W Series Esports League: Record-Breaking Beitske Visser Blitzes Brazil

Beitske Visser produced a record-breaking performance at Autódromo José Carlos Pace, Interlagos, Brazil, to extend her lead at the top of the W Series Esports League.

The Dutch driver won the first and third races from pole position, came from last on the grid to second in the reverse-grid race, and set the fastest lap in all three races to score 60 points out of a possible 63 – a record total for a single W Series Esports League round.

Beitske, 25, is now 52 points clear of Irina Sidorkova in the W Series Esports League table, after outscoring the 17-year-old by 25 points at Interlagos. A spin at the start of race one put the Russian on the backfoot, but she recovered well to win the reverse-grid race and finish third in the final race.

Marta Garcia moved from fifth to third in the W Series Esports League table after continuing her run of scoring more points in every round so far. The Spaniard, 19, finished second in the first and third races, and fifth in the reverse-grid race for a total of 45 points.

Marta is now 32 points behind Irina and six clear of Caitlin Wood in fourth. The Australian scored 35 points at Interlagos, a tally that was matched by Tasmin Pepper. The South African claimed her first W Series Esports League podium in the reverse-grid race to move up one place to fifth in the League table.

The W Series Esports League table after round four is as follows:

PositionNoDriverPoints
195Beitske Visser213
251Irina Sidorkova161
331Marta Garcia129
420Caitlin Wood123
519Tasmin Pepper114
632Nerea Marti104
727Alice Powell101
821Jessica Hawkins78
97Emma Kimilainen68
103Gosia Rdest68
115Fabienne Wohlwend67
1217Ayla Agren63
1326Sarah Moore61
1444Abbie Eaton50
1599Naomi Schiff47
1622Belen Garcia45
1737Sabre Cook35
1855Jamie Chadwick18
1997Bruna Tomaselli15
2011Vicky Piria10
2185Miki Koyama10
Race 1: Beitske beat Marta to pole position by two tenths of a second, but the Spaniard made the better start and took the lead at Turn One. As the pack snaked their way downhill to Turn Two, a spin relegated Irina from sixth to 18th. The top two were jostling for position, allowing Caitlin in third and Nerea Marti in fourth to take closer order, but just as they did Nerea spun. With 10 of the 15 minutes remaining, Beitske finally made a move on Marta stick through an opportunistic lunge at Turn Three. From there, Beitske eased clear and the top three retained their starting positions at the chequered flag. Ayla Agren scored her best W Series Esports League finish in fourth, while Gosia Rdest and Jessica Hawkins followed her home having made up five and seven places respectively.
RACE 1
PosNoDriverTime/RetiredGridPointsFL
195Beitske Visser15:37.1021201
219Marta Garcia-3.381217
320Caitlin Wood-6.408315
417Ayla Agren-10.859713
53Gosia Rdest-12.4851011
621Jessica Hawkins-13.6521310
722Belen Garcia-15.97899
85Fabienne Wohlwend-17.382128
931Tasmin Pepper-17.60787
107Emma Kimilainen-25.485146
1127Alice Powell-36.13955
1226Sarah Moore-42.126164
1332Nerea Marti-42.34143
1497Bruna Tomaselli-51.660172
1537Sabre Cook-52.607111
1685Miki Koyama-1:20.079180
1751Irina Sidorkova-1:24.11060
1844Abbie EatonDNF150
1911Vicky PiriaDNF190
2099Naomi SchiffDNF100
Race 2: Naomi Schiff made a great start from pole position in the reverse-grid race, but it counted for nothing as she spun at Turn Two. That put Irina into the lead and she was three seconds ahead of Abbie Eaton and Bruna Tomaselli at the end of the first lap after they struggled to pass Vicky Piria. They managed it as they crossed the line to begin lap two, by which time Beitske and Marta had safely negotiated their way from the back row of the grid to the top 10. With 11 minutes left, Bruna collided with Abbie approaching Turn Two, sending the Brazilian down the order and Abbie to third behind Nerea. But, with her car damaged, the Briton couldn’t hold the position and was passed by Tasmin and Beitske a minute later. Beitske breezed past Tasmin on the start-finish straight to take third and then, with half of the race remaining, she overtook Nerea for second. As Irina was nine seconds up the road Beitske had to settle for second, and Tasmin completed the podium after forcing a mistake from Nerea who ran wide at Turn Four.
RACE 2
PosNoDriverTime/RetiredGridPointsFL
151Irina Sidorkova15:36.763420
295Beitske Visser-6.98620171
311Tasmin Pepper-14.9391215
419Nerea Marti-16.303813
531Marta Garcia-18.2111911
644Abbie Eaton-30.591310
720Caitlin Wood-40.477189
817Ayla Agren-42.575178
926Sarah Moore-48.09197
103Gosia Rdest-1:15.547166
1137Sabre Cook-1:18.19165
1222Belen Garcia-1:18.333144
1385Miki Koyama-1:34.20053
1427Alice Powell-1:37.050102
1599Naomi Schiff-1:38.85311
167Emma Kimilainen-1:41.522110
175Fabienne Wohlwend-1 LAP130
1832Bruna Tomaselli-1 LAP70
1997Vicky Piria-1 LAP20
2021Jessica Hawkins-3 LAPS150
Race 3: Just as in qualifying for race one, Beitske edged out Marta for pole position. But Beitske made the better getaway on this occasion, easily leading into Turn One where Marta and Irina bumped wheels. The Spaniard came out on top to retain second place at Turn Two, but that battle allowed Beitske to build a one-second lead at the end of lap one. That was the end of the wheel-to-wheel action at the front as Beitske managed her pace and the top three held their positions until the end of the 20-minute race. The packed midfield provided the drama, and several drivers were involved in collisions as they fought to make it into the top 10. Belen Garcia emerged as the biggest winner from those battles, going from 18th on the grid to eighth.
RACE 3
PosNoDriverTime/RetiredGridPointsFL
195Beitske Visser20:09.1561201
219Marta Garcia-3.685217
351Irina Sidorkova-5.876315
431Tasmin Pepper-11.562513
520Caitlin Wood-12.980411
632Nerea Marti-16.9601010
717Ayla Agren-18.69879
822Belen Garcia-34.136188
927Alice Powell-36.17667
1099Naomi Schiff-42.437156
1144Abbie Eaton-43.584135
125Fabienne Wohlwend-44.446144
1326Sarah Moore-51.535203
1411Vicky Piria-1:07.871192
1521Jessica Hawkins-1:45.53181
163Gosia Rdest-1:48.684120
1797Bruna Tomaselli-1 LAP160
187Emma Kimilainen-1 LAP110
1937Sabre Cook-1 LAP90
2085Miki KoyamaDNF170
Round five is at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium, next Thursday, 9 July at 19:00 BST. Watch all three races on BBC iPlayer, BBC Red Button, BBC Sport website and W Series’ Twitch, YouTube and Facebook channels.