7 March 2023

Lamborghini presented the 'Iron Dames' team dressed in bright pink racing suits, ready to compete with men

The next race of the Iron Dames - Rahel Frey, Michelle Gatting, Sarah Bovy and Doriane Pin - behind the wheel of the Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 will happen in the upcoming days from 11 March at the 1000 miles race in Sebring, USA as part of the IMSA (International Motor Sports Association) Endurance Cup. Earlier this year in January, they competed at the Daytona 24-hours race. (Schedule at the website of the FIA World Endurance Championship fiawec.com.)

The 'Iron Dames' project was initiated 2018 by entrepreneur, race driver and co-founder of the Italian racing team 'Iron Lynx' Deborah Mayer. Since 2022, Deborah Mayer has been president of the FIA's Women in Motorsport Commission (WIM). The Iron Dames project includes drivers, mechanics, engineers and managers. On occasion of last year's International Women's Day, the FIA published an interview with Mayer speaking about her new role as president, diversity and inclusion in motor sport, and her expectations for women in the various roles in motorsport. "The special beauty of motor sport is that it is one of the 3 totally mixed sports (like sailing and horse riding) in which women can compete against men." (Source: fia.com/news/interview-deborah-mayer-new-president-fia-women-motorsport-commission)

In the most recent media release, the four Iron Dames, who swap places in the cockpit of the car during the very long hours of endurance races, are introduced with the following short biographies:

Rahel Frey is 36 and was the first woman to win a Formula 3 race, in Germany. A professional driver since 2011, she is considered among the strongest in the field, with 71 podiums, 19 victories, seven pole positions, and 22 records for the fastest lap. She describes herself as "a silent worker", committed to using her 20 years of experience "to grow the role of women in motorsport." She is not only a driver but also a project manager for the Iron Dames, overseeing their growth, their physical and mental training and testing program. "In the racing world, I don't like to think in terms of 'man-woman' dualism. We get in the car and we want to be the fastest, just like the others," Frey contends.

Michelle Gatting was born in Denmark twenty-nine years ago and already counts a wealth of achievements in both karts and single-seaters: so far in her career, 14 race wins, 61 podiums, and 8 pole positions. She deeply loves her homeland, where she returns whenever she can for nature hikes with her dog Lasso. And she's a "proud and stubborn" (her words) lightning bolt on the track. "Since my beginnings, things have changed. Now I walk in the paddock, greet my male opponents, and feel their respect. We've proven that we know how to win."

Sarah Bovy was born in Belgium thirty-three years ago, loves food to the point of calling herself a "gourmand", and is inspired on the track by the great race drivers. "When I was 13, I was already on a go-kart and I told my father on the way home, 'someday I'm going to become a race driver.'" Hers is a visceral, all-encompassing passion for racing. "I love everything about this environment: the smell, the noise, the strategy. And most of all, I love the battle." As the Touring Car champion in 2013 and the first woman on a World Series podium, she's in her third season with the Iron Dames. "A downside of being a woman on the track? The fact that certain colleagues, when they're in the process of overtaking, go hard on us with their maneuvers. I think for some, being beaten by a woman is still seen as a bruise to the ego."

Doriane Pin shows exciting promise for the future: French, 19 years old, and many times on the podium of the GT3 Michelin Le Mans cup. Out of 30 races in her career she's achieved six wins, 12 podiums, and four pole positions. "I started when I was nine years old, thanks to my dad. In 2019, I was already a champion in France," she says. She loves to spend her free time playing the piano and enjoying cycling and tennis. "The important values in my life? Believing in myself, always learning, and enjoying every moment."


Image: Iron Dames and Lamborghini.