WEC: Iron Dames podium ambitions thwarted by technical issue at 6H of São Paulo

After leading the opening hours and running in second place until two hours to go, Iron Dames were forced to retire from the 6 Hours of São Paulo due to a water pump issue, marking their second DNF of the season despite strong performances by the drivers.

Photo credits: André Ferreira / DPPI

After leading the opening hours and then running in second place until two hours to go, Iron Dames were forced to retire from the 6 Hours of Sao Paulo with a water pump issue that ended their run. It was the team's second DNF of the season in the FIA World Endurance Championship, following two top-five finishes at Spa and Le Mans.

Starting from pole position, the all-female team was in clear contention for a podium finish, after strong runs by Sarah Bovy - who led the race throughout the opening hour - and a very soli stint by Rahel Frey, who had expertly retained the runner up spot and opened a safe gap into the third and fourth hour of the race. The technical issue arose during the fourth stop, when Michelle Gatting was supposed to take over the #85 Lamborghini Huracan.

The fifth round of the FIA WEC was off to a highly promising start in Interlagos, which hosted the 6H of Sao Paulo for the first time in ten years: Bovy, Frey and Gatting were in fact protagonists of very encouraging free practice session, running in the top five as well as the top three before qualifying-master Sarah Bovy took over for Saturday's qualifying.

Two weeks after a heavy accident that hospitalized her overnight at Watkins Glen, Bovy proved once again she had fully recovered and only a few days later, she put the Iron Dames Porsche on LMGT3 pole position at Imola. The team went on to convert pole into a race win - their first of the year in European Le Mans Series. And Bovy did it again one week later: she claimed top spot on the leaderboard with a 1:35.299 that placed the Iron Dames Huracan one-tenth ahead of the Manthey Porsche in Q1. No one could surpass her time in the closing moments and the Belgian secured access to the hyperpole session.

After an initial red flag, Sarah recorded the fastest lap with a time of 1:34.413 with just a couple of minutes remaining. Manthey Porsche's Alex Malykhin improved to second fastest, but was still almost four-tenths behind the Iron Dames Lamborghini. Bovy posted another fastest time in sector 1, but with no other drivers able to challenge her time, she returned to the pits, securing yet another pole position surrounded by the cheerful Brazilian audience.

This marked Sarah Bovy's seventh pole in her FIA WEC career and her second of the 2024 FIA WEC campaign, after the 6 Hours of Spa.

“Taking pole at São Paulo feels different because it is a track synonymous with Ayrton Senna", Bovy said. "I’m a bit emotional right now because this is very special. Thank you very much to the entire team for giving me a great car again and I can't wait go racing tomorrow.”

Photo credits: André Ferreira / DPPI

The race day dawned sunnier and warmer, setting the stage for an exciting 6 Hours of São Paulo, the first in a decade. Leading the LMGT3 field was Sarah Bovy, the qualifying star from Iron Dames.

When the green flag waved, Bovy had a clean start, maintaining the top spot in LMGT3 and quickly pulling away from Malykhin and the McLarens driven by Cottingham and Caygill. A spin by Chatin's Alpine hypercar on lap 2 triggered a local yellow flag, but there were no further neutralizations.

Bovy soon emerged as the fastest driver in her class, being the only one to clock under the 1:36 minute mark. This allowed the pink Lamborghini to embark on its usual mission of building an early lead. Within ten minutes, Bovy had already established a four-second gap, while the United Autosport McLarens vied for third place.

The #91 Manthey Porsche, driven by Yasser Shahin, collided with the #81 Corvette of Van Rompuy. Despite the collision, both cars rejoined the race. The first Full Course Yellow was then deployed following Thomas Flohr's spin at turn 2. By this point, Bovy had extended her lead to ten seconds by lap 10. Fortunately, the neutralization was brief, and Iron Dames began rebuilding the gap that had halved during the FCY procedure.

Back in her rhythm, Bovy was once again the fastest in her class, although Malykhin managed to maintain a more stable pace. As the first hour approached, several LMGT3 cars pitted. Bovy took her first pit stop on lap 33, remaining behind the wheel and retaining the LMGT3 lead after the pit cycle completed two laps later with the #77 Proton Mustang's pit stop.

With a six-second lead over the #92 Porsche, Bovy continued to deliver impressive lap times. However, Malykhin gradually closed the gap, forcing Bovy to defend her position with determination. Despite her efforts, the Manthey Porsche overtook her for the lead on lap 54, as the hyperpole-winner struggled with tyre degradation, particularly in the slower middle sector.

Maintaining a close distance to the #92 Porsche, Bovy still held a safe margin over the third-placed Team WRT BMW before pitting on lap 65 for Iron Dames' second stop. Sarah handed over the car to Rahel Frey, with 4 hours and 10 minutes remaining. Malykhin pitted a lap later, and with Joel Sturm now in the driving seat, the white and yellow Porsche emerged three seconds ahead of Iron Dames.

Rahel Frey displayed competitive pace, consistently lapping within a few tenths of the class leader. Most LMGT3 entries were now fielding their silver or platinum drivers, resulting in a tightly contested race. By lap 76, Frey had closed the gap to the class-leading Porsche to under three seconds.

Photo credits: André Ferreira / DPPI

Frey's pace allowed her to extend the gap over the trailing cars. Nearly three hours into the race, Iron Dames pitted for the third time on lap 97, with Frey staying behind the wheel and retaining second place despite a slightly slower stop and outlap.

Rahel then faced pressure from Daniel Mancinelli's Heart of Racing Aston Martin but managed to defend her position successfully. Mancinelli intensified the pressure, but Rahel held off the rival.

As the stint progressed, Frey used her experience to gradually increase the gap over the cars behind, setting up nicely for the final stints. The Swiss driver, in fact, had managed her tyre degradation well and was again among the fastest in her class midway through her stint.

Frey's superb performance saw the pink Lamborghini pulling away from the Heart of Racing Aston Martin and, on lap 130, she would pit for the fourth time. During the stop, however, the car was surrounded by a cloud of smoke and a water leak: Michelle Gatting initially jumped onboard but soon she had to get out again and the car was wheeled back into the garage with a technical issue.

With podium ambitions dashed, Iron Dames were out of contention with two hours remaining. After losing eight laps in the pits, Michelle Gatting eventually made her way back out on track. However, a few laps later, she brought the car back into the pits, and Iron Dames ultimately retired due to a water pump issue. For the third time this year, Gatting couldn't even start her race stints.

It was the team's second DNF of the season, after an early contact on the first lap of the 6H of Imola caused terminal damage to the Lamborghini Huracan in the second round of the season. Their pace was on display at Spa Francorchamps and Le Mans, where they finished P5 and P4, but their podium-worthy pace has so far not been rewarded yet in FIA WEC.

The all-female team now sits eighth in the championship standings, with three rounds to go.

The FIA World Endurance Championship will resume at the Lone Star Le Mans event at COTA, USA, on September 1st; Iron Dames, however, will continue their busy season with the ELMS 4 Hours of Spa Francorchamps on 25th August.