MEDIA RELEASE: Exciting teenage motor racing champion Jamie Chadwick will make the switch from GT endurance action to top line single-seater competition this year after today, Wednesday, 22nd February, being confirmed as the first BRDC British Formula 3 driver signing for reigning champions Double R Racing.
The 18-year-old, from near Tetbury in Gloucestershire, has already made a significant impact in her short career. Winning the Ginetta Junior Scholarship at just 14-years-of-age, Jamie went on to capture the 2015 British GT4 Championship title in her maiden season in GTs, sharing driving duties with Ross Gunn, in the Beechdean Aston Martin Racing V8 Vantage.
Making headlines as the youngest ever driver, aged 17 at the time, to win a title in British GT, Jamie also entered the record books as the first female competitor to win a championship in the UK’s top endurance racing category.
Last year, Jamie completed her A-levels while also running in selected rounds of British GT – firstly with Generation AMR and then with Beechdean where she co-drove in the Pro-Am category in GT4 with BBC ‘Great British Bake Off’ judge and celebrity baker Paul Hollywood. She also qualified for her Nurburgring-Nordschleife Race Permit, having contested three VLN rounds with Aston Martin.
Jamie, whose achievements have been acknowledged by the British Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC) which named her a ‘Rising Star’, is now preparing for the transition to single-seaters in Britain’s premier ‘open wheel’ formula.
“I’m absolutely delighted to be racing with Double R in British F3 this year”, she said, “Whilst there were options to pursue the GT route, there is no doubt about the value of a top level single-seater series to further develop my technical ability and credentials as a racing driver.
“It will be a fascinating learning curve and we have set out a two-year programme for me to establish myself and make my mark in the series. I’m also hoping to compete in a few GT events this year, but my main focus will be Formula 3. It’s a fantastic opportunity and I’d especially like to thank Tom Gaymor, Anthony Hieatt and everyone else who has assisted me with this decision.”
Jamie, who enjoyed a preliminary test in the British F3 car last year, was immediately impressed with the speed and grip and now embarks on a new chapter in her burgeoning career with 2016 BRDC British F3 champions Double R.
Team principal Anthony ‘Boyo’ Hieatt said: “We’re all absolutely elated to have signed a deal with Jamie for British F3 this year, she’s a fantastic talent, an extremely quick and professional driver, and has a very mature head on her young shoulders.
“Jamie’s achievements in British GT speak volumes and while the F3 car is an entirely different animal to the Aston Martin GT cars she has been racing the past couple of years, she’s adapted to the driving style very impressively. Last season was spectacular for Double R, winning the championship with Matheus Leist, and we’re hoping to make 2017 just as memorable.”
Jamie’s first ‘official’ appearance as a Double R driver will come during the pre-season BRDC British F3 Media Day at Snetterton on Tuesday, 28th March. The opening three rounds of the 24 race season will then take place over Easter weekend, 15th/16th/17th April, at Oulton Park in Cheshire.
2017 BRDC British F3 Championship Calendar
Rds 1/2/3 Oulton Park International, Cheshire – 15-17 April
Rds 4/5/6 Rockingham ISSC, Northamptonshire – 29/30 April
Rds 7/8/9 Snetterton 300, Norfolk – 27/28 May
Rds 10/11/12 Silverstone GP, Northamptonshire – 10/11 June
Rds 13/14/15 Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium – 7/8 July
Rds 16/17/18 Brands Hatch GP, Kent – 5/6 August
Rds 19/20/21 Snetterton 300, Norfolk – 26/27 August *
Rds 22/23/24 Donington Park GP, Leicestershire – 23/24 September
