THE chequered flag has waved on Hannah Chapman’s Porsche season but she is refusing to hang up her racing overalls.
Financial pressures saw the 2025 Clubsport Amateur champion scrambling to make the start line for the first round of this year’s Porsche Sprint Challenge.
She managed to drum up enough support to take to the grid at Donington Park and picked up eight points from the three races.
However, with similar challenges ahead of the second round at Oulton Park, Chapman has been forced to shelve her racing dreams – for the time being at least.
She said: “I don’t think it was meant to be this year.
“Despite the success of being able to turn up at round one, the continuing attendance this year was not meant to be.
“It is time to know when to call it quits and now is probably the right time.
“If I had made it to round two, I would push for three and four, but missing a round and dropping in and out, and doing it on such a tight budget, with old tyres and no testing, is setting yourself up for failure and not giving yourself the best chance.”
Earlier this month, Chapman, who grew up in Dunbar and now lives in Fife, took to social media to confirm that she would not be taking to the start line at Oulton Park.
She thanked everyone for their support but stressed if she were going to be racing she needed “to do it properly”.
The 32-year-old told Courier Sport that making the decision had taken a weight off her mind.
She said: “It is a shame and I am really gutted not to be there.
“It is hard when it gets to the race weekend.
“I was stuck at home when they were racing.
“I was cutting the grass or walking the dog and trying to keep busy, trying to forget that I should be going out for first practice or qualifying.
“Then, I watched it on the television, which was hard, but at the same time, now I have got it out of the way and it is a bit of a relief to have that stress and weight lifted.”
For now, Chapman, who works at Rennat Design at Knockhill, has refused to rule out getting back behind the wheel. Previously, she called it quits after competing in a Mini before going on to enjoy success in the Porsche.
And she is relaxed as to whether she starts racing once again.
She said: “It’s definitely not retirement and I would love to come back and go back to the Porsche.
“It has been an incredible experience and I don’t think I would like to go back a step on the racing ladder.
“I would love to come back and try again at Porsche but there are other series out there that could be worth a try, but I am comfortable we put it on hold.
“If I do come back to something, I really want to do something I enjoy, which is Porsche, but you never know – when one door closes, another opens.
“For me, I am all about Porsche and I do love it.
“It really brought back the spark after my time in the Mini.
“Switching to Porsche was really enjoyable, with last year winning the championship.
“I absolutely loved it and would love to go back to it, but also I am alright if it does not happen.”
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