ELMS @ 4 Hours of Portimao 2022: LMGTE Race
First all female win for the Iron Dames in ELMS.
📷 © Luc Warnotte @ 4 Hours of Portimao 2022.
The 16 first laps of the LMGTE class were a battle between the pink #83 Iron Dames Ferrari 488 GTE Evo (first lap), the #69 Aston Martin Vantage AMR from Oman Racing with TF Sport (next 4 laps), and the #32 Rinaldi Racing Ferrari 488 GTE Evo (next 10 laps).
📷 © Luc Warnotte @ 4 Hours of Portimao 2022.
Sarah Bovy with #83 Iron Dames took the lead for the next 19 laps until Ahmad Al Harthy took over for 22 laps driving #69 Aston Martin Vantage.
📷 © Luc Warnotte @ 4 Hours of Portimao 2022.
From lap 58 (out of 118), Sarah Bovy took definitively the lead by remaining on track while the other leaders pitted under Full-Course Yellow (FCY).
📷 © Luc Warnotte @ 4 Hours of Portimao 2022.
After her double-stint, Sarah Bovy handed over to Doriane Pin in P1.
Despite difficult, wet conditions, Pin mastered the slick-equipped #83 Ferrari 488 GTE Evo and put the #83 car a lap ahead of the entire LMGTE field.
📷 © Luc Warnotte @ 4 Hours of Portimao 2022.
With 50 Minutes left, Michelle Gatting took over from Pin and managed to keep the gap crossing over the line a lap ahead of the field.
📷 © Luc Warnotte @ 4 Hours of Portimao 2022.
As the first all-female winners in the history of the European Le Mans Series, the Iron Dames Sarah Bovy, Michelle Gatting and Dorianne Pin secured third place in the LMGTE standings AND an automatic entry to the 2023 24 Hours of Le Mans.
📷 © Luc Warnotte @ 4 Hours of Portimao 2022.
The #69 Aston Martin Vantage AMR from Oman Racing with TF Sport (Ahmad Al Harthy, Samuel De Haan, Marco Sørensen) ended second.
📷 © Luc Warnotte @ 4 Hours of Portimao 2022.
#57 Kessel Racing Ferrari driven by Takeshi Kimura, Frederik Schandorff and Mikkel Jensen ended third.
📷 © Luc Warnotte @ 4 Hours of Portimao 2022.
Christian Ried, Lorenzo Ferrari and Gianmaria Bruni ended fifth after a careful race with #77 Proton Competition Porsche copying their strategy with their Championship contenders #57 Kessel Racing to clinch both drivers’ and teams’ titles. Note that, despite his long career with Porsche, it is Gianmaria Bruni’s first title with Porsche.
