Fabienne: Now it's still about a lot of prize money 🎥
DIFFICULT ASSEN WEEKEND Fabienne Wohlwend suffered her first setback on the fifth race weekend of the W Series in Assen. In the best-case scenario, she could still finish third overall. Several tens of thousands of dollars are at stake. Fabienne Wohlwend's pace at the TT Circuit in Assen was good right from the start. In qualifying, the 21-year-old from Liechtenstein was [...]
Fabienne Wohlwend's pace at the TT Circuit in Assen was good right from the start. In qualifying, the 21-year-old from Schellenberg in Liechtenstein was in third position for a long time before she damaged a flap on her front wing and, unlike her fastest colleagues, was unable to improve further.
Another time-consuming loss
Wohlwend therefore started the penultimate DTM championship race from seventh on the grid. Apart from Marta Garcia, who started directly behind her and had won the previous race at the Norisring, all her rivals for the big prize money started ahead of her.
Unfortunately, the only German-speaking participant in the field of 18 drivers also damaged her Tatuus F3 racing car during the race.
Fabienne Wohlwend: "Fortunately, I wasn't involved in the crash at the start and was initially able to hold my position. After the safety car phase, my pace was very good and I was a lot faster than the driver in front of me. When I tried to overtake, I drove too hard over the outer kerb and damaged my front wing in the process."
After a short repair stop in the pits, the fastest woman from the Ländle was able to show her speed with the third-fastest race lap. But more than 15th place was not possible.
The fourth winner in the fifth race was Emma Kimilainemn from Finland. She relegated Great Britain's Alice Powell and Jamie Chadwick to second place. Local hero Beitske Visser finished fourth in Chadwick's winter shadow.
The highlights of the race are shown in the following video:
Excitement in the championship
Chadwick leads the championship with 98 points ahead of Visser (85) and Garcia (62). With 41 points, Wohlwend is in fifth place before the final race on August 11 in Brands Hatch, behind Powell (51) and ahead of Kimilainen (35). With 25 points still possible, she could theoretically still finish third overall, but in the worst-case scenario she could slip down to tenth place.
In contrast to many men's racing series, this would not just be a statistical flaw, as there is also a lot of prize money at stake. Third place in the championship receives 125,000 $, fourth 100,000 $, after which each position down to 11th place is worth 10,000 $ less.
The good thing is that the twelve best are automatically qualified for the W Series 2020, so Fabienne Wohlwend is already guaranteed a starting place next year.
The title will be decided between Jamie Chadwick and Beitske Visser. Marta Garcia can at best finish second. The champion will receive half a million US dollars, while the runner-up will still receive half that amount.
Successful experiment
On Sunday morning, the 20 women in Assen were allowed to compete in a race without scoring points. The starting grid was based on the standings and therefore offered the best conditions for another entertaining car race.
Anyone who thought that the polesitter was pure cannon fodder for her pursuers as the championship leader was mistaken. Canadian Megan Gilkes, the youngest in the field at 18, fended off all attacks even after two safety car phases. The youngster celebrated an unexpected victory after holding Alice Powell, who had started from 17th on the grid, at bay by three thousandths of a second in a tough duel.
Lots of positives in the disappointment
Fabienne Wohlwend started in sixteenth place and experienced some tough but enjoyable duels. She set the fastest race lap several times.
After a restart, the Ferrari world champion from the Zurich-based Octane126 team was in eleventh place before she hit the rear of an opponent and spun around. She was unable to make up any more places in the remaining two minutes, finishing 18th and last of the 20 starters.
Fabienne Wohlwend: "It was a disappointing weekend in terms of placings and points. The positives were my great pace, the fantastic duels and the racing experience I gained. I may have lost a position in the championship, but I can still finish third, which is my clear goal. That's why I'm already focusing on the big season finale in England."
