WEC: Iron Dames grab top-10 at 6H of Spa after leading laps
- RACERS
- May 11
- 9 min read
The Iron Dames returned to the top ten in the World Endurance Championship with a tenth place at the 6 Hours of Spa, where they also led part of the race showing front-running pace across all three drivers stints, before safety car intervention reshuffled the strategies.
Iron Dames secured another championship point in the third round of the 2025 FIA World Endurance Championship season, finishing tenth in the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps.
The all-female trio returned to the top ten in the World Endurance Championship following an eighth-place finish at Imola. Once again, the drivers demonstrated strong determination and fighting spirit, with Célia Martin delivering one of her most impressive drives since joining the Iron Dames main line-up: from P13, Martin made significant progress during the opening stint and brought the #85 Porsche into podium contention.
With equally competitive stints from her teammates, Rahel Frey led the race at the three-hour mark. However, a series of safety car interventions shuffled the strategies and pushed the team back down the order. Michelle Gatting was then tasked with a recovery drive in the final hour, securing tenth place with a solid performance.
It was a bittersweet race for the pioneering all-female team; while the Iron Dames clearly made further progress in FIA WEC after a challenging season opener at Lusail—where an unfavorable Porsche BoP hampered their competitiveness—they secured their first points of the season in Imola and now even led portions of the Spa race. The #85 Porsche was in contention for a strong result for much of the event, despite still facing BoP limitations that made overtaking on top speed difficult. Nevertheless, the final result leaves the team with a sense of disappointment, as a series of setbacks has often prevented them from achieving the results their pace suggests.
While the Iron Dames have enjoyed a strong start in the European Le Mans Series—where Célia Martin, Sarah Bovy, and Michelle Gatting currently lead the LMGT3 standings after two rounds with a victory—the WEC campaign has been more challenging. At Spa, Martin, Gatting, and Frey—returning to the lineup for the WEC rounds—fought back with determination, each delivering competitive stints and showcasing their potential on the legendary Ardennes circuit.
In a race where they had been highly competitive last year—only missing out on victory due to a red flag disrupting strategy—the team was eager to rebound from a difficult start to the 2025 season, which had been affected by both uncontrollable issues and occasional missteps.
In opening practice, Michelle Gatting set a 2:20.523 lap, placing the car just outside the top ten. The team continued to work on the setup during FP2, and while there was still progress to be made, they were heading in the right direction. Gatting improved further in FP3 on Friday with a 2:19.922, while Célia Martin also posted a 2:20.523 lap in preparation for qualifying—both encouraging signs heading into the afternoon.
Célia Martin took over for qualifying duties on Friday afternoon, aiming to break into the Hyperpole session for the first time. Martin’s first timed lap was a 2:23.911, placing her third in LMGT3 at the time, though lap times were steadily improving. She soon improved to a 2:20.320, placing the Iron Dames Porsche right on the edge of the top ten with five minutes to go.
The #92 Manthey Porsche of Ryan Hardwick briefly led, before being surpassed by François Heriau’s #21 Vista AF Corse Ferrari. Martin’s final attempt wasn’t enough to regain a spot in the top ten, as the tyres had peaked. She ultimately qualified P13 for the third round of the FIA WEC—marking their best starting position of the season so far.
“Compared to my qualifying simulation in free practice this morning, I improved by two-tenths of a second", commented a slightly disappointed Célia Martin. "Unfortunately, we needed five-tenths. I know where I can find that, but I didn’t manage it in such a short time. Now we’ll continue working on the race setup. We learned a lot in this regard at the last race in Imola. Our goal is to finish in the points.”
It was a sunny day in the Ardennes for the 6 Hours of Spa, the third round of the 2025 WEC season.
Célia Martin got a great getaway, taking the inside line and was almost squeezed onto the grass before turn 1, but she made the move stick, gaining two positions and immediately jumping up into P11.
She quickly began hunting down the #87 Akkodis Lexus of Umbrarescu, followed by van Rompuy's Corvette and the #46 WRT BMW of Shahin. The battle just behind allowed the Iron Dames Porsche to focus forward. Van Rompuy then found a way past on the Kemmel Straight, using the Corvette’s top speed. Martin was back down to P12 on lap 2.
Célia then had to defend from the #31 WRT BMW M4 GT3 but held her ground before once again pushing toward the #81 TF Sport Corvette. The Iron Dames were however handed a five-second penalty for a race start infringement, to be served at the next pit stop.
Célia kept up the pressure on van Rompuy and eventually made a move stick on lap 8 to reclaim the position. She then overtook Ian James in the Heart of Racing Aston Martin, seizing the opportunity to break into the top 10. One lap later, Martin set the fastest middle sector of anyone in LMGT3, as she opened up a gap to the Vista AF Corse Ferrari ahead.
On lap 10, the sister Manthey Porsche fell down the order, allowing Martin to gain another place. She then immediately overtook Thomas Flohr’s #54 Ferrari to move into eighth. In clean air, the Frenchwoman logged some of the best laps in class, maintaining a steady pace in the 2:22s. With her rapid pace, Martin quickly closed in on the #777 Racing Spirit of Léman Aston Martin, passed it on lap 15, and continued her impressive charge.
Almost 50 minutes into the race, the first Full Course Yellow was deployed when the #99 Proton Hypercar of Nico Pino was stranded at Les Combes. The Iron Dames used the opportunity to pit on lap 20 for an emergency stop, as did several other LMGT3 entries. Once the race went back to green and regular pit stops began, Martin brought the car in for full service and rejoined in P7.
The #78 Akkodis Lexus, however, began to pressure Martin and got past on lap 25, demoting the Iron Dames back to eighth. Martin then overtook the #77 Proton Mustang to reclaim seventh, just as the #31 WRT BMW of Shahin was stranded in the gravel after contact, and the #87 Lexus of Umbrarescu came to a halt on the Kemmel Straight. A Virtual Safety Car was deployed, eventually turning into a full Safety Car.
When the pit lane opened, Martin pitted again on lap 31—along with most of the LMGT3 field—to top off fuel. After the pass-around procedure, the race restarted with 4 hours and 16 minutes to go. Martin picked up sixth place, overtook the #77 Proton Ford again, and was now right behind the sister Manthey Porsche. She joined a tight four-car group led by the #88 Proton Mustang. Ian James’ Aston Martin also joined the battle and passed Martin for sixth. However, she cycled up into fifth as Gattuso and Hardwick pitted on lap 40.
Martin extended her stint and settled into her rhythm, climbing up into second place behind the #27 Heart of Racing Aston Martin once the field cycled through stops. With a comfortable gap behind, Martin matched the leader’s lap times, staying within two seconds. Over the next few laps, Martin significantly closed in on Ian James. She made a brilliant pass for the lead on lap 49 and held the position until lap 53, when she brought the #85 Porsche into the pit lane for the third stop.
Célia Martin completed her outstanding triple stint and handed over to Rahel Frey with 3 hours and 40 minutes remaining. Frey, starting her 30th FIA WEC race, became the first female driver to reach this milestone. The Swiss driver rejoined in P7 after the team served the five-second penalty from the start.
Frey quickly found her rhythm, running consistent 2:23.0 lap times, comparable to the LMGT3 front runners. She made her way back into the top five by lap 60. Now gaining even more speed, Frey moved into fourth in class and began chasing Rui Andrade’s TF Sport Corvette for third. Rahel stayed in the Corvette’s slipstream as they navigated traffic, avoiding unnecessary risks but remaining well-positioned for a podium fight.
Three hours into the race—at the halfway mark—Sean Gelael’s United Autosports McLaren was hit on the exit of the Les Combes chicane and went hard into the tyre wall, bringing out another safety car.
Frey pitted twice during the SC cycle and fell to 15th in class, now with all strategies reshuffled.
At the restart, with 2 hours and 36 minutes to go, Frey moved back up to P13 as a few cars, including the #27 Heart of Racing Aston Martin, received penalties. Frey immediately set the car’s best lap of the race, a 2:21.641, but now had significant ground to recover.
She battled with the #60 Iron Lynx Mercedes, trading positions while both cleared Andrade in a five-car train. Rahel climbed back to 12th and trailed Grove’s Mercedes, which was then handed a stop-and-go penalty for causing Gelael’s collision. Frey advanced to 11th by lap 83 and showed top-five pace, lapping at 2:22.1. She soon grabbed P10 after the #10 Aston Martin and #59 McLaren made contact, with the McLaren ending in the barriers.
A VSC was deployed, and Frey had recovered to seventh as the race was neutralized.
She pitted again once the lane opened and rejoined in ninth. The green flag waved again with 1 hour and 51 minutes remaining.
At the restart, Frey slotted into P10 as Alessio Rovera in the #21 AF Corse Ferrari charged through the field. The Iron Dames Porsche then had to contend with the #77 Proton Mustang of Ben Barker, as the entire LMGT3 class was covered by just a few seconds. With most teams having already switched to their Gold and Platinum drivers, Frey had not yet met her minimum driving time and was forced to stay in the car. She nevertheless held her own in P11.
Frey did not give up and passed the #33 TF Sport Corvette of Juncadella, re-entered the top ten, and kept the Iron Dames in contention with 1 hour and 30 minutes to go. She climbed to P7 before pitting for the eighth time, concluding a very positive—though unlucky—stint by the experienced Swiss driver, whose race had been disrupted by poorly timed safety cars that made strategy difficult before Michelle Gatting took over the #85 Porsche.
Gatting immediately set a 2:20.626 and rejoined in P12, chasing the sister Manthey Porsche of Richard Lietz. Following the next round of pit stops, Michelle climbed back into the top ten.
Slightly quicker than Lietz, Gatting remained right behind the sister car.
As teams began their final round of pit stops, the Iron Dames Porsche cycled up into P6, before a Full Course Yellow for debris briefly neutralized the race. Different strategies played out across the field for the final stint: Gatting eventually pitted with 32 minutes to go, and the pink #85 Porsche re-emerged in P12. The Danish driver now had to make a final push to reach the top ten, with the #78 Akkodis Lexus just a few seconds ahead.
She picked up P11 when the #61 Mercedes pitted and reclaimed the top ten as Juncadella brought the #33 Corvette into the pits. On a strong and consistent 2:21 pace, Michelle extended her gap to the #61 Mercedes behind but couldn’t quite close the distance to the #46 WRT BMW of Kelvin van der Linde, who ran ninth after their final stop.
In the final minutes, Michelle was on a mission - she closed to within three seconds of van der Linde and crossed the finish line in P10. The Iron Dames therefore scored points for the second consecutive race after Imola.
It was, however, a bittersweet result, despite strong performances from all three drivers. Célia Martin delivered a spectacular triple stint, Rahel Frey had an exceptional middle stint to keep the car in podium contention, and Michelle Gatting made a big final push. Yet once again, ill-timed safety cars reshuffled their strategy, denying the all-female team a deserved shot at the podium.
“Our race had its highs and lows but we’re happy to take home our championship points for tenth place", Rahel Frey said. "At one point, we were even leading the race, but we then dropped from the front to the back. Once you lose your position on track and get stuck in traffic, it’s incredibly difficult to recover, especially here at Spa. Overtaking wasn’t one of our strong points today.”
The 6 Hours of Spa served as a great test for the biggest event of the year: the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The 93rd edition of the legendary race will be the fourth round of the FIA WEC season, taking place from 11–15 June.
