Iron Dames lead from the back of the field before misfortune ends Fuji charge
- RACERS
- Sep 28
- 6 min read
After storming from 17th on the grid to lead the 6 Hours of Fuji, the Iron Dames were denied a deserved top result by ill-timed safety cars, finishing 13th despite strong stints from Célia Martin, Rahel Frey and Michelle Gatting.
Iron Dames were on course for a brilliant result in the 2025 6H of Fuji, the penultimate round of the FIA World Endurance Championship season, as the groundbreaking all-female team led with two hours left after starting from the back of the pack.
Great recoveries by Célia Martin and a superb double stint from Rahel Frey had placed the #85 Porsche in podium contention – but an unfortunately timed safety car between pit cycles hampered the team's strategy, and at the final driver change Michelle Gatting found herself recovering from 16th place.
The Dane still managed to pick up a few spots to finish P13, but it ultimately wasn’t enough to secure points at the end of an action-packed 6 Hours of Fuji, extending a streak of bad luck for the Iron Dames squad after a DNF at Circuit of the Americas.
Iron Dames’ WEC campaign has been marred by misfortune and hasn’t yet delivered the results they deserve; after scoring their first points in Imola, the breakthrough came at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, where the trio found great pace and battled at the front of the LMGT3 field. Another big step forward followed at São Paulo, where the pink Porsche was in contention for a race win before finishing fourth – still their best result to date this year. They showed similar pace again at the Lone Star Le Mans event in Texas, despite a technical issue that ultimately took them out of contention.
Heading to the Land of the Rising Sun, Iron Dames had reasons for high hopes, as Fuji Speedway has traditionally been a strong track for the all-female team, with two top-five finishes in the last two editions.
The practice sessions started with equally positive signs. While working on the car balance, both Gatting and Frey were soon up to speed, while Célia Martin – on her first visit to the circuit – familiarized herself with the track and found a good rhythm. The team made steady progress: in FP2 they were seventh fastest, with a 1:41.769 set by Rahel Frey, four tenths quicker than in FP1. More improvements came in FP3, where Gatting clocked a 1:41.392, again seventh fastest.
Next came qualifying, with bronze-rated driver Célia Martin attempting for the second time this year to reach hyperpole, after breaking into the top 10 for the first time at Interlagos. However, it proved to be a challenging session, with the Frenchwoman not fully comfortable with the car’s setup; her 1:42.284 left the team 17th in LMGT3, in a difficult position for the race.
“We’re definitely not happy with qualifying," commented Rahel Frey on Saturday. “Free practice went great, everything worked well, and we could certainly have achieved more, but today Célia didn’t feel comfortable with the car – we need to figure out why. Our pace was strong at Le Mans, São Paulo, and Austin, but unfortunately, we’re starting from the back, which makes things tricky. Now it’s our chance to show again what we can do, and we trust the team to back us with a solid strategy. Tomorrow, anything is possible.”
The disappointing qualifying left the Iron Dames Porsche with a recovery drive ahead, starting 17th in LMGT3 for the 100th race in WEC history. Martin took the start cautiously through Turn 1 before immediately making up places: she passed the #78 Lexus and both Iron Lynx Mercedes on the opening lap, then cleared the second Lexus of Umbrarescu for P14, immediately on the charge behind the #77 Proton Mustang.
Passing was however difficult in heavy traffic, with several incidents in the Hypercar class bringing out the first Full Course Yellow for debris just 17 minutes in.
Martin, right behind Bernardo Sousa in the Mustang, spent several laps trying to find a way past before her rival received a drive-through penalty for first-lap contact, which he served on lap 14. This gave Martin clear air, though she now had eight seconds to close to the cars ahead.
Defending from the #61 Mercedes of Martin Berry while managing Hypercar traffic, Martin gained two more positions as Flohr and Van Rompuy served drive-through penalties for FCY infractions, promoting the Iron Dames Porsche to 11th by lap 19.
A spin for Heriau’s Vista AF Corse Ferrari after contact with Hardwick’s Manthey Porsche allowed Martin to close in, before a Virtual Safety Car was deployed for significant debris scattered across the track. Most of the LMGT3 class pitted under caution, and Martin came in from 11th for fuel as the race reached its first hour.
A full safety car bunched up the field, and the race went back underway with five hours to go. As the #95 McLaren served a drive-through for jumping the start, Martin was battling Heriau and Hardwick for ninth, after the latter lost out to the #21 Vista AF Corse Ferrari. More penalties ahead promoted Iron Dames to eighth.
Now right behind the sister Manthey Porsche, Martin had to manage heavy traffic while looking for a way past Hardwick. Quicker but boxed in, she seized her chance by following Hardwick through when McIntosh’s #10 Aston Martin was overtaken, grabbing P7 on lap 50.
Célia pitted on lap 57 for the first driver change, handing the car to Rahel Frey. The Swiss racer was immediately quick, setting the car’s first laps in the 1:42s before improving to a 1:41.749. As pit cycles unfolded, Frey climbed to second in LMGT3 at the two-hour mark.
Her strong run was interrupted by a heavy crash for Raffaele Marciello’s #15 BMW Hypercar at Turn 7, which triggered a Virtual Safety Car. Frey pitted on lap 64 to top up fuel before the pass-around procedure, but while holding second she was separated from the leading #59 United Autosport McLaren of Sébastien Baud by several Hypercars.
When racing resumed with 3h20m to go, Frey was immediately quick again, improving to a 1:41.646 with a purple first sector. Closing a 10-second gap, she caught Baud and began a thrilling duel, eventually completing a stunning move for the lead on lap 92 in the final sector. The pair went side by side on the main straight before Frey secured the lead at Turn 1, expertly managing Hypercar traffic.
With 2h50m remaining, Iron Dames led the race for the first time after starting from the back. Frey stretched her lead to three seconds over the sister Manthey Porsche of Riccardo Pera before pitting on lap 102 for tyres and fuel, staying in the car.
The sister Manthey Porsche jumped ahead in the pit cycle, with Frey rejoining second, narrowly avoiding a major crash for the #007 Aston Martin Valkyrie directly in front of her, which triggered a Full Course Yellow followed by a full safety car – in what proved to be very bad timing for Iron Dames’ strategy.
The green flag waved with two hours to go; Frey tried to stay with the sister car, but in the chaos of the restart, heavy traffic allowed Jonny Edgar’s TF Sport Corvette and Sean Gelael’s United Autosport McLaren through, dropping Frey to fourth. Alessio Rovera then joined the fight in the #21 Ferrari, having pitted earlier to put in its platinum-rated driver.
Under attack from platinum and gold-ranked drivers, Frey pitted on lap 127 for the final driver change. Michelle Gatting took over with 1h39m to go, rejoining from 16th after the stop. The Dane was immediately competitive with consistent 1:41.9s, but the safety car timing meant rivals had already switched to their top-rated drivers earlier, forcing Iron Dames to stick to their fuel strategy.
Gatting caught Racing Spirit of Léman’s Hasse-Clot and passed under braking at Turn 1 for P15. As more cars pitted at the five-hour mark, Michelle cycled back up to 11th before making her final stop ten minutes later, rejoining 16th.
She regained ground as the #88 Proton Mustang picked up damage and Saucy’s McLaren was penalized. With six minutes left, the LMGT3 leaders who had stayed out longer on fuel were forced to pit for a splash, promoting Gatting to P13 at the chequered flag. It was an unfortunate result after earlier promise.
“For us, the race had its highs and lows", said Célia Martin. "At the start, I stayed calm and looked after the tyres. Overtaking is very difficult on this track, but we were able to capitalise on the mistakes and slips of others. Rahel also drove an excellent stint, gaining several positions."
"The last safety car cost us a few places, and there was nothing Michelle could do to recover – we would have loved to finish a bit closer to our sister car.”
Despite the disappointing result, it was another encouraging outing for Iron Dames. The team has unlocked performance since Interlagos, and the trio is now consistently fighting at the front of the field. While the outright result slipped away, they will have another chance at the WEC season finale in Bahrain on 7–8 November, with also an important ELMS round coming up in Portimão, where they remain in title contention.
