Sarah Bovy finally victorious with the Iron Dames: “The wait has been long! »

Finally ! It’s finally the consecration for the Iron Dames in WEC, and for Sarah Bovy too! The Belgian driver and her teammates had narrowly missed out on victory in the GTE Am category on several occasions in recent years despite excellent performances. This anomaly is finally repaired with a masterful success during the 8 Hours of Bahrain on Saturday, for the last performance with the GTE and with the Porsche before moving on to the LMGT3 and Lamborghini in 2024.

Happy and above all relieved by this victory, Sarah Bovy returned to her race. Starting in pole position before quickly losing its advantage against the sister car from Iron Lynx, the pink and black Porsche took back the lead after the #60 abandoned two hours from the finish (Claudio Schiavoni being ill, the crew was not allowed to do 8 hours of racing with only two drivers, Editor's note.). 

“It's not that I don't want to be original, but in this race, everything depended on tire management, explained Sarah Bovy at a press conference. And on that, we did well. We anticipated the race conditions, the passage into the night, and we tried to take care of our Michelin tires for the latter! During my stint, at the start, I didn't know what to expect with these temperatures. The pace was there and the whole team did a good job. »

Sarah Bovy “so proud of everyone” at Iron Dames

The Iron Dames were stressed until the end of the 8 hours of racing: Michelle Gatting, who completed the last relay, had to resist the return of Casper Stevenson in the last hour, aboard theAston Martin D'station Racing. Finally, at the checkered flag, it was deliverance for the Italian team and for the Belgian driver. “ I'm so proud of everyone! We worked so hard to make this happen and it's finally here! It's been a long wait, but we're very happy tonight."

A great way to conclude the GTE chapter by making WEC history: the Iron Dames on Saturday became the first 100% female crew to win a round of the World Championship.Endurance. The Ladies also finished vice-champions in the GTE Am category.

ALSO READ > Michelle Gatting: “I was very emotional when I crossed the finish line”