Jamie Chadwick has the potential to secure a third W Series Championship this weekend in Singapore as the single-seater female racing series heads to Asia for the first time.
Having won five out of six races this season – only losing out to Alice Powell at the last event in July – leaving her with a 75-point lead over Powell and Beitske Visser. Four races remain with a maximum of 100 points are left to win; if Jamie finishes the race ahead of Alice, Beitkse and Abbi Pulling (three points further behind Alice and Beitske), Jamie will have secured her third consecutive title.
After a nine week break, W Series is set for a busy October, with four races at three events, across five weekends. From Singapore, W Series heads to the Circuit of the Americas, Austin, Texas, USA, on 22-23 October, before finishing the season with a double-header at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, Mexico City, Mexico, on 29-30 October.
Adding to the excitement, only one of the drivers on the grid has ever driven at Marina Bay; Bianca Bustamante drove the track during her karting career, but has not driven the entire circuit.
Dave Ryan, the Racing Director of W Series said:
“Make no mistake, this week is a big challenge for the drivers. It’s a new circuit for us, track time is limited, the surface is bumpy, the walls are not far away, our sessions take place in a range of lighting conditions, and the heat and humidity are intense, even more so for our drivers than the F1 drivers given we will be on-track before sunset for qualifying and the race. It’s difficult to know what to expect, but I do know – as was proved at our first-ever street race in Miami earlier this year – that clean and consistent driving will take you far.”
Making her 2022 W Series season debut is Ayla Agren, who replaces Tereza Babickova this weekend. While competing in the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine (FRECA) in September, Tereza sustained a spinal injury during an incident in the first race of the weekend at the Red Bull Ring in Austria. She returned to her native Czech Republic to receive medical treatment, and doctors have ruled her out of all racing activities until further notice.
Ayla – who was born in Norway but has lived in Texas for several years – made her W Series debut last season, where she scored points in the final race at the Circuit of the Americas. She has previously raced on the Road to Indy programme and worked as a spotter at numerous events, including the Indy 500 where she spotted for seven-time F1 Grand Prix winner Juan Pablo Montoya earlier this year.
W Series’ schedule for this weekend starts on Friday 30 September with a 30-minute practice session under the famous Singapore night race floodlights at 19.45 (local time, SGT), followed by qualifying from 16.45 to 17.15 on Saturday 1 October. The race starts at 16.45 on Sunday 2 October and will be 30 minutes plus one lap.