Victory for Hannah Chapman on return to the Vertu Mini Challenge at Knockhill

Scottish driver Hannah Chapman secured a class victory in the third race of the Vertu Mini Challenge at Knockhill, where she gained speed and confidence over the course of the weekend in her second appearance in the JCW Sport class, driving the Sustainable Fuel Development car.

Hannah Chapman enjoyed home track success as the Vertu Mini Challenge took the trip north of the border to Knockhill. The Scottish driver made her second appearance in the JCW Sport class driving the Sustainable Fuel Development car and claimed a stunning victory in the third race of the weekend.

The Excelr8 Motorsport driver built up her confidence across the event, finishing race one in fourth, before taking the checkered flag third in race two. An excellent drive in race three saw Chapman move forward from fourth at the end of lap one, to take the JCW Sport class victory with a great move on eight-time race winner Albert Webster.

This weekend marked Chapman’s second appearance in the Vertu Mini Challenge in 2024, both coming in the Sustainable Fuel Development car, running in the JCW Sport division. Competing in the first round of the championship at Donington Park, Chapman finished inside the top-3 of the Sport division in both races, including an excellent second during race two. Now racing at her home circuit, Hannah was aiming to provide additional feedback to the team while contesting for strong results in the trio of races.

The race weekend got underway on Friday with two test sessions in order for Chapman to re-familiarise herself with the car. It was a successful day for the Scottish racer who set the fifth fastest time among the JCW Sport competitors and was in amongst those with full-season experience in the Vertu Mini Challenge.

Following a series of fully dry sessions leading into the weekend, typical Knockhill weather had led to morning rain showers and therefore a damp track for the start of qualifying. With the rain having stopped and a dry line forming, slick tyres were fitted as the Vertu Mini Challenge drivers worked hard to build temperature. Nonetheless, Hannah was able to set fast and consistent lap times which put her third among the JCW Sport class drivers and just a quarter of a second away from multiple race-winner Albert Webster.

Chapman lined up third among the JCW Sport competitors for the opening race of the weekend and got off to a clean start, dropping to fifth in class at the end of the first lap. On lap two, Hannah moved ahead of JCW class driver Brent Bowie following an off-track moment for the series newcomer. Chapman’s pace was strong in the early stages and she was beginning to close in on the group of drivers ahead.

On lap seven, Chapman ran a personal best time and this lap was faster than any of her Sport class rivals as she chased down a podium position. Hannah was into third on lap ten following a superb double move on Chris Mackenzie and Dylan Hotchin as the Excelrl8 Motorsport driver was hitting her stride on her return to the championship.

As the second half of the race progressed, Mackenzie in particular started to close in on Chapman and by continuing to push on, Hannah received a five-second time penalty for exceeding track limits.

Setting a number of fast laps in the closing stages, Chapman was able to open out a sufficient gap to Hotchin and therefore take the checkered flag in fourth position in the JCW Sport class following the application of the penalty. Nonetheless, it was an excellent return race for Hannah who displayed both speed and racecraft at Knockhill.

For the second race of the weekend on Saturday morning, the grid was formed by a reversal of the top-6 finishers with Hannah lining up in third position within the JCW Sport class. With the fastest drivers from the opening race behind her, it was a challenging start for Chapman as she dropped to fifth, however she was soon into her rhythm. On lap two she overtook Ben Crossley and with a move on Chris Mackenzie on lap three, Hannah was back into a provisional podium position.

Following a personal best time on lap eight, Hannah was continuing to make inroads on the race leading pair of Dylan Hotchin and Albert Webster. After letting the recovering JCW class machine of Lydia Walmsley through, Chapman attempted to latch onto the faster car but then began to come under pressure from Cameron Richardson.

However, the pressure was soon eased following a track limits penalty for Richardson, in addition to Mackenzie and Crossley, which allowed Chapman to run in a more comfortable third. Catching the leading pair in the closing stages, Hannah took the checkered flag in third position within the JCW Sport class to close out a productive race two at Knockhill.

Aiming to end her home race weekend on a high, Chapman got a good initial launch from third on the JCW Sport class grid before dropping one position at the end of lap one. Showing the best speed of her entire weekend, Hannah was the fastest car in class on lap three and was soon applying pressure to Chris Mackenzie for third.

The leading group of drivers were running in close proximity in the early stages and on lap eight, Chapman was able to get a superb exit out of Taylor’s Hairpin. This allowed her to draw alongside Mackenzie and complete the overtake for third into Duffus Dip.

After JCW Class runner Gerry Hendry pulled into the pits on lap 12, Hannah was directly behind the leading cars in class and slowly cutting the deficit. As Chapman was continuing to grow in confidence, she was beginning to shape for moves and overtook Cameron Richardson for second position on lap 16.

Momentum was with the Excelr8 Motorsport driver in the closing stages and Hannah made a superb move on Albert Webster to take the JCW Sport class lead. A confident end to the race saw Chapman hold a small margin to Webster to claim a sensational victory on her return to the Vertu Mini Challenge.

Chapman continued to gain speed and confidence over the course of the weekend which culminated in a brilliant JCW Sport class win in race three at Knockhill. In her two appearances in the Vertu Mini Challenge in 2024, Hannah has shown to be a consistent frontrunner and has taken the challenge to the full-season championship contenders.

Chapman will be targeting further on-track appearances in the second half of the campaign with a view to a full-season return in 2025.