Zandvoort

I was looking forward to going back to Zandvoort with the new found pace that I had developed at Brands Hatch, but in qualifying I went for my lap slightly too early on my new tyres and even though I found myself in 3rd place to start with I had dropped to 5th by the end of the session.

Race one took place early on Saturday morning and even though I got a bad get away from the start line I got stuck in at the first corner and was in 7th by the exit. At the end of the first lap the safety car was deployed due to an accident, this brought the field closer together and I already knew that I had the pace to get past the two drivers in front. As the safety car went in and we restarted I capitalised at the first corner and took 6th place, I did not hesitate overtaking and was through to 5th place by the fifth lap. I tried hard to catch the three-car battle in front but I was only catching a tiny amount at a time which was not enough to gain 4th position. I had managed to go quicker in the first race than I had in the free practice sessions and qualifying so I was still improving each time I hit the track. I was happy with my finish position as the top 6 reverse grid for race two meant I would start from 2nd place. This race result also started my history-making progress in the Volkswagen Cup as this was the highest place finish for a female driver in the 11 year history of the VW Cup, however there was still more to come.

My start in race two was much better and I was challenging for the lead up to the first corner but thought tactically and slipped into 2nd keeping the ex-champion Joe Fulbrook at bay behind me. Around 3 laps in I decided I needed to get into the lead to allow me any chance of finishing on the podium; I slipped through and formed a small gap but that was soon gobbled up by current champion and winner of the first race, Steve Chaplin. I was helpless on the main straight as he drove straight past me but I used his tow to keep the gap between myself and 3rd place. This worked out really well for me and the two behind were battling hard. I finished the race in a brilliant 2nd place which I was extremely pleased with as this was my first visit to the podium and I had managed to keep Chaplin honest until the very end with less than 1.5 second gap over the line. I smashed my time by almost a second so this added to the fantastic result as well as creating more history for being the first female on the podium in a VW Cup race and also the youngest competitor to be on the podium in the VW Cup.

I really am looking forward to the rest of the year and will be doing all I can over the summer break to try and keep the good results rolling in. Unfortunately the Zandvoort rounds will not be televised on Motors TV which is disappointing but I have definitely shown my competitors that I am a podium contender.