Karen Gaillard

Karen Gaillard (born 29 June 2001 in Fribourg) is a Swiss racing driver set to compete for Ombra Racing in Porsche Carrera Cup Italy.

Career Beginnings (2019–2023) After being a finalist in the AutoScout24 and CUPRA Young Driver Challenge 2019, Gaillard made her touring car racing debut in the 2019 ADAC TCR Germany Touring Car Championship, racing at the Nürburgring round as a guest driver. In her maiden TCR outing, Gaillard scored her first top-ten finish in race two by finishing ninth. At the end of the year, Gaillard won the AutoScout24 and CUPRA scouting programs, earning her a drive in the 2020 24H TCE Series. In the pandemic-affected season, Gaillard made her debut in the third round of the season at Monza Circuit, and scored a class podium in the following round at Hockenheim.

Returning to the 24H Series for 2021, Gaillard switched to the GTX class alongside Lionel Amrouche, her first incursion into sportscar racing. In the three races contested by Gaillard, she scored her first podiums in GTX with a runner-up finish at Dubai and a third at Mugello. In 2022, Gaillard switched to the Mitjet Series, joining Racing Spirit of Léman for her first full-time season in motorsports. She scored a best result of sixth at Barcelona and finished 18th in the standings.

In 2023, Gaillard competed in the NP02 class of the European Endurance Prototype Cup, joining DIMAB Motorsport by ANS alongside Grégory de Sybourg. Despite not taking a win throughout the season, Gaillard scored three pole positions and four podiums to finish runner-up in her maiden season in the championship.

Iron Dames (2024–present) 2024 was a landmark season for Gaillard, as she joined the Iron Dames for her GT3 debut in the Le Mans Cup, sharing a Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo 2 alongside Célia Martin. Racing on an equal footing against several Gold-rated drivers, Gaillard showcased pace, scored regular points and achieved a maiden podium at Paul Ricard, on her way to sixth in the standings. Alongside her Le Mans Cup campaign, Gaillard returned to the NP02 class of the European Endurance Prototype Cup, scoring a best finish of fourth at the season-ending Paul Ricard round.

In late 2024, Gaillard won the Porsche Carrera Cup France shootout, becoming the first woman to win the selection and earning her a drive in the 2025 Porsche Carrera Cup France season with Schumacher CLRT. In preparation for her rookie season, Gaillard competed in select rounds of the Porsche Sprint Challenge Southern Europe. In her maiden season in Carrera Cup France, Gaillard scored points in all but one race and took a best result of seventh in race two at Valencia to end the year 17th in points.

During 2025, Gaillard also made her debut with the main Iron Dames quartet in the IMSA SportsCar Championship, racing a 992-spec Porsche 911 GT3 R in that year's 24 Hours of Daytona. Despite falling three laps down due to a long pit stop under green, Gaillard played a role in the team's charge to an eighth place finish in GTD. In July that year, she drove a custom-designed Porsche 911 GT3 RS by singer Dua Lipa during the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

The following year, Gaillard joined Ombra Racing to race in the Porsche Carrera Cup Italy.

Racing record Racing career summary

Complete Ultimate Cup Series results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap) Year Entrant Class Chassis 1 2 3 4 5 6 Rank Points 2023 DIMAB Motorsport by ANS NP02 Nova Proto NP02 LEC1 NAV HOC EST MAG LEC2 2nd 99 2024 ANS Motorsport NP02 Nova Proto NP02 LEC1 ALG HOC MUG MAG LEC2 11th 45.5 Season still in progress.

Complete Le Mans Cup results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap) Year Entrant Class Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Rank Points 2024 Iron Dames GT3 Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo 2 BAR LEC LMS1 LMS2 SPA MUG ALG 6th 43

Complete IMSA SportsCar Championship results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap) Year Entrant Class Make Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Rank Points 2025 Iron Dames GTD Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) Porsche M97/80 4.2 L Flat-6 DAY SEB LBH LGA WGL MOS ELK VIR IMS PET 69th 251 Season still in progress.

Complete 24 Hours of Daytona results Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps 2025 Iron Dames Sarah Bovy Rahel Frey Michelle Gatting Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) GTD 719 33rd 8th

Complete Porsche Carrera Cup France results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap) Season still in progress.