The W Series, which normally runs 18 cars, will be starting the race at Zolder with a 19-car grid. This will be a one-off exception to allow one of the reserve drivers to race in her home race.
The move comes as a “belated birthday gift” to the Sarah Bovy, who turned 30 years old on Wednesday. The Belgian driver will now get the opportunity to race in front of her home crowd at the Zolder. She failed to make the list of drivers selected for the debut season of the W Series, instead selected as one of the series’ two reserve drivers.
“Sarah really deserves her chance,” explained the W Series CEO, Catherine Bond Muir. “She’s worked so hard all year, despite the natural disappointment of being named as a reserve driver rather than one of the initial 18 race drivers, and she performed very well today in FP1 and FP2. And the fact that we’re in Belgium, her home country, will add an extra local lustre to tomorrow’s race.”
It has yet to be seen whether Vivien Keszthelyi, the other W Series reserve driver, will get the same opportunity to participate in a round of the W Series season. If she does, it won’t be as a birthday gift, since the Hungarian won’t turn 19 until December.
