JAMIE’S HAT-WICK

W Series’ third on-track season started where the second left off in October 2021 – in the USA. But, where the Circuit of the Americas, Austin, Texas, was the stage when Jamie Chadwick became a two-time W Series champion in front of a record 400,000 fans, the Briton began her title defence 1,326 miles (2,134km) away in Florida at the brand-new Miami International Autodrome.

Last season’s runner-up, Alice Powell, topped the practice session, but Nerea Martí was quickest in qualifying. The Spaniard pipped Jamie by less than one tenth of a second to secure her maiden pole position, but she couldn’t capitalise, making a slow getaway which allowed Jamie to take the lead at the start. She was overtaken by Emma Kimiläinen in the final third of the race, but regained the lead on the final lap after Emma ran wide at turn one.

Jamie started the second race of the opening double-header from pole position, as the drivers’ second-best qualifying time determined the starting grid. She completed a perfect weekend, with her fourth straight W Series race win, and eighth overall, achieved in much simpler fashion than her victory from the previous day. After an expertly controlled drive from pole, Jamie crossed the finish line three seconds ahead of Nerea, over whom she now held a 24-point lead at the top of the championship standings.

Less than a fortnight since Jamie celebrated the second of her two wins and a perfect start to her title defence, W Series travelled to Barcelona, Spain. The third race, in support of the Spanish Grand Prix, started a run of four straight races in Europe. Although this would be W Series’ first race in Spain, all 18 drivers on the grid were familiar with the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, which was the location of this season’s pre-season test in March.

Chadwick turned 24 on the day of qualifying and celebrated her birthday in perfect style by taking the ninth pole position of her W Series career. The celebrations continued 24 hours later when Jamie made it five wins in a row thanks to a dominant lights-to-flag victory, leading every lap and recording the fastest lap to put the icing on the cake. Abbi Pulling was Jamie’s closest challenger, and her second podium finish moved her into second place in the championship, 37 points adrift of Jamie.

After a six-week break, W Series supported the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, where Jamie was attempting to win on home soil for the first time. She gave herself the best chance by securing her third straight pole position in qualifying. Despite increasingly persistent rain falling during the race, Jamie took a commanding lights-to-flag victory which let her extend her 100 per cent record to four wins from four races in 2022. In the process, she took her points tally for the year to 100 and increased her lead at the top of the championship standings to 47 points over Abbi. Her compatriot finished third after making contact with Kimiläinen in the closing stages.

Beitske Visser finally ended Chadwick’s leading run during practice at Paul Ricard, and the Dutch driver would eventually be awarded pole position too. She couldn’t convert it into a victory, however, as Jamie pulled off two stunning overtakes to secure her seventh straight win in a run dating back to October 2021. Starting from third on the grid, she twice passed pole-sitter Beitske during a dramatic race, which featured two safety-car periods and numerous wheel-towheel battles. Jamie’s fifth victory from five races in 2022 – and the 11th of her W Series career –gave her a 70-point lead over nearest challenger Pulling. Jamie finished the race, at the French Grand Prix, ahead of Spanish team-mates Belen García and Nerea, the former recording her best result.

W Series’ final European race of the year took place in support of the Hungarian Grand Prix at the Hungaroring. Powell took the third pole position of her W Series career – more than a year after her second – and went on to control the race from the front, expertly negotiating two safety car restarts. Alice put the hammer down on the second restart early to give her a lead of half a second as the drivers crossed the line, but Jamie had halved that advantage midway through the following lap. However, the champion then ran wide at Turn 11 to allow Alice to regain a lead of half a second. She extended that by two tenths as they began the last lap of the race, and kept her cool on the final circuit of 14 corners to take a deserved fifth victory of her W Series career.

W Series travelled to Singapore for its firstever race in Asia, where Jamie would be 30 minutes plus one lap away from winning her third consecutive title. Holding a 75-point lead over Alice and Beitske, Jamie knew that finishing higher than that pair and Abbi – who was a further three points adrift in the standings – would result in title number three. Visser overtook Marta at the start and held off a strong and persistent challenge from Alice to claim her first victory of the season. Jamie made up places early on, but crashed out in the closing stages while running sixth – her first-ever retirement from a W Series race. Beitske’s victory put her second in the championship standings, seven points clear of Alice in third, and 50 behind leader Jamie, whose third title was confirmed eight days later when the season was curtailed.

Opposite, top: Jamie Chadwick earned her third W Series Oppsite, below: The W Series visited some exciting destinations, including Singapore

Above: Alice Powell was a race winner...

Below: ...as was Beitske Visser

Bottom: Abbie Eaton (#44) leads Jess Hawkins on home soil supporting the British Grand Prix

It all began in April on the Snetterton 300 circuit with a record 57 entries, the largest the series had ever attracted.

The race itself was close at the front in the opening stages as the #Blessed, Emax Motorsport, Oakley Motorsport and Ardcor Modelmakers teams all took turns in the lead between them throughout and through the pit stops. No less than eight cars were still on the lead lap in the closing stages, and it was Ardcor’s John Ardis and Mike Graham that came home as winners, ahead of Oakley Motorsport’s Graham Oakley and Harry Newman-Oakley, with Emax Motorsport’s Jake Little, James Little and Stuart Ratcliffe completing the podium.

Then the all-important C1 24 Hours at Silverstone was next in May, with an excellent entry of 61 cars and high excitement for all taking part. Hybrid Tune Motorsport, the defending champions who entered the 24 Hours at the last minute, qualified on pole position and held onto the lead for the first 20 minutes. However, JW Bird Motorsport and BH Motorsport/SCK Motorsport took turns at the front before Emax Motorsport gained the lead and held onto it for a while. Majestic Motorsport and Team Trojan also led the race at various points, but Hybrid Tune Motorsport took advantage of one of many brief safety car periods to climb back into the lead and ultimately win the race for the second year in a row. Emax Motorsport finished second, followed by WRC Developments in third. Fake Taxi and JW Bird Motorsport completed the top five. The event was considered a success, with many teams and drivers planning to return next year.

The third Silverlake C1 Endurance Series race took place at Anglesey with 18 teams participating in a special four-and-a-half-hour battle royale racing into the night. Despite fewer cars than the previous races, the teams were competitive and keen to put on a great display of endurance racing. Quattro Formaggio claimed pole position and was part of an early four-car battle for the lead with Red Sky Racing, Silverlake 2, and #417 CSC Racing/FDL Packaging. Red Sky Racing pulled away to battle with #417 CSC Racing, but the latter suffered a differential problem, becoming the first retirement. Quattro Formaggio took over in front, holding a substantial gap as the race progressed, but they were penalized for avoidable contact, dropping them to third, putting Silverlake 2 in the lead with Michael Parkes. CSC Racing’s #513 sister car of Nicholas and James Cunniffe had quietly climbed up the order by this stage, reaching 2nd place with just over two hours to go. They would claim the lead with 40 minutes left and win the race to their abject delight, followed by Silverlake 2 in 2nd place and an equally euphoric Scuderia Pollo Rosso in third.

Next up, the Donington Park race in the sweltering July heat had a full grid of 50 cars competing in a frantic three-hour event, making for a busy and impressive sight on track with many teams returning after the Silverstone 24 Hours. Emax Motorsport started on pole but lost the lead to #326 #blessed after 18 laps. However, they reclaimed it and held it until their first scheduled pit stop. Team Trojon’s #508 car then took the lead and stayed out in front for most of their stint. WRC Development and TOF Racing also led the race at various points. By the two-hour mark, the Trojon car was back in the