Iron Dames withdraws from Watkins Glen

Iron Dames has withdrawn its No. 83 Porsche 911 GT3 R from this weekend's Sahlen's Six Hours of the Glen due to Michelle Gatting's foot injury, which was sustained in testing for the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

"With heavy hearts, we announce that the Iron Dames have been forced to withdraw from this weekend’s IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship round at Watkins Glen," the team wrote in a statement. "This difficult decision comes as a result of the injury Michelle Gatting sustained in the lead-up to the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Michelle’s health and recovery are our top priorities at this moment in time.

"This is a hard moment for our team, and especially painful knowing how much we were looking forward to racing in front of our incredibly dedicated American fans. We’re deeply grateful for your continued support through every high and low. We remain determined and resilient. We’ll be back soon, stronger than ever, together."

Gatting was due to share the car with Rahel Frey and Sarah Bovy for the third round of the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup after they'd finished eighth together in the Rolex 24 At Daytona and 11th at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring. The withdrawal brings the entry list for Watkins Glen down to 55 cars, with 20 in the GTD class.

Elsewhere in GTD, Eric Filgueiras has announced that he and Lone Star Racing have mutually parted ways ahead of Watkins Glen.

"After a series of discussions, we mutually agreed that strictly from a business standpoint, it wasn’t possible to move forward with the rest of the season," said the 2023 GT World Challenge America champion.

"That said, I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to compete at the highest level of sports car racing with LSR. Racing in the Rolex 24 at Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring in top-tier equipment alongside such a dedicated team and gave me the chance to show I can compete at this level, and I’m thankful for that."

His replacement in the No. 80 Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO will be named later.