Jamie Chadwick wins the inaugural W Series  on Hankook race tyres

The W Series drew to a close this weekend with a thrilling finale at Brands Hatch. Fourth place for championship leader Jamie Chadwick in the sixth and final race of the inaugural 2019 season was sufficient for the British driver to be crowned champion in the only all-woman Formula series in the world. Chadwick was rewarded for her title win with a cheque for 500,000 dollars. The total prize money on offer amounted to 1.5 million dollars. The new racing format, in which only female drivers may race, was launched at the start of the year. Premium tyre maker Hankook supported the drivers with the Ventus Race tyre, which, with its high level of consistency and predictability, proved to be the ideal partner for the young drivers.

Brands Hatch/Great Britain, 12th August 2019 – 18 women from 13 different countries lined up in the inaugural season of the W Series in 2019. They had all come through a tough selection procedure with over 50 applicants. The calendar featured six races, all of which featured on the support programme for the DTM. Jamie Chadwick’s victory in the season-opener in Hockenheim showed that she would be the woman to beat. Beitske Visser emerged as her closest rival. The Dutch driver won one race and produced consistently strong performances to keep the title race alive until the finale at Brands Hatch. However, she was ultimately unable to stop Chadwick from claiming the title.

The 21-year-old lived up to her billing as pre-season favourite. Chadwick had previously become the first woman to win the British GT Championship and the MRF Challenge, and was also the first female driver to win a race in the British Formula 3 series. However, success in the W Series is the highlight of the Brit’s career so far. “Appearing in the W Series has been a great opportunity. This title means everything to me. It is a dream come true. This is the first time I have driven on the Hankook race tyres, and I was very impressed. You are consistently quick on them, always know how the tyre will react, and can adapt to them quickly. My engineers were also impressed. The Hankook race tyre really helped me on my way to the title,” said Chadwick, looking back on her successful season in the W Series.

The all-woman Formula series returns next year. The top twelve drivers in the overall standings are automatically eligible to start. The remaining eight places at the wheel of the 270-hp Formula 3 cars will be allocated after another selection process. Manfred Sandbichler, Hankook Motorsport Director Europe: “It was fun to watch the drivers throughout the season. They stood their ground in some fierce, wheel-to-wheel battles and put on some great displays of racing on our Hankook race tyres. The series developed well over the course of the season and produced great motorsport right down to the finale here at Brands Hatch.”

À propos d’Hankook Tire

Hankook Tire fabrique à l’échelle mondiale des pneumatiques radiaux premium et innovants – dont plusieurs ont été primés – destinés aux véhicules de tourisme, 4X4/SUV, utilitaires, poids lourds, autobus ainsi qu’aux véhicules de sports automobiles (courses sur circuit, circuits urbains, rallyes).

Afin d'offrir à ses clients une qualité optimale associée à l'excellence technologique et au confort de conduite, Hankook investit en permanence dans la recherche et le développement. L'entreprise élabore et produit des solutions de pneumatiques sur mesure, parfaitement adaptées aux exigences et aux demandes des marchés régionaux dans cinq centres de développement internationaux et huit grandes usines. En Europe, le développement des pneumatiques ainsi que la production des équipements de première monte sont effectués dans le Centre technique d'Hankook à Hanovre en Allemagne selon les critères des plus grands constructeurs automobiles européens. Les pneumatiques sont produits au sein de l'usine européenne ultra moderne de Rácalmás en Hongrie, qui a été inaugurée en 2007 et ne cesse d'être agrandie depuis.

Le siège européen du manufacturier de pneumatiques est situé à Neu-Isenburg, près de Francfort-sur-le-Main en Allemagne. Le manufacturier possède des filiales dans plusieurs pays européens et vend ses produits par l'intermédiaire de distributeurs régionaux sur d'autres marchés locaux. Hankook emploie environ 20 000 salariés dans le monde entier et commercialise ses produits dans plus de 160 pays. L’entreprise a été choisie comme partenaire technique et fournisseur exclusif de pneumatiques de la Génération 3 pour le championnat du monde de Formule E de la FIA ABB, à partir de 2023. Pour leurs équipements de première monte, les plus grands constructeurs automobiles font confiance aux pneumatiques fabriqués par Hankook. L'Europe représente environ 38 % du chiffre d'affaires global de l'entreprise.

Pour obtenir plus d’informations, veuillez consulter www.hankooktire-mediacenter.com ou www.hankooktire.com

Hankook Tire Europe GmbH | Marketing Communications Europe | Siemensstr. 14, 63263 Neu-Isenburg | Germany