Beitske Visser has won four of the six races so farImage caption: Beitske Visser has won four of the six races so far
Beitske Visser continued her domination of the W Series
Esports League with another pair of wins at the virtual Circuit of the Americas,
repeating her pair of bookend wins of the first week and becoming the first
racer to reach 100 points in the series.
Visser also came from last to sixth in a collision-strewn start
to the reverse pole race in another good day at the office, where Finland’s
Emma Kimilainen repeated her round one result with a win. Visser’s 51 points
over the three races gave her a 14-point cushion over second-placed Irina
Sidorkova, again the second-highest scorer on the day.
“Circuit of the Americas is fast and flowing - if you make a
mistake in one corner you mess up quite a few corners afterwards, so you need
to be in a good flow,” said Vissser afterwards. “Brands Hatch is a shorter
track, so I expect everyone to be closer.”
With Britain’s Jamie Chadwick on her way to Italy, Alice
Powell took up the baton for GB, scoring 39 points to come from 10th to third
in the table. Nerea Marti is in fourth, with Caitlin Wood showing greater
consistency to score 36 points and rank fifth overall.
“I’ve no idea why I’ve improved since Monza,” said Powell.
“I did the same amount of practice. Someone needs to stop Beitske and hopefully
I can do that at Brands Hatch."
After securing pole for the opening race, Visser briefly
lost the lead to the second-row pairing of Marta Garcia and Marti, but had it
back at the midpoint. In the final race, she led from the start, with a
three-way battle for second between Marti, Wood and Sidorkova allowing her to
extend her lead.
Current W Series standings
After two rounds
Beitske Visser (Ned) 100 pts
Irina
Sidorkova (Rus) 86
Alice
Powell (GB) 58
Nerea Marti (Spa) 57
Caitlin Wood (Aus) 56
Marta Garcia (Spa) 52
Emma Kimilainen (Fin) 52
Tasmin Pepper (SA) 48
Gosia Rdest (Pol) 44
Jessica Hawkins (GB) 38
Selected others: 13. Sarah Moore (GB) 29, 15. Abbie Eaton (GB) 19, 16. Jamie Chadwick (GB) 18.
Chadwick may not defend W Series title
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
Jamie Chadwick won the W-Series last seasonImage caption: Jamie Chadwick won the W-Series last season
Britain’s reigning W Series champion Jamie Chadwick may not
defend her title when the championship starts again next year after she secured
a seat in the Regional Formula 3 Championship.
Chadwick, 22, announced that she will be taking on men’s
racers and joining Italian team Prema, where she will be team-mates with Arthur
Leclerc, younger brother of Ferrari F1 driver Charles, and F2 star Mick
Schumacher, the younger son of former F1 world champion Michael Schumacher.
This season’s W Series was cancelled due to coronavirus but
Chadwick has now secured funding from Australian entrepreneur David Dicker and
is already testing in Italy, where she will stay until Britain relaxes its
quarantine laws to allow a speedy return.
Chadwick, who is unlikely to return to the W Series Esports
League after racing in the opening event, is looking to add to the 10 points
she already has towards the the 40 she needs for a superlicence that would qualify
her to become the first female F1 driver since Lella Lombardi for almost 50
years.
“A team like Prema, it’s an amazing opportunity,” Chadwick
told Reuters. “I have to credit W Series because without them I wouldn’t have
got to this level in my career and get noticed. I’m so grateful for the leg up
they’ve given me.”
What is the W Series Esports League and how does it work?
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
With the 2020 W Series postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic, the W Series Esports League has been launched to fill the void until an expanded 2021 on-track calendar is started.
The Esports League is a 10-round series, taking place every Thursday from 11 June. Similarly to the on-track version it is women-only racing but this time via simulation.
All 18 drivers that qualified for the on-track W Series are expected to take part alongside some previous W Series drivers.
How will it work?
Each round will feature three races:
Race 1: 15 mins
Race 2 (reverse grid): 15 mins
Race 3: 20 mins
The starting grid for the reverse-grid race will be determined by the finishing positions from race one. To promote close, fair competition and an authentic ‘League’ feel, points for each race will be awarded as follows:
Race 1: 20-17-15-13-11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 (1st – 15th) & one point for fastest lap
Race 2: 20-17-15-13-11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 (1st – 15th) & one point for fastest lap
Race 3: 20-17-15-13-11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 (1st – 15th) & one point for fastest lap
At the end of the W Series Esports League season, the driver who has scored the most points will be declared the winner of the W Series Esports League.
Who is competing in the W Series Esports League?
Great Britain's Jamie Chadwick, who won the 2019 W Series Championship, is set to be taking part alongside the 17 other drivers that were due to race in the on-track 2020 Championships.
They will be joined by some specially invited guests to form a larger field with drivers from across the world taking part in the 10-round series.
Alongside Chadwick, as Great Britain representatives, are Alice Powell (third in the 2019 standings) Sarah Moore (eighth in 2019), Jessica Hawkins (11th in 2019) and Abbie Eaton.
Live Reporting
All times stated are UK
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images Beitske Visser has won four of the six races so farImage caption: Beitske Visser has won four of the six races so far -
Beitske Visser (Ned) 100 pts
-
Irina
Sidorkova (Rus) 86
-
Alice
Powell (GB) 58
-
Nerea Marti (Spa) 57
-
Caitlin Wood (Aus) 56
-
Marta Garcia (Spa) 52
-
Emma Kimilainen (Fin) 52
-
Tasmin Pepper (SA) 48
-
Gosia Rdest (Pol) 44
-
Jessica Hawkins (GB) 38
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images Jamie Chadwick won the W-Series last seasonImage caption: Jamie Chadwick won the W-Series last season 
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images - Race 1: 15 mins
- Race 2 (reverse grid): 15 mins
- Race 3: 20 mins
- Race 1: 20-17-15-13-11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 (1st – 15th) & one point for fastest lap
- Race 2: 20-17-15-13-11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 (1st – 15th) & one point for fastest lap
- Race 3: 20-17-15-13-11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 (1st – 15th) & one point for fastest lap
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images 
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
Latest PostWeek 2: Two more wins for Visser
Beitske Visser continued her domination of the W Series Esports League with another pair of wins at the virtual Circuit of the Americas, repeating her pair of bookend wins of the first week and becoming the first racer to reach 100 points in the series.
Visser also came from last to sixth in a collision-strewn start to the reverse pole race in another good day at the office, where Finland’s Emma Kimilainen repeated her round one result with a win. Visser’s 51 points over the three races gave her a 14-point cushion over second-placed Irina Sidorkova, again the second-highest scorer on the day.
“Circuit of the Americas is fast and flowing - if you make a mistake in one corner you mess up quite a few corners afterwards, so you need to be in a good flow,” said Vissser afterwards. “Brands Hatch is a shorter track, so I expect everyone to be closer.”
With Britain’s Jamie Chadwick on her way to Italy, Alice Powell took up the baton for GB, scoring 39 points to come from 10th to third in the table. Nerea Marti is in fourth, with Caitlin Wood showing greater consistency to score 36 points and rank fifth overall.
“I’ve no idea why I’ve improved since Monza,” said Powell. “I did the same amount of practice. Someone needs to stop Beitske and hopefully I can do that at Brands Hatch."
After securing pole for the opening race, Visser briefly lost the lead to the second-row pairing of Marta Garcia and Marti, but had it back at the midpoint. In the final race, she led from the start, with a three-way battle for second between Marti, Wood and Sidorkova allowing her to extend her lead.
Current W Series standings
After two rounds
Selected others: 13. Sarah Moore (GB) 29, 15. Abbie Eaton (GB) 19, 16. Jamie Chadwick (GB) 18.
Chadwick may not defend W Series title
Britain’s reigning W Series champion Jamie Chadwick may not defend her title when the championship starts again next year after she secured a seat in the Regional Formula 3 Championship.
Chadwick, 22, announced that she will be taking on men’s racers and joining Italian team Prema, where she will be team-mates with Arthur Leclerc, younger brother of Ferrari F1 driver Charles, and F2 star Mick Schumacher, the younger son of former F1 world champion Michael Schumacher.
This season’s W Series was cancelled due to coronavirus but Chadwick has now secured funding from Australian entrepreneur David Dicker and is already testing in Italy, where she will stay until Britain relaxes its quarantine laws to allow a speedy return.
Chadwick, who is unlikely to return to the W Series Esports League after racing in the opening event, is looking to add to the 10 points she already has towards the the 40 she needs for a superlicence that would qualify her to become the first female F1 driver since Lella Lombardi for almost 50 years.
“A team like Prema, it’s an amazing opportunity,” Chadwick told Reuters. “I have to credit W Series because without them I wouldn’t have got to this level in my career and get noticed. I’m so grateful for the leg up they’ve given me.”
What is the W Series Esports League and how does it work?
With the 2020 W Series postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic, the W Series Esports League has been launched to fill the void until an expanded 2021 on-track calendar is started.
The Esports League is a 10-round series, taking place every Thursday from 11 June. Similarly to the on-track version it is women-only racing but this time via simulation.
All 18 drivers that qualified for the on-track W Series are expected to take part alongside some previous W Series drivers.
How will it work?
Each round will feature three races:
The starting grid for the reverse-grid race will be determined by the finishing positions from race one. To promote close, fair competition and an authentic ‘League’ feel, points for each race will be awarded as follows:
At the end of the W Series Esports League season, the driver who has scored the most points will be declared the winner of the W Series Esports League.
Who is competing in the W Series Esports League?
Great Britain's Jamie Chadwick, who won the 2019 W Series Championship, is set to be taking part alongside the 17 other drivers that were due to race in the on-track 2020 Championships.
They will be joined by some specially invited guests to form a larger field with drivers from across the world taking part in the 10-round series.
Alongside Chadwick, as Great Britain representatives, are Alice Powell (third in the 2019 standings) Sarah Moore (eighth in 2019), Jessica Hawkins (11th in 2019) and Abbie Eaton.
The full list of drivers:
Ayla Agren (Norway), Jamie Chadwick, Alice Powell, Sarah Moore, Jessica Hawkins, Abbie Eaton (all GB), Sabre Cook (USA), Belen Garcia, Marta Garcia, Nerea Marti (all Spain), Emma Kimilainen (Finland), Miki Koyama (Japan), Tasmin Pepper (South Africa), Vicky Piria (Italy), Gosia Rdest (Poland), Naomi Schiff (Rwanda), Irina Sidorkova (Russia), Bruna Tomaselli (Brazil), Beitske Visser (Netherlands), Fabienne Wohlwend (Liechtenstein), Caitlin Wood (Australia).
How can I watch the W Series Esports League?
All times are subject to change
BBC Sport will have live coverage from all 10 rounds in the W Series Esports League.
Coverage will be available live on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app and available to catch up for 30 days.
Full coverage details:
Round three, Brands Hatch - Thursday 25 June, 19:00-20:30
Round four, Interlagos - Thursday 2 July, 19:00-20:30
Round five, Spa-Francorchamps - Thursday 9 July, 19:00-20:30
Round six, Watkins Glen - Thursday 16 July, 19:00-20:30
Round seven, Suzuka - Thursday 23 July, 19:00-20:30
Round eight, Mount Panorama - Thursday 30 July, 19:00-20:30
Round nine, Nurburing - Thursday 6 August, 19:00-20:30
Round 10, Silverstone - Thursday 13 August, 19:00-20:30