Ian James again, climbing to P5. The first and only safety car of the race was triggered after Cem Bolukbasi’s LMP2 car crashed at Tertre Rouge. Bovy stayed out and cycled into P7—just barely on the lead lap from the LMGT3 leader.
Her pace remained strong: 3:59.4s, then a 3:58.9, and she stayed in for another double stint. Bovy eventually handed the car back to Frey with 9h45 remaining.
Frey immediately set a blistering 3:57.953—at that time the car’s best lap. But disaster struck when she was hit by the #87 Lexus of Clemens Schmid at the second chicane. Frey spun and got stuck in the gravel; marshals recovered the car, and Schmid was penalized, but worse came soon after: the Porsche ground to a halt on the Mulsanne, suffering from shifting issues.
Rahel managed to limp back into the pits and the car was wheeled into the garage, spending six laps in repair.
Frey however rejoined with 8h44 to go. From P18, she pushed hard with 3:58s laps before handing back to Martin, who continued running sub-4-minute laps. The Dames’ goal was now simply to finish strong, and showcase their resilience.
With 6 hours to go, Bovy took over again and posted a new team best of 3:57.588. The pace was relentless: more 3:57s followed, and she moved up to P17 when the #78 Lexus retired.
Frey reclaimed the fastest lap with a 3:57.566, then later bettered it with a stunning 3:57.097 on lap 312. Bovy tried to respond in the next stint for the Belgian, but couldn’t quite match it. With 1h40 to go, Frey was back in for the final stints.
Though Iron Dames had managed to get back on the same lap as the #63 Iron Lynx Mercedes, the gap was too large to bridge; Frey carved off nearly 20 seconds, but at 4:00 PM on Sunday, the #85 Porsche crossed the line in P16 in LMGT3, six laps down.
Though a top-five finish was certainly within reach, misfortune derailed the Iron Dames' effort at the biggest endurance race. Still, their fighting spirit shone through—especially from Célia Martin, who drove more than expected; Sarah Bovy, who jumped in at the last minute – and Rahel Frey, who delivered relentless pace and experience, with stunning final runs.
“That's a wrap on the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2025”, Rahel Frey commented. “It was a pleasure. Our rookie, Célia did super well.”
“I was super happy that Sarah jumped in last-minute for Michi", Frey continued. "Honestly speaking, that's not that easy. But we made it once again as Iron Dames, another finish. Not how we wanted to finish, but that's racing. We say thank you very much Manthey and Iron Dames, but also our partner TotalEnergies. We will come back stronger."
"It's not how we wanted to finish, but that's racing”, echoed Bovy. “24 Hours of Le Mans, it's part of the game and I think we can be very proud. With Iron Dames, I think so far I've finished every single participation, always crossing the line because we never give up. I'm super proud of both my team-mates and the entire team.”
Célia Martin also expressed gratitude towards her teammate: "Honestly, the girls did amazing”, she commented. “I drove a bit more than expected. I was suffering for the first time so I really saw what this race was. I have even more respect and I'm even more proud to be a part of it and to have made it to the finish line and to have done this first adventure for me with these girls."
Iron Dames once again proved the perseverance that defines the project — even when the result doesn’t reflect the effort.
