Iron Dames’ Bronze-rated driver Sarah Bovy shared her excitement for the full-season implementation of the Hyperpole qualifying format, having claimed the most pole positions last year in the former GTE Am class.
Pioneered at the main-event 24 Hours of Le Mans round, the 2024 Hyperpole qualifying format will see both the Hypercar and LMGT3 categories take part in two sessions during the regular rounds of the season, with the fastest 10 cars from each category after the first 12-minute session progressing to the 10-minute Hyperpole session to fight for pole.
“I’m super excited about the quali format,” Bovy told media including Motorsport Week.
“My teammates hate me because I’m taking all the quali [duties] for the last few years, but other than that, I just take whatever I can.
“There was an epic battle last year with different drivers, Ben [Keating] was one of them… for sure, I am expecting a lot of competition coming this year.
“There are some very strong bronze drivers coming in the championship this year. So what I’m expecting is like some very cool battles.
“Obviously the quali is just a first step into the race weekend. It doesn’t really make a big impact on the final results. If you make the pole [position], it’s just one point for the championship. But it’s a really cool exercise.
“I really enjoy a lot doing it. I will keep enjoying doing it and trying to do it at the best I can do, but I don’t think it’s going to be an easy exercise.
“Not more than last year, not more than the next one.”
LMGT3, like the former GTE-Am class, will once again mandate the FIA Bronze-rated driver in each lineup to carry out qualifying duties for the season.
Bovy claimed the most pole positions of any driver last year with three to her name, as the Iron Dames notably claimed their maiden FIA WEC victory at the 8 Hours of Bahrain which concluded the 2023 season, en route to second in the GTE-Am championship standings.
Like in their GT World Challenge and IMSA WeatherTech Endurance Cup commitments, they will now use the Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2 package in the WEC’s new LMGT3 era.
With nine manufacturers and 18 entries – two representing each make – Bovy will expect a more challenging effort to match her thrilling qualifying attempts in 2023.
She added: “We are very aware that with the new category [and] all the new teams and new lineups that are arriving, we have no idea what we’re going to be facing.
“And we will have to wait for the first laps of the first race in Qatar [1812 km race on 2 March] to really have an idea of where we are.
“The only thing we can trust is the fact that we are prepared, that we have experience, that we know each other and we know what everybody in the team is capable of doing.”
For the 2024 season, the #83 Iron Dames team will see Doriane Pin join the roster after she competed with PREMA in the LMP2 category in 2023, with Michelle Gatting completing the trio.
