Jamie Chadwick Series Finale: Purcocks and Jeffs Shine as 2024 Champions are Crowned
The curtain fell on the Jamie Chadwick Series on the evening of Saturday 14th December at Daytona Milton Keynes. The female-only series, in its eighth and final round of its inaugural season, has been full of twists and turns throughout. With three-time W-Series champion Jamie Chadwick in attendance, the stakes—and excitement—were sky-high.
The results of two championships were to be decided on the day –4-stroke (50mph karts) and 2-stroke DMAX (70mph karts) categories. Drop rounds would come into play – meaning the drivers could drop their worst two rounds and take their final score from their best six.
The format for the event is straightforward – the girls compete in two equally-weighted races, and they score points based on their final position in each.
In the 4-stroke category, Lily Jeffs had already sealed her championship crown before the final round. The 18-year-old Warwickshire starlet has been imperious throughout the series, winning six out of seven of the previous outings.
Second place had also already been mathematically decided, with 36-year-old Russian national Alyona Nikolaeva certain to finish runner-up – despite not being in attendance for the final round. The battle for third - the final step on the podium - was the big talking point in this category, with Ella Wroe, Amelia Charlesworth, Keira Harris, Chloe McNally, Lucie Shuckford, Emma Rabbage, Zoe Liang and Skye Batley all in contention.
In the DMAX class, we were to witness a full-fledged final showdown for the championship title between Rhianna Purcocks and Amelia Wolf. 18-year-old Wolf started the championship with gusto, winning the first two rounds accruing maximum points, becoming the early title favourite. 27-year old Purcocks grew into the championship as it progressed, winning Rounds 3, 6 and 7. Amelia had a round to forget in R7, which, luckily, she could discard as a drop round, potentially giving Purcocks the mental advantage going into the final.
There was also set to be a crucial battle for the third championship position, with Hope Wood, Julia Stankowiak and Abi Sanders all in contention. Wood had a superb round four, finishing in first place at Daytona Sandown Park, and Abi Sanders won Round 5. Sanders, a former SODI World Series Champion, had an agonising Round 3, after winning both races on her home track in Tamworth, but was disqualified after being 1kg underweight. That mistake proved to be costly – she’d likely have been in for a shot for the title otherwise.
The action as it unfolded…
In the first 4-stroke race we witnessed another Lily Jeffs masterclass, as she charged to victory three seconds ahead of Keira Boylan. Ella Wroe finished in third place, in a crucial result for her podium aspirations. Lilia Scatchard, a young driver with serious ambitions in motorsport, finished in fourth place. Scatchard burst onto the scene when she won Round 3 at Tamworth, remarkably setting a lap record in the process. Keira Harris finished the race in sixth, keeping her podium hopes alive but leaving her with a mountain to climb into the final race. Amelia Charlesworth’s bid for third place suffered a fatal blow after an early incident relegated her from sixth to 16th.
The first DMAX race delivered everything spectators could hope for. Purcocks and Wolf went wheel-to-wheel in an intense battle that showcased their skill and determination. Purcocks crossed the line just 0.7 seconds ahead, but controversy soon followed. Footage from Wolf’s on-board camera revealed aggressive defending from Purcocks, forcing Wolf onto the grass to avoid a collision. Race officials upheld Wolf’s appeal, relegating Purcocks to second and handing Wolf a crucial advantage going into the final race, where she would now start at the front of the pack.
Hope Wood finished the first race in third place to put her in strong contention for the final podium step at the end of the day. Abi Sanders had a solid race, setting the fastest lap and finishing in fourth. She would need to win the final race and pray for a poor Hope Wood result.
Further down the pack, there was a brilliant tussle between Kristine Kolodziejski, Molly Winfield & Keira Harris, with a photo finish between the three drivers finishing in sixth, seventh & eighth positions. Julia Stankowiak finished ahead of the trio in fifth.
The final 4-stroke race of the series took place straight after the DMAX race had concluded, with Lily Jeffs starting on pole position – which is exactly where she stayed for the entirety of the fifteen-minute race, adding a seventh round victory of the season, to cap off her championship in style. Ella Wroe was embroiled in a superb battle with Keira Boylan and Keira Harris throughout the race but held her nerve to get the better of them both, finishing in second. A fantastic result for Wroe, who secured the final step on the championship podium.
Chloe McNally had a strong race to finish in fifth ahead of Zoe Liang and Emily Lloyd in sixth and seventh place respectively.
The final DMAX race did not feature the same amount of drama as the first race – in truth, it was a one-driver spectacle. Rhianna Purcocks overtook Amelia Wolf on the first lap, and never looked back, as she had a perfect solo race, creating distance lap-after-lap, finishing 15 seconds ahead of Wolf to seal the championship title, whilst setting the fastest lap of the day (1:07.04).
Amelia Wolf finished one-second ahead of Hope Wood to secure her runner-up championship status. A remarkable achievement for Wolf, in her debut competitive season at Daytona.
Wood was embroiled in a fantastic battle with Julia Stankowiak, finishing fractionally ahead of her to finish the race and season in third place. Elsewhere on the grid, Kristine Kolodziejski, Keira Harris and Molly Winfield kept each other company for the entirety of the race, battling it out with one another to finish in fifth, sixth and seventh respectively. There was agony for Abi Sanders, as she spun out exiting turn nine, whilst trying to put pressure on third-placed Hope Wood, to finish in eighth place.
Final championship standings:
4-Stroke
1st – Lily Jeffs
2nd – Alyona Nikolaeva
3rd – Ella Wroe
DMAX
1st – Rhianna Purcocks
2nd – Amelia Wolf
3rd – Hope Wood
