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British driver Jamie Chadwick set her sights on reaching the IndyCar circuit after it was confirmed she will test with the Andretti team in September.
The 26-year-old from Bath, who is currently taking part in her debut season in Indy NXT, will be the first female driver in 10 years to test in the IndyCar series at the event at Barber Sports Park in Alabama after recording five top-10 finishes so far during her rookie campaign.
An impressive first year has also included a podium place on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, giving the best Indy NXT finish for a woman since 2010, as well as a win from the pole at Road America, making her the first woman to win an Indy NXT race on a road or street course.
“It’s a little bit of a surprise,” she told the PA news agency. “I want give myself as much opportunity to be in a position for this as possible, but it’s never a guarantee.
“I look at the drivers I’m competing against, all of us are vying for the same things, so it’s a tough space at the moment. I’m really happy we’ve got this, but IndyCar is the goal. That’s the next step. I’m one step closer to that now.”
Prior to linking up with Andretti’s Indy NXT team last year, the three-time W Series Champion moved to the United States with an impressive record, including W Series records for most wins, podiums, pole positions and points over her three-year career.
She was also the youngest driver, and first female driver, to win a British GT Championship and BRDC British Formula 3 race.
The Indy NXT series has proven a well-trodden path for current and former IndyCar drivers ahead of making the step up, including current Andretti team members Colton Herta, Kyle Kirkwood and Marco Andretti.
“Without it sounding too cliche, it is genuinely one of those things you dream of,” Chadwick said. “I’ve been working hard in Indy NXT, which is a feeder series, but there are never any guarantees, so you never know what opportunities might come.
“Having the chance to test with Andretti, one of the bigger teams on the grid and the team that I’ve been with for the last two years, is fantastic. Really, really excited.
“A lot of female drivers have come through Andretti, so it’s not the first time it’s happened by any means. But from a personal point of view, it’s by far the highest level that I’ve driven at. It’s more of an achievement from a personal perspective than from a female standpoint.”
The Barber circuit is deemed one of the toughest on the IndyCar series, a challenge that Chadwick is relishing.
“I’ve been working really hard, I think it’s going to be a great challenge and a great test,” she said. “That’s really important for this test to be, it needs to be a good representation of what it’ll be like to compete in something like the IndyCar series.
“It is physical, it is tough, it is demanding. The preparation has already started, it started as soon as I found out I was doing the test. Working really hard to make sure I’m ready and can make the most of it.”
