Iron Dames has announced plans to expand its move into rallying by fielding an all-female crew in the 2025 World Rally Championship.
The Italian team, working in conjunction with renowned rally squad Sarrazin Motorsport, headed by former Formula 1, WRC and WEC driver Stephane Sarrazin, will field an entry in the WRC2 class for Sarah Rumeau and co-driver Julie Amblard.
Rumeau and Amblard’s promotion to the WRC next year comes off the back of a season competing in the French Rally Championship where they finished fifth on tarmac and sixth on gravel. They became the first female crew to achieve such a feat since WRC great Michele Mouton in 1979.
Iron Dames' step up to the WRC arrives after the operation, known for its exploits in sportscar racing, expanded into rallying this year running Ford Fiesta Rally2 machinery.
However, for 2025 it will switch to Citroen with Rumeau and Amblard set to pilot a C3 Rally2 for seven WRC2 rounds beginning at Monte Carlo in January. The duo will also compete in the French Rally Championship again next year.
“2024 was a year of learning, we made progress on both gravel and tarmac. We finished the season fifth on asphalt and sixth on gravel,” said Rumeau, the 2022 French Women’s champion.
“With a lot of competition, we managed to close the gaps and that’s really positive. Throughout the year we received a lot of advice from the Sarrazin Motorsport team, which enabled us to make a lot of progress. I can’t thank Deborah [Mayer, Iron Dames project founder] and the whole Iron Dames team enough for the confidence they have shown in us.
“It’s been an extraordinary year in four-wheel drive, surrounded by people who support us in the best possible way. It gives us a lot of strength to keep giving it our all. So now, we turn our faces toward 2025 with Citroen Racing and a new step forward internationally. It’s a continuing dream with all the team, and I am really proud of this.”
Mayer added: “We are so proud of what Sarah and Julie have achieved in just one year.
“Through their determination and talent, they embody the spirit of the Iron Dames and deserve this extraordinary 2025 programme.
“To see them follow in the footsteps of such a Grande Dame as Michele Mouton is particularly moving. Their historic participation in the WRC is a great opportunity for them and for Iron Dames as a project that opens doors, sets standards and turns dreams into reality.
“Together with Sarrazin Motorsport, Citroen Racing and the FFSA, we are pushing the boundaries for women in rallying and paving the way for future generations to dream bigger and aim higher.”
The WRC will also see an all-female crew compete in the Junior WRC next season following the launch of the championship’s women’s driver programme this year. Claire Schonborn or Lyssia Baudet will earn a fully funded campaign in the class, following a head-to-head shootout at Rally Sweden in February.
