JAMIE CHADWICK’s European Le Mans Victory Proves We’re Past the Blissful Ignorance

December 2, 2025

• JAMIE CHADWICK made history this year as the first woman to secure an overall victory in the European Le Mans Series, driving for IDEC Sport. Her trophy cabinet already includes championship wins in both the W Series and Indy Nxt, plus she serves as a Williams Racing ambassador. The cherry on top? She delivered the iconic “Drivers, start your engines” command as grand marshal at the 2025 Rolex 24 at Daytona, calling it a “movie moment.”
• Unlike many drivers who inherit family racing connections, CHADWICK’s path started from scratch with parents in property, farming, and business rather than motorsports. She’s brutally honest about her early years of trying to “be one of the boys” and laughing at unfunny jokes during what she calls her period of “blissful ignorance.” That authenticity now drives her advocacy work, including a Rolex-supported karting series aimed at getting more women into the sport from the ground up.
• CHADWICK draws inspiration from “Bend It Like Beckham” and champions the reality that motor racing’s gender gap isn’t about physical limitations but about numbers entering the sport initially. She’s learned to harness the “roller coaster” of adrenaline that breaks most careers, turning mental and physical recovery into her secret weapon. As she puts it, her most revolutionary act is simply “refusing to dim your own headlights” while redefining what it means to be a woman on the grid.

european le mans series, fia w series, idec sport, rolex 24