Megan Gilkes

Megan Gilkes (born 2001 in Richmond Hill, Ontario) is a Canadian racing driver. She competed in the W Series in 2019.[1]

Megan Gilkes
Gilkes in the 2019 W Series Brands Hatch round
Nationality Canadian
Born2001 (age 20–21)
Richmond Hill, Ontario
W Series
Years active2019
Starts5
Wins0
Poles0
Fastest laps0
Best finishNC in 2019
Previous series
2017–18F1200 Canada

Biography

A third-generation racer, Gilkes began karting aged nine in her then-home of Barbados. Following a break from racing after a crash in qualifying at the World Finals where she broke her wrist, she won the Ottawa Challenge Karting Cup in her home country of Canada, and finished runner up in the 2016 Eastern Canadian Karting Championship as an ambassador for Dare to be Different.[2][3] In 2017, Gilkes stepped up to single-seaters in the Canadian F1200 championship. Despite not contesting all of the rounds in either season she competed in, she finished third and second overall in consecutive years.[4][5] Also in 2017, Gilkes finished runner up in the Sports Car Club of America Southeast Majors championship, having led it for 10 of the 12 rounds.

In 2019, Gilkes applied for the W Series, a European-based Formula 3 championship solely for women. She was selected into the category as one of 18 full-time drivers, where she won the non-championship reverse grid race at TT Circuit Assen, and became the youngest W Series race winner, and only North American female driver to win a Formula 3 race in Europe.[6] Gilkes returned to Canada in 2020, competing in the Ontario Formula 1600 Championship, where she had two pole positions, two fastest race laps and 13 podium finishes, and was runner up overall in the series.[7]

Personal life

Gilkes' younger brother Nick currently competes in the GB3 Championship for Hillspeed.[8]

Alongside her racing, she studies Aeronautical Engineering at the Imperial College in London.[9]

Racing record

Career summary
Season Series Team Races Wins Poles F/Laps Podiums Points Position
2017 Canadian Formula 1200 Championship Vallis Motorsports 15 2  ?  ? 10 1148 3rd
SCCA National Championship Runoffs - Formula Vee Millers Oils 1 0 0 0 0 0 23rd
2018 Canadian Formula 1200 Championship Vallis Motorsports 9 1 0 0 7 738 2nd
Formula Vee Challenge Cup Series 9 3 1 0 3 130 4th
F2000 Championship Series N/A 2 0 0 0 0 22 25th
SCCA Majors Championship Nationwide - Formula Vee 2 0  ?  ? 0 29 43rd
Campeonato Paulista de Formula Vee 2 0 0 0 0 14 15th
2019 W Series Hitech GP 5 0 0 0 0 0 20th
F3 Americas Championship Momentum Motorsports 4 0 0 0 0 2 17th
F2000 Championship Series Vallis Motor Sport 2 0 0 0 0 28 23rd
2020 F1600 Ontario Brian Graham Racing 13 0 2 2 11 275 2nd
BRSCC Formula Ford Festival Kevin Mills Racing 1 0 0 0 0 N/A 20th
2021 National Formula Ford Championship - Pro Kevin Mills Racing 17 0 0 0 0 106 10th
2022 GB4 Championship Hillspeed 5 1 0 1 1 81 7th*

SCCA National Championship Runoffs
YearTrackCarEngineClassFinishStartStatus
2017Indianapolis Motor SpeedwayBRD AFV-01VolkswagenFormula Vee2324Running

Complete W Series results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 DC Points
2019 Hitech GP HOC
Ret		 ZOL
14		 MIS
17		 NOR ASS
14		 BRH
18		 20th 0

References
  1. "Megan Gilkes – W Series". W Series. Retrieved 16 April 2019.
  2. "Episode 797: Megan Gilkes". Cars Yeah. 4 May 2018.
  3. "She's Young, Fast and Racing in Europe – In Conversation with Megan Gilkes". Motorsport Prospects. 20 May 2019.
  4. "MEET THE TEENAGER WHO'S AIMING FOR FORMULA 1". Drivetribe. 10 February 2019.
  5. "Drivers :: Momentum Motorsports". Momentum Motorsports. 1 August 2019.
  6. "Megan Gilkes: W Series win has "boosted my confidence no end"". Formula Scout. 21 July 2019.
  7. "W Series Driver, Megan Gilkes, Joins Toyo Tires F1600 Championship". Canadian Automobile Sport Clubs – Ontario. 20 July 2020.
  8. "GB3 - British-Canadian Nick Gilkes joins Hillspeed for 2022 GB3 Championship". GB3 Championship. 2022-01-06. Retrieved 2022-04-08.
  9. "Richmond Hill woman, Megan Gilkes, one of only 18 in the world selected to contest all-female W Racing Series". Norris McDonald's Racing Review. 13 April 2019.
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