AMANDA Whitaker made a fantastic start to her 2006 racing campaign by notching two wins out of two in the European Historic Formula 2 series at the weekend.

Racing at Hockenheim, Germany, Amanda led her class from flag to finish in both races in a B34 Chevron Formula Atlantic car beating many of the higher powered Formula 2 cars in the process.

The first race on Saturday was a carbon copy of the 2005 Hockenheim race - a warm, sunny day rapidly turn into a deluge of rain - although this time this also included a heavy shower of sleet!

The pace car was immediately deployed for safety reasons to help the cars stay on the track with their slick tyres.

After a few laps the race resumed and Amanda kept her cool to lead home 2005 champion and class rival Herman Unold.

For Sunday's race, Amanda was straight into her stride and totally dominated the class, pulling away from her rivals by over a second a lap to create a gap of over 20 seconds.

Although there was a heartstopping moment at the end when she coasted across the finish line with no power due to a broken gearbox. Luckily, she had pulled away from her nearest rival enough to secure the second win.

"I'm delighted to start the season this way, " she said.

"This is a real tribute to the dedication of the team and their hard work over the winter.

"I'd like to thank both Vin Malkie and all the team at Chevron racing and Oskar Christen for giving me the opportunity to achieve these results as well as to Swindon Racing Engines for providing such a strong engine."

The race was won outright by Frenchman Phillip Harper who also took the Formula 2 (two litre) class honours in his Ralt RT1 and second place overall and Formula 2 (1.6 litre) winner was fellow Brit Martin Stretton in his March 712.

The race weekend was part of the 'Jim Clark Revival' historic racing car meeting, celebrating the life of the Scottish double world champion of the 1960's.

Amanda races next on home territory at Silverstone - where she is a racing instructor in three weeks' time.

*For details on Amanda's progress go to www.AmandaWitaker.com for more information on the series she races in visit www.EuropeanF2.com

Published: 05/05/2006