Dutch driver Beitske Visser, 24, took victory today after an exhilarating second W Series race at Zolder, Belgium.
W Series listened to its fans and arrived at Zolder for race two of the six-race series with improved car liveries. They featured more name and number branding and larger rear-wing national flags. The aim is for W Series fans to find it easier to identify the cars and drivers.
Sixteen of the 18 drivers have been allocated new cars, ensuring that, although all the cars are designed to be identical, no driver has a car advantage in the event of any tiny potential performance discrepancies. The two exceptions are Emma Kimilainen (FIN) and Megan Gilkes (CAN), who retain their cars from Hockenheim following a collision that forced their early exit from the race.
In a contest that was action-packed from the get-go, from P2 on the grid Beitske stole an immediate lead, which she retained for the duration of the race; she also set the fastest lap (1min 29.639sec).
However, her impressive win was not without challenge, as pole-sitter Jamie Chadwick (GBR) was never far behind throughout a race that lasted 30 minutes plus one lap (as all W Series races do) yet was never able to catch the flying Dutchwoman.
Jamie, who leads the W Series points standings, secured second place, just ahead of Alice Powell (GBR), who had been second at Hockenheim two weeks ago, a race that Jamie had won. In a gripping Brit-versus-Brit showdown, the pair went head-to-head in the closing minutes of the race, leaving fans and spectators on the edge of their seats, ultimately finishing just 0.633sec apart.
Beitske Visser, Jamie Chadwick, and Alice Powell on the Podium
Suspense was the order of the day all the way down the field, various battles raging all across the punishing Zolder circuit, notorious for its meagre run-off areas leaving little room for error. Seconds after the race had started, a Safety Car was deployed after plumes of smoke had billowed out of the back of Belgian driver Sarah Bovy’s car, ending her W Series race debut before it had even started. It was a disappointing outcome for the reserve driver who had been granted the opportunity to run in her home race only the day before.
Almost immediately after the Safety Car had returned to the pit-lane, a similar disappointment beset fellow reserve driver Vivien Keszthelyi (HUN), who was involved in a three-car collision following a too-bold move by Esmee Hawkey (GBR), who attempted to overtake Polish driver Gosia Rdest. The shunt forced all three drivers to retire, triggering a second Safety Car deployment. Vivien had been given the opportunity to race just hours before, after Finnish driver Emma Kimilainen had been forced to pull out owing to illness. Esmee will be subject to a five-place grid penalty for the next W Series race, in Misano, Italy, on June 8th, as a result of having caused a collision.
Farther down the field, Marta Garcia (ESP), who had finished third at Hockenheim two weeks ago, and Sarah Moore (GBR) fought out an obdurate battle for P4. Marta ended up just ahead, and Sarah therefore scored her second fifth-place finish in as many races. Meanwhile, also for the second race in a row, Japanese driver Miki Koyama mounted an impressive charge through the field, this time from P13 on the grid to P8 at flag-fall (she had battled from P17 to P7 at Hockenheim two weeks ago). Tasmin Pepper, from South Africa, finished sixth, and Fabienne Wohlwend, from Liechtenstein, was seventh.
Australia’s Caitlin Wood finished just out of the points in 11th place today and currently sits 11th in the championship after scoring her first point in Race One two weeks ago.
The next W Series race will be run on the fast and challenging Italian circuit of Misano, where all W Series’ drivers will be aiming to repeat their successes of the first two races, and/or build on lessons learned.
RACE RESULTS
Position No. Driver Nationality
1 95 Beitske Visser Dutch
2 55 Jamie Chadwick British
3 27 Alice Powell British
4 19 Marta Garcia Spanish
5 26 Sarah Moore British
6 31 Tasmin Pepper South African
7 5 Fabienne Wohlwend Liechtenstein
8 85 Miki Koyama Japanese
9 11 Vicky Piria Italian
10 99 Naomi Schiff German
11 20 Caitlin Wood Australian
12 67 Shea Holbrook American
13 21 Jessica Hawkins British
14 49 Megan Gilkes Canadian
15 37 Sabré Cook American
DNF 3 Gosia Rdest Polish
DNF 2 Esmee Hawkey British
DNF 77 Vivien Keszthelyi Hungarian
DNS 58 Sarah Bovy Belgian
Photographs by W Series.