Rahel Frey's career as a professional driver (part 2/3).

CRR: We understand it all started because both you and your Dad had a dream to become a professional driver in motor racing.

Rahel Frey: He was very passionate about motor racing. As a hobby, he did kart racing but he never had the money to move on to car racing.

As a business Dad was running a car dealership, so cars were always the topic; as we grew up we always were involved in the car world. So cars were always part of the conversation at home.

When we were little kids he took us to the go-kart track to watch the races. Our Mama was against it and she still doesn’t like motorsport and doesn’t want to watch races. Obviously,Dad won!

📷 © Luc Warnotte @ 24 Hours of Le Mans 2022.

In 1998, I started go-karting with my brother together withDad. He was so passionate. At first, it was only possible thanks to his efforts. Later I found a mentor financing first my go-kart season and then single-seater car races. It would not have been possible without my mentor, who was a car racer himself and runs businesses in Switzerland. He has done a lot for motorsport in Switzerland as he supports a lot of Swiss talents. Without him, many Swiss drivers would not have reached the level they are on now.

CRR: Why you and not your brother?

Rahel Frey: My brother was not so passionate and didn’t like competition that much. He enjoyed driving but not as much as I did. He now runs the two Volvo Dealerships (one in the German-, and another in the French-speaking part), togetherwith my sister.

CRR: Is your Dad still around when you are racing?

Rahel Frey: No, he is not so much into the new cars we are driving which he finds boring. He is more into the technic. He loves old-timers, vintage cars, and also motorcycles. He was a mechanic himself. Today, he is restoring old cars.

CRR: Are you also involved in the family business?

Rahel Frey: I take care of accounting, I look at the numbers. My brother and sister are doing the sales part. I’m not a typical car racing driver. I love car racing but I need to run a business. We grew up with this mentality, work always pays off. I getquickly bored. I need to work. That is why I took moreresponsibility within the Iron Dames project. This helps me keep motivated.

📷 © Luc Warnotte @ 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps test day 2022.

CRR: What was the key milestone to reach the professional level in car racing?

Rahel Frey: I turned professional in 2011 when I started with Audi Motorsport. That is a long time ago. Before that, thanks to the Swiss mentor, I could race in Germany in F3. Thanks to that, I got linked to Volkswagen until in 2011 I got involved in DTM with Audi with whom I stayed for 12 years.

Honestly, at that time, if someone would have told me I would be a professional driver for 10 years, I would have signed immediately. Now it is more than 15 years; I’m proud of what I’ve achieved so far.

CRR: You may be. 12 years is quite a long wedding in car racing.

📷 © Luc Warnotte @ 4 Hours of Monza 2022.

Rahel Frey: It was a good time, although not always easy. The first two years in DTM were very tough. I grew up in the Swiss countryside. I was very shy; I’m quite introverted, so I had to learn how to stand up, and raise my voice, to learn what I need to be faster, I had to learn how to communicate. It was tough but it helped me for the rest of my GT career, definitively. That is why today, I can give my experience to the younger generation of female racers. That is exactly what I do in the Iron Dames project.

CRR: You started your career in Formula 3 in 2007. In those days Formula races were the only way to start car racing. Today, we see a lot of drivers starting in Touring or GT and succeeding. Do you see a change there?

Rahel Frey: Yes absolutely. Already in my time Formula 3 was very expensive which is why I could only run in Germany. I have not done the European Championship. It was just money-related. But it was somehow affordable with the Mentor, and the sponsors.

Today the cost for a formula 2 season has exploded; it is way too expensive. Young talent sees a new possibility with GT racing. If they show their speed in GT and are successful they may drive for a manufacturer and possibly make a shortcut to reach a professional level. So yes, there is a change and I do like it because it enables young drivers to reach the professional level with less money.

CRR: Still, you were in Misano to follow a Formula 4 test. Was it for you or as a spotter of new talents?

Rahel Frey: No, also I would love to drive a Formula car again. I was there to support Maya and Laura. These are two young female drivers within our Iron Dames squad. Within the Iron Dames project, we have 7 drivers and we also support Laura Camps from Spain and Maya Weug from the Netherlands in formula 4. My job as a project manager for the Iron Dames is also to follow the young drivers in the formula 4 category. To see how it goes, to check if they work well with the team, if we need to change something. So it was basically to follow them and to be up to date with what they do to help them grow as best.

CRR: I guess communication with engineers is a key factor of success and you must be able to help them.

📷 © Luc Warnotte @ 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps 2022.

Rahel Frey: Yes absolutely, it is a key point. As for me, at their age, I had no clue about formula cars. I started quite late at 12 in go-karting and Formula Renault at 18. Today, girls at 18 already need to compete in Formula 3 and have to know everything. Things have changed quite a bit. The expectations about young talents today are very high and it is on us to support them. In my time it took longer because we had to learn ourselves. Today, the expectations are higher but they also get more support. It is definitively on us, when we want to have a very successful driver, to help and support them.

Next: Rahel told us about her experience with the 24 hours of Le Mans. See RAHEL FREY STORY AND AMBITIONS AT LE MANS.

CRR: Speaking of the DTM time, DTM cars are close to formula cars, aren’t they?

Rahel Frey: Yes, much closer than our GT3 and GTE cars.

CRR: You’ve been driving for Team Phoenix, Team Hart, and Team WRT. What are your major take-outs of those experiences with successful endurance teams?

Rahel Frey: DTM essentially formed my personality. The DTM championship was quite rough, the competition was very high. Everyone was quite egoistic, fighting for their position. I had to learn about the procedures, and how to handle this quickly. The outcome of those years in DTM is really that I acquired a racing mentality. Like I told you earlier, I had to learn to stand up for myself, to raise my voice… without DTM, I would not have learned it not that quickly.

📷 © Luc Warnotte @ 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps test day 2022.

When you work for a manufacturer like Audi and their teams, you also learn the procedures behind the scenes; how to handle the political topics, the managing side. In DTM, at that stage, it is also about who gets the new car, who gets the prototype, who gets the spare parts, … there was a fight for everything off and on track. So I learned a lot about the political and the managing aspects. That helped me to understand what is needed to fight for new positions, for the next ten years definitively.

Next: Rahel Frey’s start and role within the Iron Dames project.