The all-female No. 85 Iron Dames Porsche 911 racing at Le Mans this weekend announced a big change. Iron Dames racers Celia Martin and Rahel Frey will now be partnered with team boss Sarah Bovy. Their original driving partner was Danish sports-car ace Michelle Gatting, who suffered a broken foot during pit stop / driver change practice on Sunday.
What the hell happened?
In an interview this week, driver Michelle Gatting from Arhus, Denmark, explained the freak accident that left her unable to race.
Apparently a red flag came out during a Le Mans test day on Sunday, and pit lane became very crowded as all the cars came in. Gatting parked a little crooked, squeezing between a Porsche in front and an Alpine behind. The car was put up on ‘skateboards’ to reposition it, and while standing on pit lane, Gatting looked over her shoulder for her teammate (who would normally jump into the driver’s seat) and at that exact moment, the team dropped the car off the jacks before Gatting had stepped away. All 2,750 lbs of Porsche landed on her foot, breaking three bones.
A routine driver change turned into a disaster. Gatting joked that she tried to convince the team she could still drive, but no dice. As the days have passed, the Danish driver is starting to realize what a huge opportunity she’s lost, the chance to compete at Le Mans in a Porsche 911.
Ironically, the replacement driver, team boss Sarah Bovy, had just retired from racing this year to focus on team management. Just when she thought she was out, the pull her back in!
Ouch!
Indeed. Bet it hurt like hell.
Holy moly! Poor Ms. Gatting. That must have hurt. I hope the breaks are clean and quick to heal.
I read that she is scheduled to return for the next round of the European Le Mans Series on July 6th, but it must really hurt to miss the bog race. Even more to have to stand on the sidelines and cheer.