Spa W Series: Chadwick tops practice from Wohlwend
W Series championship leader Jamie Chadwick topped practice at Spa-Francorchamps, leading the field by a tenth to take the top spot for the second consecutive round.
The reigning champion, driving for Veloce Racing, set a 2m31.966s during a damp session, having opted to stay in the pits for several laps while the track dried out.
Chadwick, who has won two of the four races so far this season, enters the fifth round just one point ahead of title rival Alice Powell, who finished the session in 17th for Racing X.
Fabienne Wohlwend (Bunker Racing) came in second, having retired last time out at the Hungaroring, while Sarah Moore, currently fourth in the standings, claimed third in the sole practice session.
Racing X’s Jessica Hawkins finished fourth, 1.5s behind Chadwick, followed by Emma Kimilainen, driving for Ecurie W, in fifth.
W Series Academy driver Irina Sidorkova has been forced to miss this round after testing positive for COVID-19 during pre-event PCR testing, and was replaced by reserve driver Gosia Rdest, who finished in 16th.
Bruna Tomaselli (Veloce Racing) spun and almost hit the wall while attempting a flying lap 10 minutes into the session, but managed to control the car in the runoff area and continue.
Kimilainen had set the quickest lap with 20 minutes remaining, with a 2m39.417s, before she was quickly pipped to the top spot by Powell, who went half-a-tenth quicker.
By the halfway mark, Hawkins led the field with a 2m34.627s, making her the only one to break the 2m34s barrier so far in the session, before Moore (Scuderia W) went four-hundredths quicker.
There was another yellow flag in sector two with just under 10 minutes to go after Kimilainen lost the rear and spun, seconds before Chadwick almost did the same.
With five minutes left, both Wohlwend and Sabre Cook had set a 1-2 for Bunker Racing, with Wohlwend leading on a 2m32.573s.
Having found the grip on track, Chadwick then took the top spot, with Hawkins going three-tenths quicker on her personal best to move up to fourth as the racing line dried up following the earlier showers.
Tomaselli was briefly stranded on track at the end of the session, but managed to make it back into the pits.
Results
| Cla | Drivers | Laps | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Jamie Chadwick | 9 | 2'31.966 | |
| 2 |  Fabienne Wohlwend | 11 | 2'32.077 | 0.111 |
| 3 | Sarah Moore | 12 | 2'33.423 | 1.457 |
| 4 | Jessica Hawkins | 12 | 2'33.489 | 1.523 |
| 5 |  Emma Kimilainen | 12 | 2'33.495 | 1.529 |
| 6 |  Sabre Cook | 12 | 2'33.694 | 1.728 |
| 7 | Nerea Martí | 12 | 2'33.984 | 2.018 |
| 8 |  Marta Garcia | 11 | 2'34.238 | 2.272 |
| 9 | Belén García | 12 | 2'34.414 | 2.448 |
| 10 | Abbie Eaton | 11 | 2'34.469 | 2.503 |
| 11 |  Beitske Visser | 12 | 2'34.742 | 2.776 |
| 12 |  Bruna Tomaselli | 10 | 2'34.820 | 2.854 |
| 13 |  Caitlin Wood | 11 | 2'34.903 | 2.937 |
| 14 |  Vicky Piria | 11 | 2'34.943 | 2.977 |
| 15 |  Ayla Agren | 12 | 2'35.277 | 3.311 |
| 16 |  Gosia Rdest | 12 | 2'35.299 | 3.333 |
| 17 | Alice Powell | 11 | 2'35.710 | 3.744 |
| 18 |  Miki Koyama | 11 | 2'38.370 | 6.404 |
| View full results | ||||
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