Iron Lynx Motorsport Lab is an Italian auto racing team founded by Andrea Piccini, Deborah Mayer, Claudio Schiavoni and Sergio Pianezzola.[1] The team is based in Cesena, Emilia-Romagna. They primarily participate in sports car racing, and are a sister team of both Iron Dames and Prema Racing under the DC Racing Solutions parent company.[2] Iron Lynx were formerly partnered with Lamborghini in operating their Lamborghini SC63 LMDh prototype.
History
2017
In 2017, the Iron Lynx Motorsport Lab was created by Deborah Mayer, Claudio Schiavoni, Sergio Pianezzola, and Andrea Piccini.[citation needed]
2018
In their first year competing, Iron Lynx placed second and ninth in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe Pro-Am, with one pole position, twelve podiums, and two victories.[3]
Deborah Mayer created the Iron Dames Project, focused on supporting and promoting women in motorsport. Rahel Frey, Michelle Gatting, and Manuela Gostner competed in the 12 Hours of Dubai, placing second in the GT3 Pro-Am class and ninth overall.[4]
2019
For the 2019 season, Iron Lynx continued in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe. They also entered two cars in the Italian GT Championship. The team made their debut in the Le Mans Cup and the European Le Mans Series, racing under the Kessel Racing name in both series.[5] Iron Lynx also entered the Italian F4 Championship with Amna and Hamda Al Qubaisi, under the name Abu Dhabi Racing by Prema.[6]
In the Le Mans Cup, the #8 car placed first, with one pole position and four victories, to earn an automatic entry to the 2020 24 Hours of Le Mans. In the European Le Mans Series, the #83 “Iron Dames” car placed 4th and the #60 placed 6th, with both entries standing on the podium twice over the season. In the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the #83 placed 9th in class, and the #60 placed 13th in class.
2020
2020 marked the first year of the team competing under the Iron Lynx name. In the European Le Mans Series they fielded the #60 of Claudio Schiavoni, Sergio Pianezzola, and Andrea Piccini, as well as the trio of Frey, Gatting, and Gostner for the #83 entry. Gatting and Deborah Mayer teamed up for the Le Mans Cup, the first all-female pairing in the series, and were joined by reigning champions Giacomo Piccini and Rino Mastronardi.[7] Iron Lynx continued in the Italian F4 championship, fielding Hamda Al Qubaisi as Abu Dhabi Racing by Prema, and Leonardo Fernaroli and Yaroslav Shevyrtalov as Iron Lynx.[8] Al Qubaisi and Fernaroli also competed in select ADAC F4 rounds as guest drivers. The team entered the Ferrari Challenge Europe for two rounds, under the name Iron Lynx – Scuderia Niki Hasler. Michelle Gatting competed in the Pro class, while Claudio Schiavoni competed in the Pro-Am class.[9]
The team entered 3 cars in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, including the all-female line-up of Frey, Gatting, and Gostner, who placed 9th in the LMGTE Am class. The other two cars placed 11th and 19th in class. In October 2020, Rino Mastronardi won the GT3 Drivers Championship for Iron Lynx in the Michelin Le Mans Cup to earn an automatic invitation to the 2021 24 Hours of Le Mans.[10]
2021
In 2021, Iron Lynx entered the FIA World Endurance Championship for the first time.[11] In September 2021, it was confirmed that Iron Lynx will be collaborating with Prema Powerteam to enter an Oreca 07 in the World Endurance Championship LMP2 class for 2022.[12] On 24 October 2021, Iron Lynx clinched the LMGTE teams championship in European Le Mans, earning them an automatic invitation to the 2022 24 Hours of Le Mans.[13][14] On 20 November 2021, Michelle Gatting became the first female champion of the Ferrari Challenge.[15][16][17] Iron Lynx also won the Michelin Le Mans Cup teams championship for the second year running to earn a second automatic invitation to the 2022 24 Hours of Le Mans.[18]
2022
On 12 January 2022, Iron Lynx announced that they would enter 2 cars in the GTE Am class of the World Endurance Championship for 2022. Both entries ran the Ferrari 488 GTE Evo, with Claudio Schiavoni returning for the #65 entry while Rahel Frey returned for the #85 Iron Dames entry.[19] On February 16, Iron Lynx announced that Giancarlo Fisichella and Matteo Cressoni would join the WEC campaign, while Davide Rigon joined the ELMS campaign, and Doriane Pin, Arno Dahlmeyer, Marco Pulcini, and Claudio Schiavoni all joined the Ferrari Challenge. The Iron Dames began racing under their own license, fielding a team of Frey, Gatting, and Sarah Bovy in WEC, ELMS, and GTWC Europe Gold Cup.[20] The team continued to support drivers in F4 and karting, with Matteo Pianezzola representing the team in karting, while Maya Weug entering select ADAC F4 rounds, as well as a full season in Italian F4 alongside Ivan Domingues and Nicola Lacorte.[21]Iron Lynx entered 4 cars in the LMGTE category of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, with a best finish of 7th in class for the #85 Iron Dames car.[22] Sarah Bovy became the first woman to claim a pole position in WEC history, qualifying first at both Monza and Bahrain.[23][24] Three podiums in the series helped the Iron Dames clinch third place in the GTE Am category.[25] The Iron Dames finished the GTWS Europe season in second in the Gold Cup, with a class victory at the 24 Hours of Spa and a pole position at the final race in Barcelona.[26] The #71 Iron Lynx entry finished second in the Pro class, with one win, four podiums, and two pole positions, while the #51 finished seventh with one podium.[27] In the European Le Mans Series, both entries took a class victory, with the #85 finishing third and the #60 finishing fourth in the LMGTE teams championship.[28] Doriane Pin took a dominant victory in the Ferrari Challenge, winning nine of fourteen races, with thirteen podiums, ten pole positions, and eleven fastest laps.[29]
2023
On 6 November 2022, Iron Lynx announced they became the Lamborghini factory team from 2023. They entered the Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO 2 of the IMSA Sportscar Championship and GT World Challenge for 2023. Iron Lynx also entered the FIA World Endurance Championship, using two Porsche 911 RSR-19s as Lamborghini does not actively manufacture a car under GTE specifications. At the 2023 8 Hours of Bahrain, Iron Dames became the final LM GTE class race winning team. Their drivers – Sarah Bovy, Michelle Gatting, and Rahel Frey – became the first all-female lineup to win a FIA WEC race.[30]
2024
In 2024, Iron Lynx made the move to competing with the new Lamborghini SC63 Hypercar in the IMSA Sports Car Championship in the GTP class, appearing at the 72nd annual 12 Hours of Sebring where they scored a 7th place finish. Additionally, with the demise of LMGTE regulations at the end of 2023, the team also ran a pair of Huracán GT3 EVO 2s in the World Endurance Championship under the new LMGT3 class. Iron Dames also entered the Formula Regional European Championship for the first time, with Marta García and Doriane Pin racing for them.[31] In November of 2024, Lamborghini announced their departure from the World Endurance Championship. This meant that the Huracán GT3 EVO 2 and SC63 Hypercar would not return in 2025. However, Iron Lynx will still be running the SC63 in the IMSA Sports Car Championship in the GTP class. On the 20th of November, it was announced that Iron Lynx will be partnering up with Mercedes-AMG and run the current Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo for the 2025 FIA World Endurance Championship. This will mark Mercedes-AMG's first appearance in the series in 25 years.[32] The next day, it was announced that Iron Dames would be joining forces with WEC LMGT3 champions Manthey Racing, running one of their Porsche 911 GT3 R race cars for 2025.[33]
2025
With Lamborghini leaving the FIA World Endurance Championship in 2025, Iron Lynx gained backing from debutant Mercedes-AMG for two LMGT3 entries.[34] The Iron Dames expanded their rally program, with Sarah Rumeau and Julie Amblard joining the WRC2 Championship and continuing in the French Rally Championship.[35]
Current series results
24 Hours of Le Mans
Complete FIA World Endurance Championship results
* Season still in progress
European Le Mans Series
* Season still in progress
Le Mans Cup
| Year | Entrant | Class | No | Chassis | Drivers | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Pos. | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Iron Lynx | GT3 | 8 | Ferrari 488 GT3 | Nicklas Nielsen Giacomo Piccini Rino Mastronardi | RIC 1 | SPA 1 | LEC 3 | LMS 1 | LMS 3 | MNZ 3 | POR 1 | 1st | 132 |
| 9 | Deborah Mayer Emanuele Maria Tabacchi Paolo Ruberti Michelle Gatting Niccolò Schirò Murad Sultanov | RIC 5 | SPA Ret | LEC | LMS Ret | LMS 5 | MNZ 2 | POR WD | 7th | 33 | ||||
| 77 | Claudio Schiavoni Andrea Piccini Matt Griffin | RIC 3 | SPA DNS | LEC 5 | LMS 3 | LMS 4 | MNZ 5 | POR WD | 6th | 48 | ||||
| 2021 | Iron Lynx | GT3 | 8 | Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo 2020 | Rino Mastronardi Paolo Ruberti Gabriele Lancieri Logan Sargeant Rory Penttinen | BAR 2 | LEC 1 | MNZ 1 | LMS 1 | LMS 2 | SPA 1 | POR 1 | 1st | 148 |
| 9 | Manuela Gostner Sarah Bovy Doriane Pin | BAR DNS | LEC 2 | MNZ 2 | LMS 2 | LMS 3 | SPA 3 | POR Ret | 3rd | 67 | ||||
| 2023 | Iron Lynx | GT3 | 60 | Lamborghini Hurácan GT3 Evo 2 | Hiroshi Hamaguchi Vincent Abril | BAR 7 | LMS Ret | LMS Ret | LEC 3 | ARA | SPA Ret | POR 1 | 6th | 48 |
| 2024 | Iron Dames | GT3 | 85 | Lamborghini Hurácan GT3 Evo 2 | Célia Martin Karen Gaillard | BAR 7 | LEC 2 | LMS 7 | LMS 16 | SPA 11 | MUG 5 | POR 7 | 6th | 43 |
* Season still in progress
Former series results
Italian F4 Championship
| Year | Car | Drivers | Races | Wins | Poles | F/Laps | Podiums | Points | D.C. | T.C. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Tatuus F4-T014 | Hamda Al Qubaisi | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 42nd | NC[a] |
| Amna Al Qubaisi | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31st | |||
| 2020 | Tatuus F4-T014 | Leonardo Fornaroli | 20 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 108 | 9th | 5th |
| Yaroslav Shervyrtalov | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 36th | |||
| Hamda Al Qubaisi | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 25th | 11th[a] | ||
| 2021 | Tatuus F4-T014 | Kacper Sztuka | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 36th† | 5th |
| Leonardo Fornaroli | 21 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 180 | 5th | |||
| Pietro Armanni | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 25th | |||
| Maya Weug | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 35th | |||
| 2022 | Tatuus F4-T421 | Ivan Domingues | 19 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 15th | 6th |
| Nicola Lacorte | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 28th | |||
| Maya Weug | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 14th | 5th[b] |
† Shared results with other team
ADAC Formula 4 Championship
| Year | Car | Drivers | Races | Wins | Poles | F/Laps | Podiums | Points | D.C. | T.C. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Tatuus F4-T014 | Leonardo Fornaroli | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC† | N/A† |
| Hamda Al Qubaisi | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC† | |||
| 2021 | Tatuus F4-T014 | Leonardo Fornaroli | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | NC† | N/A† |
| Pietro Armanni | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC† | |||
| Maya Weug | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC† | |||
| 2022 | Tatuus F4-T421 | Maya Weug | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC† | N/A†[b] |
† Ineligible to score points.
Timeline
| Current series | |
|---|---|
| Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe | 2018–2019, 2022–present |
| Le Mans Cup | 2020–2021, 2023–present |
| European Le Mans Series | 2019–present |
| FIA World Endurance Championship | 2021–present |
| GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup | 2021–present |
| IMSA SportsCar Championship | 2023–present |
| Lamborghini Super Trofeo Asia | 2023–present |
| French Rally Championship | 2024–present |
| Ligier European Series | 2024–present |
| WRC2 Championship | 2025–present |
| 24H Series | 2025–present |
| International GT Open | 2025–present |
| Former Series | |
| SuperCars Series Trophy | 2019 |
| Italian F4 Championship | 2019–2022 |
| ADAC Formula 4 | 2020–2022 |
| Ferrari Challenge Europe | 2020–2022 |
| Italian GT Championship | 2019, 2021, 2023 |
| GT2 European Series | 2023 |
| Formula Regional European Championship | 2024 |
Notes
- ^ Entered as Abu Dhabi Racing by Prema
- ^ Entered as Iron Dames
References
- ^ "IRON LYNX | Motorsport Lab". Iron Lynx
- ^ "Iron Lynx | DNA". Iron Lynx Motorsport Lab. Retrieved 7 March 2025.
- ^ "Lamborghini Sup. Trofeo Europe - Pro/Am 2018 | Driver Database". www.driverdb.com. Retrieved 2025-01-23.
- ^ "8th Gulf 12 Hours 2018". resultscdn.getraceresults.com. Retrieved 2025-11-08.
- ^ Goodwin, Graham (2018-12-16). "Kessel Racing Set For Two-Car ELMS Entry In '19". www.dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 2025-01-23.
- ^ "Abu Dhabi Racing by Prema the new commitment of Iron Lynx". ACI Sport. Retrieved 2025-01-23.
- ^ Kilbey, Stephen (2020-02-29). "Iron Lynx Confirms ELMS & Le Mans Cup Drivers". www.dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 2025-01-23.
- ^ Allen, Peter (2020-06-29). "Iron Lynx team enters Italian F4 with Leonardo Fornaroli". Formula Scout. Retrieved 2025-01-23.
- ^ "Thirty-seven Ferraris at Misano for round 6 of Challenge Europe". www.ferrari.com. Retrieved 2025-01-23.
- ^ "IRON LYNX ARE MICHELIN LE MANS CUP 2020 CHAMPIONS WITH PICCINI AND MASTRONARDI. ANDREA PICCINI TAKES SUPER POLE IN THE EUROPEAN LE MANS SERIES. | Ironlynx News". Archived from the original on 2021-11-25. Retrieved 2021-11-25.
- ^ "Iron Lynx and Iron Dames launch the 2021 season". www.ferrari.com
- ^ "Prema to join WEC LMP2 ranks with Iron Lynx partnership". www.autosport.com. September 2021.
- ^ "LMGTE – Iron Lynx are Crowned 2021 Champions with Victory in Portimão - ELMS"
- ^ "Who has booked their place on the 2022 24 Hours of le Mans grid?"
- ^ "MICHELLE GATTING MAKES HISTORY BECOMING THE FIRST FEMALE CHAMPION OF FERRARI CHALLENGE TROFEO PIRELLI | Ironlynx News". Archived from the original on 2021-11-25. Retrieved 2021-11-25.
- ^ "Michelle Gatting Wins Ferrari Challenge Europe Trofeo Pirelli | dailysportscar.com". www.dailysportscar.com. 20 November 2021.
- ^ "Gatting becomes Ferrari Challenge's first-ever female champion". www.motorsport.com. 20 November 2021.
- ^ "Let's celebrate the 2021 champions - LMC"
- ^ "Iron Lynx returns to FIA WEC for 2022". 12 January 2022.
- ^ "IRON LYNX AND IRON DAMES ANNOUNCE 2022 CAMPAIGNS AND DRIVER LINE-UP". Iron Lynx. 2022-02-16. Retrieved 2024-06-14.
- ^ "Iron Lynx announces Formula 4 and karting program for 2022". Iron Lynx. 2022-03-31. Retrieved 2024-06-14.
- ^ "Iron Lynx and Iron Dames announce biggest 24 Hours of Le Mans entry to date". Iron Lynx. 2022-04-29. Retrieved 2024-06-14.
- ^ "Dumas Claims Pole At Monza For Glickenhaus". www.dailysportscar.com. 9 July 2022. Retrieved 2024-06-14.
- ^ Euwema, Davey (2022-11-11). "Hartley Puts No. 8 Toyota into Points Lead With Bahrain Pole – Sportscar365". sportscar365.com. Retrieved 2024-06-14.
- ^ CECCHI, ALICE (2022-11-15). "WEC: 2022 season ends with podium for Iron Dames, top-10 for Wadoux". Racers. Retrieved 2024-06-14.
- ^ RACERS (2022-08-01). "Iron Dames take first historic win at Spa 24 Hours". Racers. Retrieved 2024-06-14.
- ^ "The Weekend Roundup: Barcelona". Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS. 2022-10-05. Retrieved 2024-06-14.
- ^ "Historic maiden win for the Iron Dames". 24h-lemans.com. Retrieved 2024-06-14.
- ^ "Doriane Pin becomes second female Ferrari Challenge Europe Trofeo Pirelli champion with Iron Dames". Iron Lynx. 2022-10-09. Retrieved 2024-06-14.
- ^ "Iron Dames On Their Historic WEC In The Finale Race For GTE". www.dailysportscar.com. 4 November 2023. Retrieved 2024-12-02.
- ^ "IRON DAMES | IRON DAMES PROJECT STEPS INTO FRECA WITH A STELLAR FEMALE LINE-UP". IRON DAMES. 2024-04-18. Retrieved 2024-06-14.
- ^ "Mercedes-AMG to join FIA WEC grid in 2025"
- ^ Euwema, Davey (2024-11-21). "Iron Dames' Move to Manthey, Porsche Confirmed – Sportscar365". sportscar365.com. Retrieved 2024-11-21.
- ^ "Mercedes-AMG to debut in WEC in 2025 with Iron Lynx | GRR". www.goodwood.com. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
- ^ Howard, Tom. "Iron Dames to run all-female crew in 2025 WRC". Motorsport. Retrieved 2025-01-23.
- ^ "Iron Lynx completes stellar line-up for 2024 Le Mans 24 Hours". Iron Lynx. 6 May 2024. Retrieved 17 June 2024.