• Fourth place and best result of the season so far for the Iron Dames Porsche number 85, which was on course for a podium finish over the six-hour race distance
• The sister car with start number 92 finished the fifth WEC race in the top six
• For Manthey 1st Phorm, the race result means an extension of its lead in the LMGT3 classification

São Paulo. The Porsche fielded by Manthey and the Iron Dames with Rahel Frey (Switzerland), Michelle Gatting (Denmark) and Célia Martin (France) narrowly missed out on the LMGT3 podium at the Six Hours of São Paulo after a strong driving performance, securing the best result of the current season with fourth place. Meanwhile, the trio of drivers Ryan Hardwick (USA), Riccardo Pera (Italy) and Richard Lietz (Austria) finished sixth after gaining seven positions, despite being hampered by additional success ballast. This result extends their LMGT3 championship lead.

After qualifying for the Hyperpole for the first time in the 2025 season on the previous day, the Iron Dames started the WEC race at the Autódromo José Carlos from seventh place on the grid with bronze driver Célia Martin at the wheel. Ryan Hardwick, set back by the success ballast (36 kg) from Le Mans and the lead in the LMGT3 championship, started the six-hour race in the sister car with start number 92 from 13th position. French driver Martin put in a strong performance right from the start and, thanks to a clever pit stop strategy, was able to move up into the top four during her double stint. Rahel Frey, who took over the car after just under two hours on the Brazilian GP circuit, seamlessly continued this momentum: with strong pace and flawless overtaking manoeuvres, she clearly held third place and was on course for a podium finish.

Likewise, the Manthey 1st Phorm 911 was gaining ground after initially losing positions in the tightly packed LMGT3 field. By the halfway point of the race, approximately one hour after Hardwick handed over to Riccardo Pera, the Italian driver had already climbed to ninth place — back in the points. Richard Lietz capitalised on this starting position in the final third of the race, working his way forward with total commitment, backed by the flawless performance of the pit crew. Danish driver Michelle Gatting was initially set back in her stint by a drive-through penalty for accelerating too early under full course yellow. However, thanks to her strong pace and exploitation of an energy advantage for a late and short pit stop just before the end of the race, she remained on course for a podium finish. However, she was ultimately beaten by competitors whose strategy saw them benefit from fresh tyres only minutes before the chequered flag. Ultimately, she crossed the finish line in fourth place, two positions ahead of the championship-leading sister car.

This result earned both teams valuable championship points: Having achieved their best performance of the season, Rahel Frey, Michelle Gatting and Célia Martin are now in 15th place in the team standings (19 points), securing an additional 12 points. In the battle for the LMGT3 championship, Ryan Hardwick, Richard Lietz and Riccardo Pera maintained their lead, now 13 points ahead with 89 points overall.

The upcoming Lone Star Le Mans (COTA) race on 7 September in Texas marks not only the sixth round of the FIA WEC endurance championship for the teams, but also the home race for American Ryan Hardwick.

Quotes on the Six Hours of São Paulo

Rahel Frey, Porsche 911 GT3 R #85: “In the end, we got P4 which is our best result in WEC in 2025. It’s bittersweet because we definitely had potential for more. Since Le Mans, we’ve definitely gained momentum and we had pace throughout the entire race but, unfortunately, we weren’t faultless. We’ll keep on working hard and keep on pushing. I’m happy with the team’s performance and we were so close to the podium. Next time, we’re going to make it.”

Michelle Gatting, Porsche 911 GT3 R #85: “Unfortunately, I made a mistake that cost us our first podium in the WEC alongside Manthey. While fighting for second place, I misjudged the release of the full course yellow and was penalized as a result. I take full responsibility for this error. In motorsport, we win and lose as a team, and today the fault was mine. I sincerely apologize to my teammates and the entire team. Now it’s time to recharge, refocus, and come back stronger after the summer break.”

Célia Martin, Porsche 911 GT3 R #85: “We got P4, just missing the podium which is a shame, but that’s part of racing. Once again we demonstrated what we can do. We fought hard, that’s what matters. I’m already looking forward to the next race.”

Ryan Hardwick, Porsche 911 GT3 R #92: “That was a really tough race for us – with having the success ballast and also trying to understand this new hard compound tire from Goodyear. Nevertheless, we are proud to come home with a 6th place finish and score good championship points. We are also very happy for our team mates, the Iron Dames, on their best result of the season so far. This shows how hard the entire team has worked to ensure that we were able to score points with both cars in the end, even under difficult conditions. Now we're looking forward to continue the championship fight in Austin for my home race in the USA next event.”

Richard Lietz, Porsche 911 GT3 R #92: “We extended our lead in the championship, achieving the maximum possible in this race after starting from 13th on the grid. It was a strong team performance and a top strategy. Thanks to the entire team and my teammates. Hopefully, we can mix things up a bit more at the front in Austin in a month and a half.”

Riccardo Pera, Porsche 911 GT3 R #92: “All in all, it was a good race for us. Of course, we had to contend with the weight of success, and that really hampered our pace, especially on Friday and Saturday. But I would say that sixth place was the best we could have expected today. We can be happy with that – we have extended our lead in the championship. So, overall, it was a very good day for us.”

Patrick Arkenau, Director Racing, Manthey Racing GmbH: “The race here in São Paulo has once again demonstrated our potential – even if we weren’t able to fully exploit it in the end. Basically, both driver line-ups and crews delivered a strong performance. The success ballast on car number 92 had a noticeable impact on us right from the start. This, combined with two early spins, prevented us from achieving a better result – but despite the conditions and our lack of top speed on the straights, we were able to maintain our lead in the championship thanks to good pit stops and strong stints from Ryan, Riccardo and Richard. The Iron Dames had a really strong race here and achieved their best result of the season so far. Célia and Rahel showed strong pace and clean overtaking from the start and kept the car consistently in the leading group – as did Michelle. Unfortunately, releasing the full-course yellow button too early cost us a penalty and ultimately the podium. That's obviously frustrating and shows that, in the end, every little detail has to be right. Nevertheless, we can be proud of the performance of the drivers and our entire crew and are looking forward to the next race in Austin.”

Results Six Hours of São Paulo

LMGT3 Class
1. Umbrarescu/Schmid/Lopez (ROU/AUT/ARG), Lexus #87
2. Van Rompuy/Andrade/Eastwood (BEL/AGO/IRL), Corvette #81
3. McIntosh/Barrichello/Hasse Clot (USA/BRA/FRA), Aston Martin #10 
4. Martin/Frey/Gatting (FRA/CHE/DNK), Porsche 911 GT3 R #85

6. Hardwick/Pera/Lietz (USA/ITA/AUT), Porsche 911 GT3 R #92