Season’s best result for Katrina Ee at Zandvoort

Katrina Ee twice improved upon her best finish in the Ginetta Junior Championship in a highly positive weekend at Zandvoort, finishing 19^th in race two, before the Tim Gray Motorsport driver took the chequered flag in 12^th position in an action-packed race three.

Photo credits: CBR Media

Katrina Ee achieved her first top-15 finish in the Ginetta Junior Championship following a positive weekend at Zandvoort. Ee twice improved upon her best finish in the series after finishing 19^th in race two, before the Tim Gray Motorsport driver took the chequered flag in 12^th position in an action-packed race three.

Ee arrived at Zandvoort targeting points scoring finishes as she continues to bank experience in her rookie season of circuit racing. The Tim Gray Motorsport driver has enjoyed a consistent campaign to date and Katrina was now looking to take another step as she embarked on her first international car racing event. Three classified finishes last time out at Snetterton saw Ee finish in a best position of 22^nd, while her speed in race three brought her in contention with the midfield runners.

With Zandvoort being a new circuit to all the drivers, they were given additional testing opportunities with on-track action getting underway on Thursday. Three short sessions were held on Thursday with Ee completing 23 laps across the course of the day. Her fastest time of a 2:08.903 came in the final session where Katrina set the 23^rd fastest time overall.

On Friday, Ee completed a further 28 laps and she was successfully able to close the margin to the driers ahead. Improving by almost half a second from Thursday’s running, Katrina set a quickest lap of a 2:08.425. The Tim Gray Motorsport driver was therefore less than two seconds away from the fourth-place overall time and comfortable in contention with those fighting for championship points.

Qualifying took place on Saturday morning and Ee was targeting further improvements at Zandvoort. It was a consistent session for the young driver who was successfully able to set a quicker time than she managed in free practice. Katrina’s fastest lap of a 2:08.400 placed her in 23^rd position and she was therefore looking ahead to making progress in the trio of races.

The first race of the weekend was held on Saturday afternoon with Ee lining up from 23^rd on the grid. Katrina got an excellent launch off the line and immediately moved ahead of Henry Cameron, before the Fox Motorsport driver reclaimed the position during the first lap. Ee settled into 23^rd position and quickly got into a consistent rhythm.

By lap three, Katrina was less than a quarter of a second away from the best time she set in qualifying to underline her potential. A further personal best time on lap five followed and Ee was now looking to capitalise on battles ahead to move into the points. The following lap, separate incidents for both Matthew Chiwara and Noah Young elevated Ee into 21^st position and the midfield battles ahead were now intensifying.

On lap seven, Ethan Lennon made contact with the barrier and the South African driver brought his Pace Performance machine into the pits. Ee was now inside the top-20 and now just one second behind teammate Josh Watts. After their earlier incidents, both Young and Chiwara were now closing in and therefore the battle for the final points paying positions would come down to the last laps.

On the penultimate tour, Young overtook Ee for 20^th position, however she remained close to the Performance One driver for a final lap attack. Ee took the chequered flag just over a second behind Watts and Young who ran side-by-side across the line. The Tim Gray Motorsport driver therefore finished the first race of the event in 21^st position and narrowly missed out on her second points scoring finish of the campaign.

Race two of the weekend took place on Sunday morning with the grid positions based on the second fastest times set in qualifying. As a result, Ee lined up from 23^rd on the grid and she was targeting further improvements after a positive Saturday at Zandvoort. When the lights went out, Katrina made another good start and once again passed Henry Cameron as the drivers approached the opening turns.

Ee was also overtake Matthew Chiwara on lap one, before Cameron moved back ahead as the drivers completed started the second lap. Katrina settled in just behind and after initially defending her position well from Chiwara, Ee’s teammate made the pass on lap three. Nonetheless, Katrina was now running inside the top-20 after Harry Bartle entered the pits and Felipe Reijs rejoined the circuit behind her after an off-track moment.

The Dutch driver then reclaimed 20^th position from Katrina on lap four, before Ee settled into a consistent mid-race rhythm. On lap six, the car of Noah Young stopped out on circuit with suspension damage and as a result, Ee returned to the overall top-20. The positions in the midfield continued to be closely-contested and after separate incidents for both Max Murray and Joshua Watts, Ee moved into 18^th position.

Young’s car required recovery and therefore the safety car was deployed as the drivers completed lap seven. The race resumed for one final lap and the teenager racers did a nice job to avoid significant contact as they fought for positions. Ee lost out to Murray, however the Tim Gray Motorsport driver secured a season’s best finish as she took the chequered flag in 19^th position.

The final race of the weekend took place on Sunday afternoon with Ee starting from 19^th courtesy of her race two result. After initially falling to the rear of the field, Katrina overtook Henry Cameron and ran side-by-side with her rival as the second lap got underway. Cameron pulled clear while also overtaking Matthew Chiwara with Ee now running directly behind her teammate.

On lap four, the race entered a safety car period after Max Murray’s car became beached in the gravel. Ee was also able to pass both Chiwara and Joshua Watts, while Ethan Carney pitted with a separate issue. As a result, Katrina ran in 19^th position under the safety car with the neutralisation period lasting for just a single lap.

When the race resumed, Ee fell behind Murray at the opening turn, however she remained inside the top-20 as the drivers entered the middle sector. At turn nine, a spin for Cameron required the drivers to take avoiding action and as a result, Ee was able to gain ground and she moved up to 17^th. Chiwara was now right behind and after he made a move at the first turn on the following lap, a small off-track moment dropped Katrina down the order.

This small loss of time proved beneficial for Ee as a multi-car incident in the midfield caused significant damage to four cars ahead. Ee was able to slow down and avoid the crash, before the race was subsequently red flagged due to a lengthy cleanup required. With only three minutes remaining on the clock, the race was not restarted and the results were also counted back one lap. As a result, Ee was classified in an excellent 12^th position to achieve another personal best finish.

It was an extremely positive weekend at Zandvoort for Katrina who twice improved upon her best result in the series. Ee was able to compete with the midfield runners and gain valuable experience of a challenging circuit. The next round of the Ginetta Junior Championship will take place at Brands Hatch on the weekend of 23^rd/24^th August.