Women show an edge in the WEC and Lilou Wadoux, with victory in the 6 Hours of Spa, becomes the first woman to win in the category
In recent times, various motorsport categories have tried to take action to increase the presence of women on the grid. The work is hard and progress is being observed here and there. But, among the main categories, the WEC was a beautiful showcase.
One of the interesting aspects of this 2023 season is the presence of women. I’m 5, it’s true. A small number, of course. But it made a real noise.
However, that’s not something new. Since 2020, Iron Lynx has been fielding a female trio in the LM/GTE class at Le Mans. In 2021, Richard Mille sponsored a team in LMP2 at Le Mans where Tatiana Calderon, Sophia Floerch and Beitske Visser raced.
For this year the campaign has intensified: Iron Lynx continued by fielding a female car on the LM/GTE Am, the #85, but now a Porsche (previously Ferrari), driven by the Belgian Sarah Bovy, the Danish Michelle Gatting and the Swiss Rahel Frey.
In the category he joins the French official Ferrari driver Lillou Wadoux, who joins Alessio Rovera and Luiz-Perez Companc in the newborn Richard Mille, with the support of AF Corse (Ferrari’s GT racing division) on the Ferrari 488 #83. Wadoux had already done LMP2 in 2022 for Richard Mille, finishing 12th in the class championship, with a best result of 6th at Le Mans.
Furthermore, Frenchwoman Doriane Pin, who joined Prema in LMP2, also arrived at full speed after a rich career in GT, winning the Ferrari Challenge in 2022. In the same year she raced the 6 Hours of Spa for Iron Dames, finishing in 10th place at LM/GTE Am.
In the first three rounds of the championship they performed magnificently: Sarah Bovy fielded the #85 Iron Dames Porsche on pole position in the class at Sebring and fought hard with Corvette’s Ben Keating for the championship lead at the start. Doriana Pin finished third in Prema #63 in LMP2.
In Portimão, another brand: at the LM/GTEAm, Lilou Wadoux finished 2nd and the Iron Dames trio finished 3rd, marking 4 women who arrived for the first time in the WEC. At Spa the bar was raised a bit further: the trio of Ferrari #83 finished ahead of LM/GTEAm and Lilou Wadoux became the first woman to win a race in all WEC categories.
The important thing is that everyone is there for pure competence and that everyone still has the conditions to compete for the world title in their classes. The next stage will be the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans, on 10 and 11 June, where the score is different and the women’s fleet will once again be able to do well. We follow!
Source: Terra
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
