Megan Gilkes wins reversed grid Assen W Series race from pole
Megan Gilkes narrowly took her maiden W Series victory over Alice Powell in a photo-finish to the non-championship race at Assen, leading the whole race from reverse-grid pole
The one-off experimental race one day after the points-paying Assen race on Saturday was run with a reverse grid based on the championship standings, with Gilkes starting from pole ahead of reserve driver Sarah Bovy.
Gilkes led the race from the start, but by the end of the 30-minute sprint race was under pressure in an eight car battle for the lead on the final lap of the race.
Gilkes, who at 17 is the youngest driver on the grid, crossed the finish line side-by-side with Saturday podium finisher Powell, who had started the race from 17th place but had climbed to sixth by the end of the first two laps.
Next in the eight car battle and completing the podium positions was Sabre Cook.
Cook had managed to just fend off the attack of the Saturday race winner Emma Kimilainen who had cut through the field from 15th on the grid to finish fourth.
Jessica Hawkins was fifth, having also challenged Gilkes for the lead for a time, but she had lost out at a restart after a safety car period, which was caused when Gosia Rdest spun into the gravel, along with Fabienne Wohlwend.
Rdest had been pitched into the gravel by contact with Bovy, who had maintained her second place for much of the race, but began to slip back through the order after an attempted battle with Gilkes for the lead meant she ran wide off-track.
Tasmin Pepper was sixth, ahead of Naomi Schiff and championship points' leader Jamie Chadwick who was the last in that eight car lead battle despite having occupied the very last grid slot due to her 15 point lead in the inaugural title race.
Chadwick's only mathematical rival for the championship, Beitske Visser, had been the higher placed driver of the pair for the early stages of the race, having climbed to 14th from 19th on the first lap alone - but ultimately did not make it any further forward.
Chadwick and Visser had also duelled side-by-side in the early stages of the race, as the championship leaders attempted to cut through the field.
Vicky Piria and Sarah Moore completed the top 10, for which no championship points will be awarded.
Shea Holbrook was the only other retirement recorded after Rdest, with Holbrook also spinning into the gravel and causing the first of the safety car periods around the midway point of the race.
Race result
| Pos | Driver | Team | Car | Laps | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Megan Gilkes | Tatuus/Alfa Romeo | 18 | 32m21.283s | |
| 2 | Alice Powell | Tatuus/Alfa Romeo | 18 | 0.003s | |
| 3 | Sabre Cook | Tatuus/Alfa Romeo | 18 | 0.347s | |
| 4 | Emma Kimilainen | Tatuus/Alfa Romeo | 18 | 0.537s | |
| 5 | Jessica Hawkins | Tatuus/Alfa Romeo | 18 | 0.715s | |
| 6 | Tasmin Pepper | Tatuus/Alfa Romeo | 18 | 1.817s | |
| 7 | Naomi Schiff | Tatuus/Alfa Romeo | 18 | 1.966s | |
| 8 | Jamie Chadwick | Tatuus/Alfa Romeo | 18 | 2.324s | |
| 9 | Vicky Piria | Tatuus/Alfa Romeo | 18 | 2.704s | |
| 10 | Sarah Moore | Tatuus/Alfa Romeo | 18 | 3.101s | |
| 11 | Sarah Bovy | Tatuus/Alfa Romeo | 18 | 5.241s | |
| 12 | Caitlin Wood | Tatuus/Alfa Romeo | 18 | 5.510s | |
| 13 | Marta Garcia | Tatuus/Alfa Romeo | 18 | 5.695s | |
| 14 | Beitske Visser | Tatuus/Alfa Romeo | 18 | 6.085s | |
| 15 | Miki Koyama | Tatuus/Alfa Romeo | 18 | 6.530s | |
| 16 | Esmee Hawkey | Tatuus/Alfa Romeo | 18 | 6.879s | |
| 17 | Vivien Keszthelyi | Tatuus/Alfa Romeo | 18 | 8.051s | |
| 18 | Fabienne Wohlwend | Tatuus/Alfa Romeo | 18 | 8.168s | |
| - | Gosia Rdest | Tatuus/Alfa Romeo | 13 | Retirement | |
| - | Shea Holbrook | Tatuus/Alfa Romeo | 8 | Retirement |
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