- W Series recognised for special contribution to motoring
- Championship winner, Jamie Chadwick, voted Driver of the Year
- Guild of Motoring Writers celebrated 75th anniversary at RAC, in London
W Series has been recognised by the UK’s Guild of Motoring Writers for its special contribution to motoring, at the 75th annual dinner and awards at the RAC in London’s Pall Mall.
At the same ceremony, 2019 W Series champion, Jamie Chadwick, was voted Driver of the Year. She joins an illustrious list of winners including Formula 1 World Champions of the past, Sir Jackie Stewart and Nigel Mansell CBE; current Formula 1 World Champion, Lewis Hamilton MBE; and young up-and-coming Formula 1 drivers Lando Norris and George Russell.
In receiving the award, W Series CEO, Catherine Bond Muir, said: “We’ve had an incredible debut season, and we’re honoured to have recognition from so many different quarters. Encouraging more women into motorsport is just a part of a better sporting world that we’re all striving for, where gender balance is the norm rather than a mission.”
Previous winners of the award include the former land speed record holder, Richard Noble OBE, the new car safety organisation, NCAP, and independent automotive research centre, Thatcham.
Jamie Chadwick, the Guild’s new Driver of the Year, said: “This is an incredible honour and the icing on the best year of my racing career so far. To be mentioned in the same breath as many of my own sporting heroes is amazing, and one day I hope to be able to inspire a new generation of boys and girls in exactly the same way.”
The Guild of Motoring Writers was founded 75 years ago and, with more than 400 members, is the largest and most prestigious organisation of automotive editorial professionals in the world. Chairman Richard Aucock said: “There was a very strong shortlist of exceptional contenders this year, but W Series stood out for its disruptive approach and strong mission-led vision in what is traditionally a male-dominated sport. If any of us had any doubts about its success, we only had to look as far as Jamie Chadwick, the first W Series champion, and a Williams Formula 1 development driver, and our Driver of the Year, for proof of what can happen in a single year. Massive congratulations to them both.”