Chadwick won Saturday taking the checkered flag 0.587 seconds ahead of second.
Jamie Chadwick (GBR), from Bath, UK, scored a W Series win at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, on Italy’s Adriatic coast Saturday, finishing just half a second ahead of Beitske Visser (NDL) in second place. Third was Fabienne Wohlwend (LIE), from Liechtenstein, who had taken pole position that morning.
At the start, Wohlwend made a mediocre start, and found herself under pressure from Alice Powell (GBR) as they approached turn 1. The two cars touched – a collision that the race stewards swiftly judged to be a racing incident that warranted no penalty for either driver – pitching Powell’s car skywards and then into the gravel trap, ending her race.
A short safety car period followed after which the three leaders – Chadwick, Visser and Wohlwend, nose to tail in that order – put on a high-speed high-quality display, drawing clear of the rest of the field yet running always nose to tail themselves. In fourth place, albeit a few seconds behind Wohlwend in third, was local hero Vicky Piria (ITA), but Miki Koyama (JPN), who had been quickest in FP2 Friday, was putting Piria under a lot of pressure and found her way past the Italian on lap nine.
W Series races are 30-minutes duration plus one lap, and at the 15-minute mark, half distance, the order was: Chadwick, Visser, Wohlwend, still nose to tail, followed by Koyama and Piria, behind whom there was a small gap to Marta Garcia (ESP) in sixth just ahead of Tasmin Pepper (RSA) in seventh. Behind Tasmin, slowly dropping back, was Sarah Moore (GBR), doggedly defending a train of tightly packed cars all snapping at one another’s heels behind her.
By lap 10 Visser was applying huge pressure on Chadwick, who defended and, although several times Visser got incredibly close, she was never able to essay a genuine overtaking maneuver. Even so, despite the ferocity of their battle for the lead, Chadwick and Visser began to inch ahead of Wohlwend, who began to drop back inexorably, unable to keep pace with the two championship leaders, Jamie and Visser, at the head of the field.
Alice Powell’s car was launched into the air on the first lap. She was uninjured but done for the day.
With eight minutes to go, the order was still unchanged. Wohlwend was still in third place, now confident that her car had not been damaged in any way by the early contact with Powell’s car, a few seconds ahead of Koyama, now racing all alone in fourth place, ahead of Piria in fifth.
On lap 12 Visser launched a final offensive, posting a fastest lap of 1:34.797, after which her front wing appeared almost attached to Chadwick’s rear wing, so close were the two leading cars. On lap 15 Visser lowered the bar again, posting a new fastest lap of 1:34.613, but still Chadwick held her back, maintaining her advantage and taking the checkered flag 0.587 seconds ahead of the flying Dutchwoman.
In third place, after a fine drive, was Wohlwend, a further 1.698 seconds behind Visser ahead of Koyama (P4), Piria (P5) and Garcia was P6, having successfully withstood a race-long attack by Tasmin Pepper, who finally had to settle for P7.
On the final lap, after having defended so resolutely for so long, Sarah Moore was finally unable to keep Sabre Cook (USA) behind, the 24-year-old American taking eighth place after an impressive run from her P15 grid slot. Moore picked up two points for ninth, and the final point was taken by Vivien Keszthelyi (HUN), one of two reserve drivers who had started the race, the other being Sarah Bovy (BEL), who finished 12th. The second American driver, Shea Holbrook, finsihed 16th.
“After Zolder, when I didn’t convert pole position into a lap-one lead, I really wanted to get my start right here at Misano,” Chadwick said. “I knew there would be an opportunity down the inside so I really focused on getting that right, which fortunately I did. After that, I felt I had good pace, but Beitske kept me honest the whole way. She was always very close but I concentrated on not making mistakes, trying to reel off the laps in without making any errors.”
The next event on the W Series schedule is in Norisring, Germany on July 5-6.
Sights from the W Series action at Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli Saturday June 8, 2019.
Sights from the W Series action at Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli Saturday June 8, 2019.
Sights from the W Series action at Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli Saturday June 8, 2019.
Sights from the W Series action at Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli Saturday June 8, 2019.
Sights from the W Series action at Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli Saturday June 8, 2019.
Sights from the W Series action at Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli Saturday June 8, 2019.
Sights from the W Series action at Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli Saturday June 8, 2019.
Sights from the W Series action at Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli Saturday June 8, 2019.
Sights from the W Series action at Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli Saturday June 8, 2019.
Sights from the W Series action at Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli Saturday June 8, 2019.
Sights from the W Series action at Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli Saturday June 8, 2019.
Sights from the W Series action at Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli Saturday June 8, 2019.
Sights from the W Series action at Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli Saturday June 8, 2019.
Sights from the W Series action at Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli Saturday June 8, 2019.
Sights from the W Series action at Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli Saturday June 8, 2019.
Sights from the W Series action at Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli Saturday June 8, 2019.
Sights from the W Series action at Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli Saturday June 8, 2019.
Sights from the W Series action at Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli Saturday June 8, 2019.
Sights from the W Series action at Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli Saturday June 8, 2019.
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