The first round of the Miata Trophy provided two action-packed races at Snetterton as Aimee Watts finished inside the top-10, while Anna and Louisa Getley made their series debuts. Watts produced an excellent drive in race two as charged through from 16th on the grid to finish in sixth.
The first round of the Miata Trophy provided two action-packed races at Snetterton as Aimee Watts finished inside the top-10, while Anna and Louisa Getley made their series debuts. Watts produced an excellent drive in race two as charged through from 16th on the grid to finish in sixth.
Anna Getley achieved a best result of 23rd, while Louisa Getley overcame adversity to secure a 24th place result in the second race of the weekend.
Aimee Watts returned to Mazda MX-5 competition after finishing as runner-up in the Club class of the Clapham North MOT Mazda MX-5 Supercup Championship in 2024. Watts was a multiple race winner in class and took the title down to the final round, narrowly missing out on the crown despite multiple top-10 overall finishes. Her primary campaign in 2025 will be a debut season in Porsche Sprint Challenge Great Britain, however she was keen to remain sharp and therefore entered the Miata Trophy season opener.
Sisters Anna and Louisa Getley have also established themselves within British motorsport, however in more historic machinery. The Getley sisters stepped up into modern circuit racing after previously competing in a pre-war Bentley at tracks such as Goodwood and Circuit de la Sarthe.
A switch to a lightweight Mazda MX-5 would require a change in driving style, however Anna and Louisa were up for the challenge on their Miata Trophy debuts.
The Miata Trophy has grown in stature in recent years and featured a bumper grid at Snetterton. With a 14-race calendar visiting some of the most iconic circuits in Britain, it has become a premier series for drivers looking to race any specification of Mazda MX-5. Two twenty-minute races provide close action throughout the field and a healthy entry list of drivers were ready for battle at Snetterton.
On-track action began on Saturday morning with a fifteen-minute qualifying session for the drivers to set their grid positions. Aimee Watts improved steadily on her first outing of 2025 and set the 17th fastest time, just over a second away from the top-10. It was a competitive field of drivers with many of Watts’ rivals from the Clapham North MOT Mazda MX-5 Supercup Championship moving across to the Miata Trophy this season.
For sisters Anna and Louisa Getley, the qualifying session was a learning experience as they got up to speed in their new cars. At the end of the session, Anna Getley was the faster sister as she set the 29th fastest time overall with Louisa in 30th position. The duo were aiming to bank experience at a challenging circuit while improving their times throughout the day.
The opening race of the Miata Trophy season took place shortly after with Watts starting from 16th on the grid, Anna Getley from 28th and Louisa Getley from 29th. Watts made a great start and gained two positions on lap one, while both Getley sisters also enjoyed a clean opening lap and gained three positions each. After Anna Getley led the Kinsgbury Racing Shop duo after lap one, a moment on lap two elevated Louisa into 25th ahead of her sister.
Watts was also making good progress in the early stages as she passed Alex Miller on lap three, before overtaking both Tyler McAlpin and John Robinson on lap four. Louisa Getley was gaining in confidence and was already lapping faster than she did in qualifying. Misfortune then struck as an incident for Louisa brought out the safety car and led to her retiring from the race.
This allowed Anna Getley to inherit 25th position, while Watts remained in 11th as she closed in on a top-10 position. When the race resumed, Watts was applying pressure to Drew Fletcher and took the checkered flag just over a tenth of a second behind her rival in 11th. Anna Getley maintained a consistent pace to the finish as she concluded her debut race in the Miata Trophy in 25th position.
The grid for race two was set by the second fastest times from qualifying and this saw Watts lined up from 16th, Anna Getley from 28th and Louisa Getley from 29th on the grid. Watts enjoyed another superb opening lap as she gained five positions on lap one to move into 11th. Anna Getley remained ahead of Louisa, before Louisa set the fastest lap of the event from either sister on lap two.
As a result, the gap between the Kingsbury Racing Shop drivers was now under a second with Anna responding to the pressure on lap four with a personal best time of her own. Meanwhile, Watts was now inside the top-10 following an overtake on John Langridge. After passing McAlpin on lap four, Aimee was now into ninth position and running less than four seconds behind race leader Aidan Hills.
On lap five, Watts continued her charge through the field as she overtook Will Morris for eighth and then began to open up a small margin to the drivers behind. The Getley sisters were also continuing their battle with Anna into 24th by lap six and she was now extending her margin over Louisa who was running in 26th position.
As the race entered its final stages, Watts started to come under pressure from McAlpin who was using the slipstream to bridge the gap. However, Watts held on to take the checkered flag in eighth position, later promoted to an excellent sixth following a track limits penalty for Oliver Allwood and a disqualification for Simon Baldwin. Anna Getley secured 23rd position and Louisa Getley finished race two in 24th to end a productive Miata Trophy debut.
It was an excellent start to the season for Aimee Watts who continued her great form from 2024 in her Mazda MX-5. Sisters Anna and Louisa Getley got their first taste of modern machinery and made good progress as they developed their skills.
The next round of the Miata Trophy takes place at the iconic Silverstone Grand Prix circuit on Sunday 6th April.
