Sarah Bovy

Sarah Bovy is a Belgian racing driver who has become one of the most versatile and accomplished female racers in GT and endurance competition, racking up class wins at the Spa 24 Hours, European Le Mans Series, and pole positions in the World Endurance Championship while balancing a dual career in marketing and headhunting before committing fully to motorsport.

EARLY YEARS

Born May 15, 1989, in Brussels, Belgium, Sarah Bovy didn’t come from racing royalty or a family with deep pockets—just the opposite. Her family had modest financial resources, which would prove to be the single biggest obstacle in her early career. But before money became the issue, talent wasn’t. At twelve years old, she became Belgian Go-kart champion, a title that hinted at what was possible if only the euros could keep pace with her lap times.

She started competing in motorsport at fifteen, jumping straight into Formula Renault 1.6 Belgium with the Boutsen-Ginion team, mentored by former Formula 1 driver Thierry Boutsen. Her debut was nothing short of stunning: two podiums in her first race weekend. After just three races, she was leading the championship. Then the money ran out, and her season came to a grinding halt. It was a preview of the financial tightrope she’d walk for years.

While her racing career sputtered and stalled due to budget constraints, Bovy didn’t sit around waiting for a miracle. She completed a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing Management in Brussels in 2012, graduating with honors. For five years, she worked as a headhunter at a multinational company, a world away from the paddock but one that kept her afloat. She also became a driving performance instructor and precision driver, skills that would later serve her well when she returned to racing full-time.

OTHER INTERESTS

Beyond the cockpit, Bovy’s interests have largely revolved around the motorsport industry itself. She worked as a precision driver and instructor, including on Lamborghini video shoots, a gig that combined her love of high-performance cars with a paycheck. Her marketing background also gave her a sharp understanding of the business side of racing—sponsorship, branding, and the delicate art of selling yourself in a sport that runs on money as much as fuel. There’s little public information about hobbies outside of racing, which makes sense for someone who spent years juggling a day job and a racing career, leaving little time for anything else.

EARLY SUCCESS

After her Formula Renault dreams were derailed by finances, Bovy pivoted to GT and touring car racing, where she could find opportunities that didn’t require a Formula 1-sized budget. In 2013, at twenty-four, she became Belgian Touring Car champion in her class and notched two class wins in the BRCC Long Race category, plus a Silhouette ProEvo class win. That same year, she made history as the first woman to race the Aston Martin Vantage GT3 at the Spa 24 Hours, a race that would become a cornerstone of her career. She finished fifth and eighth in two Dutch GT championship races at Spa that year, proving she could handle the pressure of endurance racing.

By 2015, she was back in single-seaters, competing in the Renault Sport Trophy. At her home race at Spa-Francorchamps, she scored a podium finish and became the first woman ever to stand on a World Series by Renault podium at age twenty-six. It was a breakthrough moment, but GT racing was where her future lay. In 2017, she competed in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe, finishing fourteenth in the Pro-Am class, and the following year she was back in endurance racing, taking second in class at the 2018 24 Hours of Spa.

Then came 2019, when she was named a reserve driver for the W Series, contesting three races. It was a brief detour, but it kept her name in the conversation. The real turning point came in 2021, when she joined the Iron Dames, an all-female racing team backed by Deborah Mayer. In a week, her life turned upside down. She had no idea how big the project would become, but she knew it was important. That year, she and teammates Doriane Pin and Katherine Legge became the first fully-female entry in GT World Challenge Europe, finishing sixth in the Pro-Am Cup at the 1000km Paul Ricard. She also scored two second-place finishes in the Michelin Le Mans Cup at Paul Ricard and Monza, driving a Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo.

NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS

• 2001: Belgian Go-kart champion at age twelve.
• 2004: Led Formula Renault 1.6 Belgium championship after three races at age fifteen before budget constraints halted the season.
• 2011: Finished second in FIA Women in Motorsport worldwide selection at age twenty-two.
• 2013: Belgian Touring Car champion in class at age twenty-four; two class wins in BRCC Long Race category; Silhouette ProEvo class win; first woman to race Aston Martin Vantage GT3 at Spa 24 Hours.
• 2015: First woman on World Series by Renault podium at age twenty-six (Spa-Francorchamps, Renault Sport Trophy).
• 2018: Second in class at 24 Hours of Spa.
• 2021: Class victory at Spa 24 Hours (Ferrari 488 GTE); WEC debut, fifth in LMGTE Am; first woman to score pole position in WEC at age thirty-two; part of first fully-female entry in GT World Challenge Europe (sixth in Pro-Am Cup, 1000km Paul Ricard, with Doriane Pin and Katherine Legge); two second-place finishes in Michelin Le Mans Cup (Paul Ricard and Monza, Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo).
• 2022: LMGT3 class win at Imola (European Le Mans Series, with Rahel Frey and Michelle Gatting, Porsche 911); pole position for LMGT3 class on four occasions (ELMS); second at Portimão (LMGT3, ELMS); fourth overall in LMGT3 (ELMS); three LMGTE Am podiums (Monza, Fuji, Bahrain, WEC, Ferrari); fifth in LMGTE Am class championship (WEC); 9th LMGTE Am/36th overall and 12th LMGTE Am at 24 Hours of Le Mans.
• 2023: Competed in IMSA GTD (Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo 2, Iron Dames); finished 45th overall with 368 points.
• 2024: Competed in IMSA GTD (Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo 2, Iron Dames); finished 39th overall with 918 points.
• 2025: Eighth at Daytona, eleventh at Sebring (IMSA GTD, Porsche 911 GT3 R, Iron Dames); 46th overall with 471 points.

INSPIRATIONS

Bovy’s dreams were always linked to sports cars and Le Mans, a goal she realized in 2022 when she competed in the legendary 24-hour race. Thierry Boutsen, the former F1 driver who mentored her early in her career, was a key influence, guiding her through the Boutsen-Ginion team in her formative years. Later, Giorgio Sanna at Lamborghini became another important figure, connecting her to the Italian manufacturer’s racing programs. She has expressed a deep affinity for Lamborghini, once saying she wanted to work for them—a wish that came true through her role as an instructor and later as a competitor in their racing series. The Iron Dames project, led by Deborah Mayer and Andrea Piccini, has been transformative, giving her the platform and stability to become the driver she always knew she could be.

REPUTATION

Sarah Bovy is regarded as a fast, dependable driver with a professional approach that belies her classification as an “Am” driver. She’s known for her ability to handle double stints, adapt her pace quickly, and deliver consistent results under pressure. Her four pole positions in the 2022 European Le Mans Series LMGT3 class proved she has raw speed, while her endurance racing success shows she can manage the long game. Teammates and teams describe her as a rapid and reliable pillar of the Iron Dames squad, someone who brings both skill and maturity to the cockpit. Media coverage has consistently emphasized her tenacity, passion, and the impressive nature of her debuts in top-tier series like WEC. As a trailblazer for women in motorsport, she’s broken barriers without making a fuss about it—first woman in this, first woman in that—but always letting her lap times do the talking.

FUTURE GOALS/PLANS

Bovy is currently competing in the 2025 Asian Le Mans Series with the Iron Dames, driving a Porsche alongside Michelle Gatting and Celia Martin. The move came after an FIA driver classification change made her ineligible for the WEC level she had competed at in 2024. She’s also racing in IMSA GTD with Iron Dames, piloting a Porsche 911 GT3 R after years in Lamborghinis. While specific long-term goals haven’t been publicly stated, her trajectory suggests she’ll continue pushing for top results in GT and endurance racing, wherever the rules—and the budget—allow her to compete. After years of fighting for every seat, every lap, every chance, she’s earned the right to race on her own terms, and she’s not slowing down.

References:

Racers Behind the Helmet – Sarah Bovy: From a Remarkable WEC Debut to the Le Mans Dream
Speedqueens Blog – Sarah Bovy
Wikipedia – Sarah Bovy
Sarah Bovy Official Website – About
Lamborghini Motorsport – Getting to Know Sarah Bovy
24 Hours of Le Mans Official Site
W Series Wiki – Sarah Bovy
Duke.lu – Sarah Bovy