It's the last race of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) in 2023. Bahrain. 8 hours at full throttle. Sarah Bovy, Michelle Gatting and Rahel Frey are focused. The big goal lies ahead of them, today they want to make history. And behind them lies an exhausting season. Seven endurance races, three racing drivers, a pink Porsche 911 RSR - and countless moments full of adrenaline and emotion.
9:11 Magazine accompanied the Iron Dames for a season. "It's not just about three women taking part in races," says Sarah Bovy right at the start. "The project is a real game changer!" Women in racing are nothing new at Porsche either - even in the early years of motorsport, female racing drivers such as Anny-Charlotte Verney and Gilberte Thirion caused a worldwide sensation and did important pioneering work. But the Iron Dames now want to add the next milestone to this history. And not at just any race, but at the most historic races in the world in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC). Daytona, Sebring, Le Mans - the supreme discipline of endurance racing.
The mission: become world champions
Never before has an all-female team prevailed against the male competition and made it to the top of the podium in these races. So the mission at the start of the season was clear. "But we didn't want to be treated any differently to the others," Bovy makes clear. "The project is designed to be an all-female team - but apart from that, we're just a normal racing team." With this mindset, the three female racers set themselves an ambitious goal: the Iron Dames wanted to show everyone - and become world champions. With the courage to dare. The will to see it through. And the strength and stamina to believe in themselves until the very last moment.
"I never wanted to be one of the women who took part in women-only races and drove a pink car - that went against everything I stood for," says Michelle Gatting of her initial doubts. "But as time went on, I realized that I wanted to be one of the people who changed people's attitudes in the motorsport world. I wanted to show that women can drive at the same level as men." Rahel Frey adds: "The pink car and the pink racing suit just underline the message we want to spread. We are three women who are driven by our dreams. And when I sat in the 911 RSR for the first time, one of those dreams came true." And the next ones were soon to come true.
The season began and the Iron Dames proved to be tough competition right from the start. One dream came true after another. But what was missing was a win. A moment that showed everyone that the Iron Dames had come to win. Then came the last race of the season. The last chance. And an absolutely thrilling season finale. The Iron Dames crossed the finish line - and made history. As the first all-female team to achieve a victory in the WEC. "It was physically overwhelming," recalls Sarah Bovy. "And it was definitely one of the best moments of my life."
The 9:11 Magazine
In the 9:11 magazine, the sports car manufacturer presents entertaining and interesting facts from the world of Porsche. The spectrum ranges from heritage topics, product presentations and background reports to exciting motorsport stories. The 9:11 magazine complements the Porsche customer magazine Christophorus and the audio format 9:11. Podcast. and is published in German and English.
