Celia Martin recalled an ’emotional’ ending to her first season as an Iron Dame with anticipation for her FIA World Endurance Championship debut.
The French driver spoke at length with Motorsport Week after her 2025 WEC debut was publicly confirmed in the provisional entry list.
Martin looked back on her first year in pink and shared her excitement on her step up to the WEC amidst her new upcoming campaigns.
She joined the Iron Dames project for 2024, looking towards a more formal commitment to racing and doing so with the all-female driver project.
Her first undergoing as an Iron Dame was in the Michelin Le Mans Cup, one of the feeder championships to the WEC.
“It was my first ever GT3 season and only the second racing season on normal tracks,” she referenced her primary VLN experience at the Nurburgring Nordschleife.
“And to do this with the Iron Dames project, to do this as an Iron Dame, was just really amazing.
“I was just very emotional when I did the last race of the [Le Mans Cup] season because it was a dream that came true.
“And when you are into it, sometimes you can forget to enjoy it and it was the case at some point in the season, but then I managed to really turn that another way.
“So that’s why I’ve learnt not just driving-wise, also on the approach, mental side and to really live the dream to the end.
“This was, for me, an almost perfect way to start the development in the GT3 car season and to learn about endurance racing with the faster, the multi-class racing.”
Learning the ropes of GT3
She co-drove the #83 Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2 with fellow Iron Dame Karen Gaillard. Martin qualified third at the Barcelona season-opener, though the pair were not able to turn that into a strong race result.
Fortunately, Martin took her first pole next time out at Circuit Paul Ricard and they finished in P2 after the race.
Martin quickly credited her co-driver’s efforts as they competed in GT3 class of 11.
“… With Karen [Galliard], she helped me a lot in Le Castellet.
“We always have a little bit of competition between drivers, but I don’t feel that much, maybe at the moment.
“I felt a lot more help to progress as a team and this is very important in the Iron Dames.
“I recognise my value in this as well.
“There are so few women in this sport, so I would rather try to help each other and just make it big, [rather than] try to take it for one person only.”
Comparing Le Mans Cup to Nurburgring
The nature of multi-class racing involves different car categories racing on the same circuit as one another.
She took on four consecutive starts at the 24 Hours of the Nurburgring in addition to competing in the VLN, which was a multi-class series based at the 14-mile and 176-corner circuit.
Meanwhile in the LMC season, she raced in a GT3 class of 11 but simultaneously with 28 LMP3s and so recalled the thrills this ensued.
“This is what I like actually. It’s really like pure racing, you never know what’s going on in turn one.
“And it’s kind of funny because I like to prepare with different scenarios. Obviously you will maybe never meet the right one, so it’s a bit of a surprise somehow.
“Sometimes it can be very crazy,” referring to the 40 LMP3s and 18 GT3s which participated in the Road to Le Mans supporter event.
“It’s quite similar [to the Nurburgring Nordschleife], even though now, after this year, I would say it’s still different because the Nordschleife is so narrow.
“You will never have so many cars in the same place [on track].
“If you have three cars, it’s the maximum you can have. So here [in the LMC] you can have way more and you still have to find a way to go through.
“On the Nordschleife, if someone is overtaking you, generally they are gone quickly because you have so many straight lines or fast corners so you don’t follow so much [compared to other tracks].”
A testing prelude to Porsche machinery
After the conclusion of her first LMC season, she participated in the European Le Mans Series Rookie Test on the next day.
She also participated in the WEC Rookie Test in Bahrain one month later after the eight-hour finale.
Both of these outings were undertaken in a Manthey-run Porsche 911 LMGT3.R as the Iron Dames will fully switch from using the Lamborghini in the LMC, IMSA and WEC.
“When I did the test in the ELMS, I was racing the Lamborghini just a day before for one hour and also on different tyres.
“It’s just a different driving style for sure and this is what was the most challenging basically.
The Le Mans Cup GT3 cars use Michelin tyres whereas ELMS and WEC LMGT3s run on Goodyear rubber.
Le Mans Cup races are 1-hour and 50-minutes – excluding the two 55-minute ones at Le Mans – whereas the ELMS runs much longer races at four hours, and the WEC ranges between six and 24 hours.
“The Lamborghini, for me, is more challenging to drive than the Porsche.
“But it still gives you a very good feeling. It’s a bit more alive from the rear axle for sure.
“The Porsche, it’s a perfect endurance car. Somehow you see better inside, so you’re more comfortable.
“We’ve been driving on Michelins in Le Mans Cup and they’re a bit softer than the Goodyear, so you have a different approach with this as well.
“So a lot of learning, especially after the Rookie Test in the ELMS.
“And for the WEC, it was in Bahrain and it was crazy. I never had a track with such low grip.”
Anticipating new territory with the WEC
Martin will race on new circuits in next year’s 2025 WEC and schedule.
She explained how participating in the Road to Le Mans supporter races helps in preparation for her Le Mans 24 Hours debut next June.
“Actually it was good because I saw the atmosphere. I saw how huge it is and next year, all this pressure would be even more on me because now I’m in the WEC, I’m not just in Road to Le Mans.
“So it’s another step and to see how big that is, this was actually a good thing and to feel it already because I know what to expect on this aspect.
“In Le Mans, it was a bit chaotic this year so I’m still looking forward to that one [the 24-hour race], even though I believe it will be also tight in terms of driving time.
“So I think I will have to spend a lot of time in the sim. But regarding the rest of the calendar – Fuji – I’ve been told it’s a quite interesting track to drive.
“And the US. I know this track from Formula 1, and the first sector is super fast and quite nice with the downforce. But if you take the middle and last sector, it’s quite technical as well.
“Each track has its own specificity, I believe.
“For sure, I’m looking forward to Bahrain… I was struggling so much [on grip] during the test so I want to see where I am after a year.
“That’s why actually Le Mans – being French – this is something I still cannot believe.
“It feels still unreal. It’s just a super amazing opportunity with the Iron Dames.”
An expansive multi-series effort
Her immediate steps with the Iron Dames will also see her debut in the Asian Le Mans Series starting on 7-8 December in Sepang.
Next year, she is confirmed for her European Le Mans Series and WEC debut.
Throughout 20 endurance races combined across these series, Martin will be in Porsche machinery as an FIA Bronze-graded driver.
“The professional level is, for sure, way higher than in Michelin Le Cup.
“I have a race-to-race approach… because I believe if you start to think about the big picture, you can get stressed so easily.
“And this is the good thing now, staying also with Porsche; you only have one car, one brand, so what you learn from Asian [LMS] or from ELMS, I can transport into WEC, so it’s very good.
“So many things to work on, to be based on, to improve and also the different line-up.
“I mean, Michi [Michelle Gatting – now an official Porsche driver], she’s very well-experienced.
“And then I get the opportunity also to race with Rahel [Frey], also a very long member in the Iron Dames.
“And Sarah [Bovy – in the AsLMS and ELMS] because she’s been in my place, so she knows exactly what it’s like to be the bronze driver.
“She already helped me with so many things this year.
“I think I have a good panel of learning possibilities so I have to make the best out of it.”
READ MORE: WEC releases 2025 provisional entry list featuring newcomers
