PSCGB: Aimee Watts completes season with hat-trick of top-5 finishes at Brands Hatch
Securing three top-5 finishes in the RS Am class, including a best result of fourth, Aimee Watts completed a positive season in Porsche Sprint Challenge Great Britain with a consistent final round at Brands Hatch.
Securing three top-5 finishes in the RS Am class, including a best result of fourth, Aimee Watts completed a positive season in Porsche Sprint Challenge Great Britain with a consistent final round at Brands Hatch.
Arriving at the final round of the Porsche Sprint Challenge Great Britain season at Brands Hatch, Watts was looking to end her campaign on a high. The Clean Racing driver has consistently shown front-running pace in the RS Am class with misfortune preventing Watts from achieving even stronger results.
With five podium finishes to her name, including one runner-up result, Watts targeting a return to the rostrum while she sat within striking distance of Reece Somerfield for fourth in the RS Am class championship standings.
On-track action began on Friday as the drivers participated in two crucial free practice sessions. The first session was held in wet conditions with Watts showing impressive pace amongst her more experienced RS Pro competitors. Ending the session in eighth position overall, Aimee set the third fastest time within the RS Am class, while the Clean Racing driver was within half a second of an overall top-5 position.
Dry conditions returned for the afternoon session with Watts continuing her strong start to the weekend. Her quickest time of a 1:31.563 placed Watts in fourth position within the RS Am class while the lap times among the midfield competitors remained extremely close.
Qualifying took place on Saturday morning with dry conditions remaining at Brands Hatch. It was a session of improvement for Watts who set a number of consistent lap times while closing the gap to the RS Am class pacesetters. At the halfway stage, the Clean Racing driver sat in 13th position overall, fifth in the RS Am class, with a time of a 1:31.257. Improving by three-quarters of a second on her second set of tyres, Watts displayed excellent progression to set a fastest lap of a 1:30.520 which saw her qualify in 14th position overall, fifth in class.
Race one of the weekend was held on Saturday afternoon and with the grid positions based upon the results from qualifying, Watts lined up from fifth in the RS Am class. It was a challenging start for Watts as she immediately lost out to class rival Matthew Briers, while she remained in 14th position overall after RS Pro class driver Chris Bingham went through the gravel at Paddock Hill Bend.
On lap two, Watts was less than half a second behind Briers and with the RS Am class drivers fighting for a podium position just ahead, the Clean Racing driver remained in contention for a spot on the rostrum. After getting a superb exit out of Clearways on lap three, Watts drew level with Briers before completing the pass on lap four. Now back inside the top-5 within the RS Am class, Watts was showing extremely competitive pace.
On lap five, Watts was faster than both Dean Burden and Lydia Walmsley who were battling for position ahead. After Burden cleared Walmsley, Watts set a new personal best time of a 1:31.313 on lap eight as she quickly caught her Clean Racing teammate. On the following lap, Watts was faster than the next three drivers as she was gaining confidence as race one progressed.
On two occasions Watts crossed the line just a tenth of a second behind Walmsley as she looked to force the RS Pro class driver into a mistake. Despite just running out of time to make a move, it was a highly encouraging race for Watts who took the chequered flag in 13th position overall, fifth in the RS Am class.
The second race at Brands Hatch took place later on Saturday afternoon and with the grid positions based upon the second fastest times from qualifying, Watts lined up from 14th position overall, fifth in the RS Am class. It was a better start this time around for the Clean Racing driver who maintained a top-5 class position at the end of lap one, while she overtook Walmsley for 13th spot overall.
On lap two, Watts was just a quarter of a second ahead of Walmsley as the teammates resumed their close battle from the opening contest. The race was then neutralised on lap three after contact between Ethan Hammerton and Samuel Harvey saw Harvey hit the barriers on the entry to Surtees.
The safety car period was extensive due to the complex recovery required, while the barriers were also checked for damage. The race resumed with just a single lap remaining and the positions in the midfield remained closely contested. Watts slipped behind teammate Walmsley on the restart, however she took the chequered flag in fifth position within the RS Am class to bank another solid haul of championship points.
The final race of the season took place on Sunday afternoon and the grid positions were based upon the results from race two. Therefore, Watts lined up from 13th on the overall grid, fifth in the RS Pro class. It was a solid start for the Clean Racing driver who held her position on lap one and settled into a good early race rhythm.
In his attempt to catch Watts, Matthew Briers spun out of Druids on lap two and this relieved some immediate pressure on the Clean Racing driver. Watts could therefore focus forward on chasing Reece Somerfield while Aimee remained in contention for a podium position within the RS Am class.
Her improved pace in the early stages of the race saw the margin behind grow to five seconds at the conclusion of lap four. After setting a personal best time of a 1:31.336 on lap six, Watts continued to apply pressure to the Breakell Racing driver ahead. Despite missing out on a class podium in the first two races, Watts was showing increased confidence and on lap 10, she found significant time through the first sector.
Setting a time on par with those inside the overall top-5, Watts was also the fastest RS Am class driver on track during this lap as she targeted a late-race charge. By the penultimate lap of the contest, Watts had cut the margin to Somerfield to just half a second with the pressure on her more experienced rival paying off. Somerfield was subsequently issued a five-second penalty for exceeding track limits which saw Watts run in a net fourth position.
Maintaining this margin to Somerfield right to the chequered flag, Watts crossed the line in 13th position overall, fifth in the RS Am class. With Somerfield’s penalty applied, Watts was promoted to 12th position overall, fourth in class, to secure her best result of the weekend.
Watts showed excellent speed and racecraft throughout the season which saw her claim fifth position in the RS Am class championship standings. Securing five podium finishes, including a second-place result, Watts established herself as consistent frontrunner while continuing to learn her craft in one of the country’s most competitive one-make championships.
