A Reader Writes from Hockenheim (Update)

Jamie Chadwick wins the inaugural W-Series race

UPDATE The W Series is also shown live on Dutch TV by ZIGGO Pay TV Channel (Note: All ZIGGO Channels are Pay TV !).

05/04/19 A longtime AR1 reader who attended the first DTM/W Series event at Hockenheim this weekend passed along some of his/her thoughts. We have withheld this individuals' name per request.

Dear AR1,

My first impression upon arrival at Hockenheim Friday was that the series was incredibly well-organized. The hospitality units were professional and the cars looked good with the drivers’ names clearly shown, like you would see in top series. You would be surprised how often this is not the case, particularly with new series.

Also, I was expecting there to be mishaps and technical problems with the car. However, in the first session there was one short red flag for a harmless spin, and only one car had any technical/mechanical issues. The drivers also looked and acted very professional, as you would expect to see in a major racing series.

Unfortunately, there were some hiccups with the weather, as both the second practice session and qualifying were run in the wet. The rain, of course, did not stop Jamie Chadwick, who showed herself to be the quickest driver in both the wet and dry.

While Chadwick dominated qualifying, she had to work hard to hold off Alice Moore for the win. Also, there were numerous battles throughout the field, with one stretch of laps having seven cars run nose to tail. The driving was aggressive but not reckless, showing this spectator at least that female drivers can run as aggressively and professionally as their male counterparts. In particular, I was impressed how the drivers seemed to be able to adapt to changing conditions often within the session during the weekend.

Unfortunately, the weather and the fact the DTM race is tomorrow meant there wasn’t much of a crowd. We spent a lot of time in the hospitality unit fending off the cold, so I didn’t really get to see much of the fan/driver interaction.

Media-wise, I know the race was shown live in the UK, and I think it could see U.S. coverage soon. However, there were numerous print journalists in attendance, as Reuters and some of the daily UK papers sent journos to cover the race. The fact the series is already getting coverage from more mainstream media could be good for racing.

Anyway, just wanted to shared a few thoughts. Overall, I think you have to say it was a good start for the series. Alan W.