Sarah Bovy charges to class podium in Endurance Racing Legends at Spa

Iron Dames star Sarah Bovy made her historic racing debut at the Endurance Racing Legends event during the Spa-Classic—on her home track at Spa-Francorchamps—and did so in style, completing an outstanding recovery drive in torrential rain from the back of a 42-car field to secure third in class on Sunday.

Photo credits: Forty Seven Club

Iron Dames star Sarah Bovy made her historic racing debut at the Endurance Racing Legends event during the Spa-Classic—on her home track at Spa-Francorchamps—and did so in style, completing an outstanding recovery drive in torrential rain from the back of a 42-car field to secure third in class on Sunday.

Bovy, a veteran of the groundbreaking all-female Iron Dames team, had served as the squad’s bronze-rated driver until 2024 before being promoted to silver in 2025. She currently races at the top of sports car racing, competing in the team's main line up in European Le Mans Series and the IMSA SportsCar Championship Endurance Cup. She also has raced in FIA WEC, with a résumé that includes one win, seven pole positions, and one fastest lap.

Amid an extremely busy season with Iron Dames, Bovy still found the time to add an extra home race to her 2025 schedule, joining the grid of the Endurance Racing Legends for the first time. She drove a Ferrari 360 Modena N-GT (2003) operated by Forty Seven Club.

Created in 2011 at one of drivers’ favorite circuits, Spa-Classic has grown into one of Europe’s premier historic racing events. Across several categories, more than 400 legendary racing cars competed, reviving memories for motorsport fans of all ages.

It was a challenging start of the event for Bovy, who couldn’t complete a single lap in the sessions leading up to the two races due to mechanical issues that prevented the #47 Ferrari from setting a time in qualifying. Additionally, as a FIA Silver driver, she would had to serve a 50-second handicap—making her weekend a true uphill battle, though a valuable way to stay race-sharp.

"This weekend was my first historic race weekend in Spa at the Spa-Classic and it was an experience, that’s for sure," Bovy said. "It started quite difficult because I couldn't take part in any laps in qualifying. So I started both races from the last position—and it rained on Saturday and Sunday for both races, so it allowed me to put my driving into practice in those tricky conditions, without any assistance—no ABS, no traction control, just old-school driving."

The first race on Saturday afternoon was held in very wet conditions. Bovy started from the back of the grid - P42 overall, 9th in class - behind the safety car.

After one lap under caution, the race went green and Bovy began her charge, moving up to P39 overall despite extremely poor visibility and treacherous weather. Within a few laps, she was into P36 overall and 8th in class, passing the #265 Porsche of Sweifler. Almost 20 seconds per lap faster than some of the cars ahead, Bovy was relentless.

She soon passed the #69 Porsche for 6th in class and was closing in on the overall top 30. By lap 4, she had caught Delauney and claimed 5th in class while continuing to set personal best sectors despite the barely drivable conditions. Bovy pitted on lap 5 for the mandatory stop with 17 minutes remaining, running P5 in class and P32 overall.

Unfortunately, a Full Course Yellow was deployed shortly after she rejoined, which worked against her. She would restart P36 overall and 7th in class. Back under green, Bovy pushed forward again, reclaiming 6th in class and P34 overall. With under 10 minutes to go, she continued to set competitive lap times even as more cars went off in the worsening conditions, prompting another FCY.

By the restart, she had climbed to P32 overall and was once again chasing Delauney for 5th in class. She gained another spot overall and dramatically closed in on the top five, lapping nearly 30 seconds faster than the next car ahead—but ultimately ran out of time.

She finished P29 overall and 6th in the GT2B class after an inspired recovery, despite a not optimal car setup.

“Starting last, having 50 seconds of extra penalty because I’m a Silver now,” Bovy explained. “Added to that, I was actually starting with almost half a lap gap between me and the leader of the class because even under safety car, some drivers weren’t really comfortable in the rain and couldn’t follow the lead."

“The race on Saturday was really difficult because, having done zero laps in testing, I started with a car that wasn’t set up right—wrong tyres, wrong pressures. I really struggled just to keep the car on the track. But the team worked really well, and with the help of a few people in the paddock, who were fantastic, we managed to get a great car for Sunday. And the pace was really good in the race.”

Sunday brought heavy rain again. The race started behind the safety car, with Bovy in P39 overall and barely any visibility. She gained a position early as the #71 Porsche went off in the challenging conditions.

After four laps behind the safety car, the race finally went green: Bovy, already up to 5th in class and P31 overall, immediately set the fastest first sector.

As the pit window opened, she stayed out, climbing to 4th in class and P26 overall by lap 5. She set a stunning 2:53.808 lap—over two seconds faster than anyone else.

Continuing her charge, she set purple sectors and grabbed third in class before pitting at the end of lap 6. After a strong outlap, she retained third in class and continued to close the gap—her 2:51.925 lap was more than 4 seconds quicker than any other GT2B competitor.

However, with 5 minutes left, a Full Course Yellow was triggered by the stranded #162 Porsche, halting her progress with nearly a 30-second deficit to second place.

The race resumed for one final green-flag lap. Bovy still pushed hard, gaining more positions overall to finish P21 overall and securing a podium with 3rd in the GT2B class—in a remarkable comeback once again. Despite the misfortune in qualifying that left her starting from the back on both days, Bovy demonstrated race-winning pace and reaffirmed why she’s one of the top GT racers in the world.

“I was able to make a nice comeback because I came back to third place despite all the time penalties. Thanks to all that hard work on Sunday I was actually the fastest car in my class, so the honour is safe, let’s say,” she said.

“Most importantly, I had a lot of fun—a lot of super cool people, super cool cars with so much motorsport history. I really enjoyed having a weekend at Spa with the Belgian fans and my friends. It was really nice to do an extra home race weekend.”

Bovy will now resume her season duties with Iron Dames.