Iron Dames Bio
The Iron Dames are an Italian-Swiss motor racing team founded in 2018 by Deborah Mayer. Based in Zug, Switzerland, the project promotes and supports women in motorsport across endurance, GT, single-seater and rally categories while also operating an equestrian arm.
Early Life and Background
Iron Dames was established in 2018 by French businesswoman Deborah Mayer as a development and promotional platform for female drivers. The team is based in Zug, Switzerland, and operates as a project within the wider Iron Lynx family and the parent company DC Racing Solutions, aligning with established motorsport operations such as Prema Racing.
From its inception the team combined professional race programmes with talent development. Early driver signings included Rahel Frey, Michelle Gatting and Manuela Gostner, who contested endurance events and GT races while the structure expanded to support drivers in karting and junior single-seater categories.
Path to MotorSports
Iron Dames launched initially into endurance and GT competition, campaigning in events such as the 12 Hours of Dubai and the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the team’s earliest seasons. The project quickly established partnerships and technical affiliations that allowed entries across multiple series, leveraging Iron Lynx and DC Racing Solutions for operational support.
Beyond endurance racing, Iron Dames extended activities into single-seater development and national-level series to create a ladder for young female talent. The team supported drivers in French F4, Italian F4 and regional single-seater series while also entering Ferrari Challenge and other GT-level championships to broaden race experience for its drivers.
Iron Dames Career
Early Career (2018–2019)
In its founding year, Iron Dames fielded an all-female driver line-up at endurance events and claimed strong class results immediately, including a second-place finish in class at the 12 Hours of Dubai. The team entered European Le Mans Series events in 2019, running under the Kessel Racing name for certain entries and securing multiple podiums across the season.
The early seasons established Iron Dames as a competitive all-female programme in GT and endurance racing, with notable class finishes at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and consistent appearances in European Le Mans Series race weekends. These results reinforced the team’s development model and attracted additional drivers and technical partners.
World Endurance Championship Breakthrough (2022–2023)
In 2022 Iron Dames stepped up to the FIA World Endurance Championship GTE Am category, racing the Ferrari 488 GTE Evo with a driver line-up that included Rahel Frey, Michelle Gatting and Sarah Bovy. The team raced under its own license and combined WEC duties with entries in the European Le Mans Series and GT World Challenge Europe Gold Cup.
The team delivered strong WEC performances through 2022, registering multiple podiums and securing third place in the GTE Am category. In 2023 Iron Dames achieved a historic milestone when the #85 entry with drivers Sarah Bovy, Michelle Gatting and Rahel Frey won the 8 Hours of Bahrain. That victory marked the first FIA WEC race win by an all-female line-up and the final LM GTE class race victory in the championship era.
Iron Lynx and Manufacturer Transition Era (2024–Present)
Iron Dames’ operations aligned closely with Iron Lynx and manufacturer programmes in subsequent seasons. In 2024 the wider Iron Lynx organisation campaigned Lamborghini hardware in a number of classes, while Iron Dames adjusted driver roles and continued entries across GT and single-seater categories. Line-up changes and mixed-class entries reflected the evolving manufacturer partnerships and programme strategies.
Following the 2024 season, Iron Dames announced a manufacturer alignment for 2025 with Porsche, partnering with Manthey Racing to campaign a 911 GT3 R specification in international endurance competition. The project also maintained and expanded its support for drivers across rally and single-seater pathways while growing the equestrian arm acquired in late 2023.
Driving Style and Strengths
Iron Dames is recognized for disciplined endurance racecraft, consistent pitstop and stint management, and careful tyre and fuel strategy that suit long-distance events. The team’s strengths include driver coaching across multi-class racecraft, coordinated engineering support from affiliated groups, and the ability to integrate young drivers into high-level race programmes.
Notable Events and Milestones
Key milestones include the team’s early class podiums at European endurance events, a class victory at the 24 Hours of Spa in GT World Challenge Europe Gold Cup competition, strong class finishes at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the landmark 2023 WEC race victory at the 8 Hours of Bahrain by an all-female line-up.
Iron Dames Career Wins
Across its programmes Iron Dames has compiled class victories and podiums in European Le Mans Series rounds, GT World Challenge Europe events including the 24 Hours of Spa, Ferrari Challenge races, and a headline win in the FIA World Endurance Championship at the 2023 8 Hours of Bahrain. The team’s record spans endurance, GT and junior single-seater support victories through associated drivers.
FIA World Endurance Championship Highlights
Iron Dames scored multiple WEC podiums in 2022 and secured third in the GTE Am teams standings that season. The team’s most prominent highlight arrived at the 2023 8 Hours of Bahrain, where the all-female crew of Sarah Bovy, Michelle Gatting and Rahel Frey secured the race win, the first such achievement by an all-female line-up in WEC history.
Other Wins & Perfromances
In addition to endurance success, Iron Dames drivers recorded strong results in the European Le Mans Series with class victories and top-three team finishes. Drivers affiliated with the programme also enjoyed championship success in Ferrari Challenge categories and top results in national single-seater series supported by the team’s development initiatives.
Iron Dames Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Iron Dames is a project founded and led by Deborah Mayer and operates within the orbit of Iron Lynx and DC Racing Solutions. That affiliation provides technical and operational links to established racing organisations such as Prema Racing and supports access to manufacturers, engineering resources and junior driver pathways.
Personal Life
Deborah Mayer is listed as founder, owner and general manager of the Iron Dames project. The team’s structure emphasizes collective development rather than individual publicity, focusing on driver progression, team engineering and cross-discipline expansion including rally and equestrian sport.
2025 Season Performance
For 2025 Iron Dames expanded its competitive footprint and driver support network, supporting a broad driver roster across endurance, single-seater, rally and karting programmes. The project announced a technical partnership with Porsche and Manthey Racing to campaign a 992-spec 911 GT3 R in selected international events, aligning the team with a major factory-backed operation for GT competition.
The 2025 programme also featured growth in rally and equestrian activities, with rally entries stepping up toward WRC2 competition and the equestrian arm expanding through acquisition of established show jumping assets. These moves signalled a strategic diversification that retained the team’s core mission of developing and promoting female talent across motorsport disciplines.