“This project is bigger than just us,” echoes Bovy. “We are really proud that the project is where it is and plan to drive it in the long run,” Mayer says. Between management, engineering, mechanics, communications, and marketing, the group’s founder Deborah Mayer has overseen their growth into a 24-woman team that, to date, has 51 podium finishes. The Dames are garnering as much attention for their Barbiecore livery as they are for their mission to inspire more women to get into racing. “We’re underlining that we are girls, but at the end of the day, we can do exactly the same thing behind the steering wheel as men.” “There we are in the brightest pink car you can imagine,” Gatting tells. Individually, Rahel Frey, Michelle Gatting, Sarah Bovy, and Doriane Pin have a record number of wins in some of the most physically and mentally demanding automotive races in the world. The Dames are made up of four drivers-all under age 37. The car is so finely tuned for performance that it should only ever be taken out on a racetrack. Since 2018, they have been competing around the world wearing bubblegum-colored suits and driving a matching Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO 2. The Iron Dames are the first all-female team in endurance racing history.

One team in particular is leading the charge to change the historically male-dominated sport of racing-and they’re doing it in bright pink. The glaring gender gap stands out even more as we enter into a new era of sports where equal access and level playing fields can be just as important as wins.

From the drivers to the engineers to the crews keeping cars in tip-top shape, there are surprisingly few women working the hot side of the track. Look closer-in the pits, behind the wheel, in the team trailers-and you’ll be struck by something else. Walk into any motorsport event, and you’ll be hit with the overpowering smell of gas and hot rubber, and the near-deafening sound of revving engines.

Women race & class by angela davis