Autosport – 22 August 2019

Kessel-run Ferrari

488 GTE hit target

of top-10 class finish

Frey, Gatting and

Gostner: first all-female

Le Mans line-up since 2010

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he GTE Am class rarely garners the same attention as ITZ
the fi ght for overall victory at the Le Mans 24 Hours,
but that doesn’t mean the race is any less signifi cant
for the division’s mix of professional and amateur
competitors. That was certainly the case this year
for Kessel Racing trio Rahel Frey, Michelle Gatting and Manuela
Gostner, who became the fi rst all-female line-up to enter the race
since 2010, when the Ford GT Frey shared with fellow Swiss drivers
Natacha Gachnang and Cyndie Allemann expired in fl ames.
The idea behind the so-called ‘Iron Dames’ came from Ferrari
Challenge racer and entrepreneur Deborah Mayer, who approached
Kessel Racing to run a Ferrari 488 GTE in the European Le Mans
Series and also reached out to the FIA Women in Motorsport
Commission, headed by Group B rallying legend Michele Mouton.
This meant much more than carrying a logo, as the advice
of Mouton – a Le Mans class winner in 1975 – and WIMC
ambassador Cathy Muller benefi ted the drivers and gave the
entry clout when it came to navigating the tricky waters of
the ACO selection process to make it onto the grid.
“I think in the end the package made the decision,” says long-
time Audi GT racer Frey, the only member of the trio with previous
Le Mans experience. “This was important for Michele because she
said, ‘When they do something, it has to be right’.”
With the blessing of Audi to drive for a rival marque, Frey found
the well-proven Ferrari 488 a reliable and consistent platform and
enjoyed working with Kessel, making its Le Mans bow after many
years of success in GT3 racing. “I’ve never tested that much with a
private team before,” says Frey. “This is impressive about Deborah

• when she wants to do something, she makes it happen.”
  Having achieved their seasonal target of fi nishing on the ELMS
  podium fi rst time out at Paul Ricard, hopes of a repeat at Monza
  were scuppered by a loose bonnet that required an unscheduled
  pitstop and dropped them to a lapped sixth. By contrast, Le Mans

was uneventful, with no mistakes from the crew or fi nger trouble

in the pits. The Dames fi nished ninth in class and Frey is already

eyeing an improvement next year.

“Honestly I thought we can do a bit better,” she says. “But this

was our learning lesson. Now we know how to fi nish a 24-hour

race, the next time we have to push even harder.”

And it’s certainly no fl ash-in-the-pan publicity stunt either. Frey

says that Mayer has a “long-term” plan to develop the Iron Dames

brand and involve more female racers. “I think right now we’ve just

started,” says Frey. “As I get to know Deborah, I’m sure about it.”

Alonso and Toyota stole the headlines, but there

was another significant subplot at Le Mans

JAMES NEWBOLD

(^) PHOTOGRAPHY

The rise of the

Iron Dames

“This is our learning season. Now we

know how to finish a 24-hour race, the

next time we have to push even harder”

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22 AUGUST 2019 AUTOSPORT.COM 27

LE MANS 24 HOURS