The Iron Dames, currently racing in the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship and FIA World Endurance Championship for the Iron Lynx and Prema teams, have all seen their classifications changed in the latest FIA driver rankings, updated for the 2024 season.
The Dames include four drivers: Rahel Frey, Michelle Gatting, Sarah Bovy and Doriane Pin. While 19-year-old Pin’s Silver rating has not changed, the other three have all be uprated or downrated accordingly.
Frey has been downgraded from a gold to a silver classification, while Gatting has gone in the other direction, from silver to gold. Bovy, meanwhile, has been upgraded from bronze to silver.
A number of other drivers have also been upgraded from silver to gold, including the likes of 2021 and 2022 WEC LMP2 runner-up, Sean Gelael.
Toyota GAZOO Racing protegé Ritomo Miyata, who recently finished on the GTE-Am podium on his WEC debut for Kessel Racing, has made the jump from gold to platinum.
Additionally, WEC GTE-Am Champion Nicolas Varonne, who will participate at the Rookie Test, has been upgraded from silver to gold.
Penske Indycar driver Scott McLaughlin, who will race at next week’s Petit Le Mans for Tower Motorsports, will race as a platinum next year, as will Peugeot Sport Hypercar driver Mikkel Jensen. Both were previously gold-rated.
DTM championship challenger Thomas Preining has also been upgraded to gold.
An appeal window will remain open until the 10th October for drivers to contest against a change with “relevant data”, before these changes become permanent. The changes will go into effect on 1st January 2024.
A list of the changes for some WEC/IMSA/DTM drivers et al:
- Ahmad Al Harthy – Bronze to Silver*
- Rui Andrade – Silver to Gold
- David Beckmann – Silver to Gold
- Sarah Bovy – Bronze to Silver*
- Nicolas (Nick) Cassidy – Gold to Platinum
- Henrique Chaves – Gold to Platinum
- Jake Dennis – Gold to Platinum
- Christian Engelhart – Gold to Platinum
- Mitch Evans – Gold to Platinum
- Rahel Frey – Gold to Silver
- Michelle Gatting – Silver to Gold
- Sean Gelael – Silver to Gold
- Ross Gunn – Gold to Platinum
- Tim Heinemann – Silver to Gold
- Scott McLaughlin – Gold to Platinum
- Ritomo Miyata – Gold to Platinum
- Patricio O’Ward – Gold to Platinum
- Jusuf Owega – Silver to Gold
- Alex Palou – Gold to Platinum
- Maximilian Paul – Silver to Gold
- Riccardo Pera – Silver to Gold*
- Josh Pierson – Silver to Gold
- Thomas Preining – Gold to Platinum
- Christian Rasmussen – Silver to Gold
- Marino Sato – Silver to Gold
- Clemens Schmid – Silver to Gold*
- Nolan Siegel – Silver to Gold
- Casper Stevenson – Silver to Gold
- Kay van Berlo – Silver to Gold
- Nicolas Varrone – Silver to Gold
- Thierry Vermeulen – Silver to Gold
Editor’s Note:
Ahmad Al Harthy and Sarah Bovy’s FIA licence ratings have been reinstated to bronze after a successful appeal, as of 25 October 2023.
Sean Gelael has reversed his change to Gold, so he will remain a Silver-rated driver in 2024 along with DTM driver Clemens Schmid and GR Racing’s (WEC GTE-Am) Riccardo Pera.
IMSA GTD champion Madison Snow has been uprated from Silver to a Gold status. Other IMSA drivers include Scott Huffaker and Roman De Angelis (Heart of Racing driver).
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