LONDON, Feb. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- W Series, the international single-seater motor racing championship for female drivers, today announces that a team owned by former racing driver and Olympic champion Caitlyn Jenner will compete in the 2022 season.
American Jenner, was hailed as 'the world's greatest athlete' by Time magazine after winning the decathlon at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal, Canada, by setting a third straight world record. Now, the athletic icon will go for W Series gold when her Jenner Racing team contests W Series' third season, which consists of Formula 1 support races at eight Grand Prix weekends, starting in Miami, USA, in May. W Series had a global reach of more than half a billion viewers in 2021 when it began its partnership with F1 – the world's premier motor racing series.
In her role as team principal, Jenner will oversee the day-to-day running of her Jenner Racing team. Driver lineup, car livery, and the acquisition of sponsors who are aligned with her mission of promoting women in sport and creating a platform for them in motorsport, will be first on her agenda. Last week, 15 prospective drivers from around the world – including seven from the Americas – attended a W Series test at the Inde Motorsports Ranch, Arizona, USA.
Jenner is no stranger to motorsport or F1 having first won a celebrity race at the Long Beach Grand Prix, California, USA, in 1979. That victory over 10 laps rekindled a childhood love of racing and cars, and less than a year later Jenner debuted as a professional racing driver at the iconic 24 Hours of Daytona race as part of Jim Busby's team.
Jenner went on to compete professionally in the IMSA Camel GT Championship, as a factory driver for Ford Motor Company and Jack Roush, for the next six years, making a total of 57 starts. After a near victory, and second place finish at 24 hours of Daytona, Jenner came back in the 1986 12 Hours of Sebring alongside co-driver Scott Pruett, to whom Jenner would finish runner-up in the championship that year.
CATHERINE BOND MUIR (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, W SERIES) SAID:
"W Series exists to promote women in motorsport, believing that they can compete equally with men if given the same opportunities. We are determined to give females a platform and a pathway to succeed in our sport, and when I first met Caitlyn Jenner, it was clear that she is as committed to that mission as all of us at W Series are. She has performed at the highest level in sport, is a proven winner and a complete petrol-head, and I know that her passion for sport and motorsport will inspire everybody at W Series. We continue to rethink racing and I am excited to see how the Jenner Racing team performs this season. With one of the world's greatest athletes supporting them, the sky is the limit."
CAITLYN JENNER (TEAM PRINCIPAL, JENNER RACING) SAID:
"As a believer in fair competition, a lover of motor racing, and a supporter of all women in sport from the grassroots to elite level, W Series ticks every box for me and is a fusion of the different aspects of my career. A championship dedicated to inspiring young girls and giving women the chance to succeed in roles throughout what has traditionally been a male-dominated industry, W Series is changing the face of motorsport. As the series continues its rapid expansion with a truly international cast of drivers and races, this was the perfect time to come on board. W Series had a global reach of more than half a billion viewers in 2021, and I am going out to the market to acquire sponsors that align with mine and W Series' joint missions. "I watched on with great excitement last year when W Series made its American debut in Austin, Texas, USA, where its drivers entertained 400,000 fans over the weekend at the Circuit of the Americas. In May, I will be beaming with pride when my Jenner Racing team starts its bid for W Series glory on motor racing's greatest stage at the first race of season three in Miami, USA, in support of Formula 1. As has always been the case, I'm in it to win it."
Notes to editors
W Series is a free-to-enter motor racing championship, which provides equal opportunities for women and eliminates the financial barriers that have historically prevented them from progressing to the upper tiers of motorsport.
All W Series' cars and corresponding equipment are the same specification and managed by the series, ensuring that our races and championships are won by the most talented drivers, rather than those with the wealthiest backers or the fastest cars. W Series was the second most-watched women's sport in the UK behind football during our inaugural season in 2019, and since then the series has created the greatest number of female professional racing drivers of all time.
W Series aims to create a pathway for female racing drivers, encouraging more girls into junior karting and more sponsors to support female racing drivers as they progress into the upper tiers of motorsport. The more high-profile female role models it can create, the more W Series believes it will inspire young girls to go karting – if you can see it, you can be it.
For interviews, contact:
Barbara Burns
Communications/USA, W Series
[email protected]
TEXT: +1 770 329 7134
SOURCE W Series
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