Tomorrow’s experimental non-championship reverse-grid race, to be held at Assen, Netherlands, tomorrow (Sunday) morning, looks set to be a real thriller.

The grid line-up will be determined by a full reversal of the current W Series championship points standings, which means that Megan Gilkes will start from pole position, Sarah Bovy alongside her on the front row. Shea Holbrook will head the second row in P3, with Vivien Keszthelyi alongside her in P4.

Sharing the back row will be the two W Series championship contenders, Beitske Visser (P19) and Jamie Chadwick (P20).

The full grid line-up will be as follows:

Position Driver Number Driver 1 49 Megan Gilkes 2 58 Sarah Bovy 3 67 Shea Holbrook 4 77 Vivien Keszthelyi 5 99 Naomi Schiff 6 2 Esmee Hawkey 7 21 Jessica Hawkins 8 37 Sabré Cook 9 3 Gosia Rdest 10 20 Caitlin Wood 11 11 Vicky Piria 12 31 Tasmin Pepper 13 26 Sarah Moore 14 85 Miki Koyama 15 7 Emma Kimilainen 16 5 Fabienne Wohlwend 17 27 Alice Powell 18 19 Marta Garcia 19 95 Beitske Visser 20 55 Jamie Chadwick

Dave Ryan, W Series Race Director said:

“Tomorrow’s reverse-grid race will be deliberately experimental, but it will surely produce thrills and perhaps even spills.

“Today’s conventional race showed that overtaking is possible on the fast twists and flowing turns of the Assen ‘cathedral of speed’, albeit difficult, but the drivers who have proven themselves to be fastest in W Series so far this year will be starting at the very back tomorrow – and they’ll be pushing hard to make up as many places as they possibly can. As usual, the race will be of 30 minutes’ duration, plus one lap, so you can expect to see quite a few overtaking manoeuvres from them.

“Equally, those drivers who’ll be starting a W Series race at the sharp end of the grid for the first time will be anxious to do their very best to hang on to their front-running positions, while those in the midfield will also be looking to make progress.

“It should be quite a race!”

Jamie Chadwick, W Series championship leader said:

“I’m really looking forward to tomorrow’s reverse-grid race. First of all, it’ll be fantastic to be racing again so soon – two races in two days – but it’ll also be a really cool new challenge, with Beitske and I starting from the very back.

“It’ll be unpredictable all the way from pole to P20, I’m sure of that, but, speaking for myself, hopefully such a radical format will allow me to showcase what I can do from the back end of the grid, and do a bit overtaking, without the pressure of fighting for championship points.”

Pole sitter, Megan Gilkes explains all.