How the Iron Dames Changed the Place of Female Drivers in GT Racing?

Iron Dames is a GT racing team founded by Deborah Mayer in 2019, made up entirely of women and competing directly against male rivals in mixed championships. With their neon pink cars, they became the first all-female team to take a class victory in the WEC, permanently changing the visibility and career paths of female drivers in GT racing.

What Exactly Is Iron Dames and Who Founded It?

If you follow GT racing, then over the past few years you have surely seen those famous neon pink-and-black cars on the grid. Those cars belong to Iron Dames: a racing team of Italian-Swiss origin, made up entirely of female drivers. The story 2019, when French businesswoman Deborah Mayer brought this project to life on top of the existing Iron Lynx ecosystem. The goal is very clear: to draw the next generation of women into motorsport, and to do so not by creating a separate "women's league" but by racing directly on the same grid as men.

I value this distinction greatly. While there are championships segregated by gender such as W Series, Iron Dames chose exactly the opposite: mixed competition with an all-female driver lineup. In other words, results are not given to anyone; every point, every pole position is truly earned. The founding driver trio Rahel Frey (Switzerland), Michelle Gatting (Denmark) and Sarah Bovy (Belgium); later the French Célia Martin also joined in. And that eye-catching pink livery? It became the symbol of the team's identity that split from Iron Lynx; after racing under the Iron Lynx name in 2022, the team switched to the Iron Dames name.

The Rating System and Pro-Am: Why Did the Pink Cars Fit So Naturally into the GT World?

If you do not know the logic of GT3 racing, let me explain: in each car, drivers of different speed levels drive together, and teams are classified according to the Pro, Pro-Am and Am categories. The FIA's driver classification, that is the bronze-silver-gold-platinum ratings, determines this. You can liken it to youth levels in football leagues: each team's squad must include players from certain levels.

This is exactly where Iron Dames' strategy is clever: Rahel Frey is a gold-rated driver, while Sarah Bovy is described as one of the fastest bronze drivers. This bronze/gold mix provides a real advantage in the pro-am structure. In other words, the team can build an ideal lineup both in terms of speed and classification rules. This is one of the reasons why female drivers fit so naturally into the GT world: GT racing already has a structure that brings together drivers of different levels.

The Road from Karting to GT3

How does a female driver reach the GT3 level? The standard route usually extends from karting to GT4, and from there to GT3 series. Initiatives like the Porsche Mobil 1 Female Driver Program offer women drivers in North America a clear ladder from club level to professionalism; Ashley Freiberg's move from Carrera Cup to GT4 America through this program is a concrete example. The Iron Dames' "Iron Dames Young Talents" branch works on the same logic: guiding young names from the lower rungs onward.

Moments That Made History for the Neon-Painted Team

Now let's get to the main point, because the results this team has achieved proved that it is not just a simple "representation project." They started in 2019 with an ELMS entry, and in the same year they became the first all-female crew to complete the 24 Hours of Le Mans from start to finish. So they wrote their names into history in their very first year.

The real breakthrough came in 2022. In the WEC's 6 Hours of Monza, Frey, Bovy and Gatting took the first all-female WEC class pole position, and a day later claimed the first all-female WEC podium (2nd place). After leading exactly 5 hours of the race, they missed out on victory when the Full Course Yellow turned green during the final pit stop - a painful but unforgettable weekend. That same year at Le Mans, Rahel Frey caught another historic moment by making it to HyperPole in the #85 Ferrari 488 GTE.

And finally in 2023 Bahrain, at the WEC season finale, they became the first all-female trio to take a class victory in the FIA World Endurance Championship, with the Porsche 911 RSR. This is the team's biggest result to date. It was followed by the milestones of 2024: an LMGT3 class victory at ELMS Imola and, in their first year at Le Mans with the Lamborghini Huracán LMGT3 Evo 2, finishing 5th as the only women among 186 drivers . The same week, Deborah Mayer became the first woman to receive the Spirit of Le Mans award; the team's "Every Dream Matters" project also created a car livery from children's drawings.

Standout Results at a Glance

Lastly, let's add 2025: at Spa, they finished 10th in the WEC race with the #85 Porsche 911 GT3 R with Manthey 1st Phorm, and that season the team raced the same car in WEC, IMSA, ELMS and Asian Le Mans. In a world where the biggest GT events like the 24 Hours of Spa take place (with an entirely GT3 field of 70 cars in 2026), pink cars on the grid at all times has become a familiar sight.

The Porsche Partnership and the Door Open to Young Female Drivers

December 2024'te gelen "Porsche X Iron Dames" partnership took the project to a whole different level. With this multi-year project, Michelle Gatting rose to official contract driver status with Porsche, and the 2025 schedule became quite intense: in WEC LMGT3, Gatting with Frey and Martin Manthey; in IMSA GTD, Gatting, Frey, Bovy and Karen Gaillard with Proton Competition (including the 24 Hours of Daytona); and in the ELMS and Asian Le Mans they raced with the Proton crew once again.

In my view, the most valuable aspect of the partnership is not this. By linking its national support programs, its Junior Program and the Iron Dames Young Talents initiative, Porsche is building a talent pathway stretching from karting all the way to the top levels. Additionally, Marta García from the support program got the chance to test the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E car - another door opening beyond GT.

Frey's New Role: Mentorship

Rahel Frey now works as a project manager, mentoring young names like Maya Weug, Laura Camps and Doriane Pin. Her goal is striking: to double the number of Iron Dames not only in driving but also in engineering, marketing and technical fields. In other words, the vision is not just behind the wheel; female visibility is aimed at in every corner of the paddock. The change Frey voiced back in 2022 is also tangible: media questions are becoming deeper, and respect and acceptance are moving to another level.

What Are the Iron Dames Doing in 2026, Does the Program Continue?

Let's be honest: not everything is rosy. With a decision announced in November 2025, the team withdrew from the WEC and did not enter a car in IMSA. This development led to speculation about whether the program as a whole has ended - but this claim has not been confirmed by any official statement, so careful reading is needed.

Moreover, the story continues indeed. In May 2026, the Iron Dames started a new chapter in the GT2 European Series with Laura van den Hengel and Sarah Bovy. van den Hengel is one of the standout bronze-rated female drivers in international GT racing - meaning the team continues to discover talent at the bronze end of the rating system too. The strategy in place from the very beginning has not changed: bringing together female drivers of different levels and putting them into genuine competition.

How Did the Iron Dames Really Change Women's Racing?

Now let's come to the real question. In my view, the change can be read on three layers. First, the results: they became the first all-female team to win a race and take a class pole position in the FIA WEC - these are no coincidence, but the output of six years of systematic work. Second, the infrastructure: with the Porsche partnership and young driver programs, today's but also tomorrow's female drivers are now being nurtured. Third, and the most interesting: the project aims to make itself unnecessary. If women become normalized enough on the grid, the Iron Dames' position as the "exception" will change. That is a far bigger goal than a mere sports project.

GT racing is already a world where the pro-am model, BoP balance, and legendary races like the 24 Hours of Spa and Bathurst 12 Hour reward team synergy more than a driver's skill level. Iron Dames have turned the equal opportunity that is this world's greatest strength into provable results. If it were you, what would your next goal be: a Le Mans podium, or a team bearing your own name? I think both are worth waiting for - the pink cars will somehow appear before us again.

Sources

• Iron Dames Racing – irondames.ch
• 24 Hours of Le Mans Packed with Highlights and Achievements for the Iron Dames – irondames.ch
• Porsche Motorsport and Iron Dames launch far-reaching partnership – Porsche Newsroom
• Rahel Frey: Le Mans is the place where history meets the future – Racers Behind The Helmet
• Iron Dames begin new chapter with Laura van den Hengel and Sarah Bovy in GT2 European Series – Racers Behind The Helmet
• Iron Dames Make History – Fortloc
• Iron Dames – Wikipedia
• Iron Dames Out Of 2026 WEC – dailysportscar.com
• Chat GT3: How are Driver Rankings Categorized? – GT World Challenge America
• Stage set for spectacular 2026 CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa – GT World Challenge Europe
• Porsche Mobil 1 Female Driver Program North America – Porsche Racing