PSCGB: Top-5 finish for Aimee Watts at Knockhill
- LIAM REDFORD
- Aug 19
- 6 min read
Aimee Watts returned to the top-5 of the RS Am class in Porsche Sprint Challenge Great Britain as she enjoyed a strong weekend at Knockhill, contending for podium finishes across the event and securing a best finish of fourth in race two.
Aimee Watts returned to the top-5 of the RS Am class in Porsche Sprint Challenge Great Britain as she enjoyed a strong weekend at Knockhill. Driving for Clean Racing, Watts contended for podium finishes across the event and secured a best finish of fourth in race two. In the final race of the weekend, Watts was involved in a superb battle with Reece Somerfield for the final spot on the podium, before a late-race spin saw Watts take the chequered flag in sixth position.
Arriving at Knockhill after a positive first half to the season, Watts was looking to consistently challenge for top-5 positions within the RS Am class. The Clean Racing driver had achieved a best result of third prior to the weekend with her maiden podium finish coming in race three on the Brands Hatch Indy circuit. It was an unfortunate last round of the season for Watts who did a superb job in changeable conditions in race one, before a technical issue forced her to retire from the second contest.
However, she was keen to bounce back at Knockhill, a circuit which she had limited experience of due to its absence on recent calendars of the BRSCC Mazda MX-5 Supercup Championship. Knockhill was set to pose a unique challenge with a short lap and significant elevation changes providing a stern test for both the driver and car.
Prior to the weekend getting underway, the Porsche Sprint Challenge Great Britain drivers participated in an extra day of testing on Wednesday. It was an extremely successful day for Aimee who banked vital experience while working together with her Clean Racing teammates.
On Friday, Watts returned to Knockhill to take part in two further test sessions ahead of qualifying on Saturday morning. Across the day, Aimee completed 55 laps with her best time of a 51.739 placing her in fifth position within the RS Am class.
Qualifying took place on Saturday morning and Watts was aiming for further improvements in the thirty-minute session. Watts was comfortably inside the top-5 during the early portion of the session, before a red flag led to an interruption.
The session resumed with 17 minutes left on the clock and the Clean Racing driver took another step forward. Setting a quickest time of a 51.157, Watts had improved by over half a second from her fastest lap on Friday. As a result, she qualified in fifth position within the RS Am class and less than a tenth of a second away from third-place driver Reece Somerfield.
The first race of the weekend took place on Saturday afternoon with Watts lining up from fifth within the RS Am class. Aimee lost out to Karim Sekkat off the line, however she ended the first lap just a tenth of a second behind her rival. In the early stages of the contest, the fight for the podium positions was intense and even by lap four, just two seconds covered second through sixth in the RS Am division.
In third position, Daniel Lewis received a ten-second penalty for a false start and therefore an opportunity arose to move forward. After briefly dropping back from the rear of Sekkat, Watts set a new personal best time on lap seven and she was now quicker than the next five drivers. She followed this up with another impressive time and Aimee was now the fastest driver on track within the RS Am class.
Overtaking was proving challenging for all the drivers and by lap 11, a new opportunity arose as the drivers negotiated the first of the slower CS class machines. In her attempt to find a way past Sekkat, Watts picked up a five-second time penalty for exceeding track limits and after another transgression, this penalty was increased to ten-seconds. Nonetheless, Watts continued to push in the closing stages and on lap 19, she was once again just a tenth of a second behind Sekkat.
Despite the twenty-minute race now reaching its conclusion, less than two seconds still separated second through sixth to underline the competitive nature of the RS Am class. As the final lap got underway, Aimee’s pressure paid off as she drew level with Sekkat before completing the move into turn one. Watts took the chequered flag in fifth position within class, before being classified in sixth once her track limits penalty was applied.
Race two of the weekend took place on Sunday morning with Watts again lining up from fifth on the grid. The Clean Racing driver got a good start and held fifth position through the opening lap with the battles in the RS Am class remaining extremely close. In the early stages of the race, Aimee was displaying excellent speed and after applying pressure to Dean Burden ahead, she passed the LFP Motorsport driver at the hairpin.
Watts was now up to fourth position within the RS Am class and attempting to build a gap to Karim Sekkat behind with the Moroccan driver having also found a way past Burden. By lap six, Aimee was just a tenth of a second away from a place on the podium as she continued to look for a way ahead of Daniel Lewis. As the drivers continued to fight for position on lap eight, Sekkat looked to the inside at the hairpin and after easing Watts off the road on the exit of the corner, Aimee fell back to sixth.
Nonetheless, Sekkat was given a ten second penalty for a false start and therefore Watts would benefit if she could remain close behind the Breakell Racing driver. Burden was then issued with a five-second penalty for exceeding track limits and although Watts was sixth on track, she was still realistically in contention for a podium finish within the RS Am class.
As the race passed half distance, Watts herself received a five-second penalty for track limits infringements as she pushed on in pursuit of a top-5 result. On laps 15 and 16, personal best times allowed Aimee to close back in on the group ahead and on both occasions she was the second fastest driver in the RS Am class. The fight for the podium remained intense as the drivers ran nose-to-tail and looked to force a mistake from one another.
On lap 23, a fantastic exit onto the Brabham straight saw Watts draw level with Burden as the drivers entered Clarks. Under pressure from Aimee, Burden ran into the gravel and Watts moved through into fifth position with just one lap remaining. The Clean Racing driver remained behind Sekkat and took the chequered flag in fifth position, later promoted to fourth after Sekkat’s false start penalty was applied.
The third and final race of the weekend took place on Sunday afternoon with Watts starting from fourth place within the RS Am class courtesy of her race two result. Aimee made a good start and held her position on the opening lap, remaining in fourth and firmly in contention for a podium result. As Daniel Lewis and Reece Somerfield began to battle in the early stages, this ensured Watts remained in prime position to capitalise if any mistakes were made ahead.
Just behind, Karim Sekkat had received another ten second penalty for a false start and therefore Watts knew that keeping the Breakell Racing driver behind was not necessary for a strong result. After Lewis pulled clear of Somerfield, Watts began applying pressure to Somerfield ahead and she forced her rival to defend his position.
On lap nine, Watts mounted a challenge at the hairpin and drew level with Somerfield across the main straight. Somerfield was able to hold on as he claimed the inside line, however the pressure Aimee was applying was forcing him to defend through the majority of the turns. Watts was working on her corner exits in particular as she targeted an overlap down the main straight with an intention to complete the move into turn one.
At the drivers completed lap 13, Watts again ran side-by-side with Somerfield before looking to the outside at both turns one and three. Although she was unable to complete the pass, both drivers were pulling clear of Sekkat as they maintained a good pace in light of their battling. Another move was made on lap 18 and as both drivers came across the CS Am machine of Katia Loggie, this worked to Aimee’s disadvantage as she caught the slower car in an unfortunate spot.
This briefly gave Somerfield some respite, however Watts continued to show excellent pace and closed back onto the tail of the Breakell Racing machine. Watts was now looking for a new overtaking spot and as she attempted to get a fast run out of Clarks, the car oversteered and she spun onto the grass. As a result, Aimee fell to sixth position within class, however she was showing good intent to return to the podium.
Watts was able to complete the race without any further incidents to claim valuable championship points for a sixth-place finish in the RS Am class. It was an extremely positive weekend for Aimee at Knockhill as she displayed both speed and racecraft, while narrowly missing out on a second podium finish of the season. Watts will now be looking ahead to the penultimate round of Porsche Sprint Challenge Great Britain which takes place at Silverstone on the weekend of 20th/21st September.
