Chadwick becomes first W Series winner
W SERIES HOCKENHEIM (DEU) 4 MAY ROUND 1/6
“I got a good start and was away and gone in the lead, and then I went down to Turn 6 and went to brake what I thought was early – but nearly went and ended up in Berlin!” So joked inaugural W Series winner Jamie Chadwick of the moment she lost the lead on the opening lap of the Hockenheim race. It was the only moment her victory seemed in doubt amid a dominant display.
After seven months of conversation and debate over the introduction of the all-women racing championship, and five months of intensive selection process to set the grid, W Series got under way last weekend facing wet and windy conditions.
Chadwick emphatically stamped her mark on proceedings from the start, having gone fastest in both practice sessions ahead of Emma Kimilainen, and took pole in the slippery conditions on Saturday morning by a margin of almost two seconds.
The BRDC British Formula 3 race winner made a good start, but lost the lead after running wide at the hairpin on the first lap, allowing 2009 Ginetta Junior champion Sarah Moore through to head the pack.
Moore’s control of the race was shortlived, as a safety-car period was triggered when Megan Gilkes – the youngest driver on the grid – was caught out by her inexperience on a damp patch of track on cold tyres and wiped out Kimilainen, who had stalled from fourth on the grid at the start, and ended both of their races.
Kimilainen was left lamenting the effect the retirement will have on her championship hopes, with W Series’ short calendar meaning the Finn has just five races remaining to cut into Chadwick’s lead.
“It makes it frustrating – today was the worst-case scenario to be honest because this was the one thing I didn’t want: a DNF in a race as the calendar is so short,” she said.
“I’m feeling really confident going into Zolder [for the next round]. My aim is to win every race from here so that I may have any chance of winning the championship.”
Chadwick retook the lead from Moore at the restart and turned her focus to defending from Alice Powell, who was hoping to impress after five years away from regular single-seater racing and a disappointing qualifying in which a late spin left her sixth (and curtailed the session with a red flag).
But soon it was Powell who needed to switch to defending, this time from Marta Garcia, another driver returning to singleseater action. The 18-year-old Spaniard hunted the former GP3 racer down, taking full advantage of a gearbox problem when downshifting that was afflicting both Chadwick and Powell.
Chadwick ultimately crossed the line with a small but healthy lead from Powell, ahead of Garcia, Beitske Visser, Moore and Fabienne Wohlwend, the last three having enjoyed a race-long duel for position.
Miki Koyama impressively charged to seventh, having started 17th, with Tasmin Pepper also surging through the field from 16th to eighth. Gosia Rdest and Caitlin Wood completed the top 10.
LUCY MORSON