2019 Brands Hatch Race

The 2019 Brands Hatch Race, otherwise known as the 2019 W Series Brands Hatch Race or the #WRace6, was the sixth round of the 2019 BRSCC W Series Championship, staged at Brands Hatch in West Kingsdown, Kent, UK, on 11 August 2019. The race, staged in support of the DTM Brands Hatch 2019 Round, would see Jamie Chadwick and Beitske Visser duel for the title.

Chadwick had the upper hand ahead of the race weekend, arriving at her home race with a thirteen point lead, and the knowledge that third or better would see her take the crown. Visser, meanwhile, was the only driver who could beat her, and would need to win the race with Chadwick finishing fourth or lower to claim it for herself. A variety of other scenarios would seal the title for either driver, although Visser had to finish on the podium regardless to beat Chadwick.

Qualifying would see Chadwick strike the first blow, streaking to pole position ahead of compatriots Alice Powell and Esmee Hawkey, her third of the season. Emma Kimiläinen was next up in fourth ahead of title pretender Visser, who would only claim fifth by virtue of setting her 1:23.210 lap time before Fabienne Wohlwend delivered a similar mark.

Chadwick duly aced her start to claim the lead ahead of Powell, while Hawkey stalled in third, resulting in the rest of the field having to squeeze around the stranded Brit. Kimiläinen and Visser were the first to squeeze past the Brit ahead of Miki Koyama, who jumped Wohlwend before being slapped with a penalty for being out of position on the grid, with Hawkey escaping without being collected.

The opening stages saw Chadwick establish a small lead at the head of the field, fending off early challenges from Powell, while Kimiläinen fended off Visser for third. The top four would soon pull away from fifth placed Wohlwend, while Sarah Bovy was shown a mechanical flag for running with a broken front wing.

With ten minutes gone Powell recommenced her attack for the lead, and duly squeezed past Chadwick at Paddock Hill Bend, knowing her young compatriot was thinking of the Championship. Kimiläinen, trailing in their wake, duly seized on the opportunity and dived past Chadwick for second at Druids, and would complete the move on the exit.

That left Chadwick in third ahead of her main title rival, although before the pair could get into a fight the race would be interrupted by a Safety Car. This was caused by Koyama spinning at Sheene Curve having already bounced through the gravel at Paddock Hill Bend, although the Japanese racer got going again.

The race resumed with a handful of minutes to go, with Powell leading Kimiläinen, Chadwick, Visser and Wohlwend away as the top five formed their own little ground. In the midst of their escape Chadwick ran wide at Westfield and allowed Visser to get a run, with the Dutchwoman dancing past the Brit at Dingle Dell despite having two wheels on the grass.

Yet, that would be as far as Visser got, and with Chadwick managing to repulse Wohlwend's advances in the final laps, the Championship was over. Indeed, with Powell sweeping across the line to claim victory ahead of Kimiläinen, Visser's title hopes were over, with third place not enough to overhaul Chadwick's points tally as the Brit finished fourth. Wohlwend was next up ahead of Vicky Piria and Jessica Hawkins, with Marta García, Sabré Cook and Sarah Moore securing the final points of the season.

Chadwick was duly declared as Champion by ten points from Visser, while Powell's victory moved her ahead of García to secure third. Elsewhere, seventh place for Hawkins moved her into the top twelve to claim the final automatic qualifying place for the 2020 Championship, with the final eight having to re-qualify for the W Series post-season.

Background
Jamie Chadwick had seen her Championship lead extend once again after her fifth straight podium finish, making her the favourite to claim the title ahead of the finale at Brands Hatch. The Brit would hold a thirteen point lead for the finale, and would hence win the title with a third place finish, regardless of what her closest challenger could do. Beitske Visser was now the only woman who could deny Chadwick the title, but would have to outscore the Brit by fourteen at the finale to do so.

Entry List
The full entry list for the is displayed below:

Results
The final qualifying result for the are outlined below:

Results
The final classification of the is displayed below:
 * Bold indicates a driver started from pole.
 * Italics indicate that a driver set fastest lap.

Milestones

 * Jamie Chadwick declared as the 2019 W Series Championship Champion.
 * Third pole position for Chadwick.
 * Alice Powell secured her maiden W Series victory.

Standings
Jamie Chadwick was declared as the 2019 W Series Championship Champion, ending the season with two wins and 110 points, and having finished on the podium in all bar one of the races. Beitske Visser claimed second with a single win on 100 points, while Alice Powell moved into third on the final day with 76. Marta García was next up in fourth ahead of Emma Kimiläinen, while Sabré Cook secured the last automatic qualifying spot for 2020 in twelfth. Only point scoring drivers are shown.