Another real world series has launched a virtual version, with the new all-female W Series Esports league announced to take place in iRacing throughout 2020.
It will feature the 18 drivers who have qualified for the real world series, alongside potentially invited guests. The series has been organised with partners Logitech G, Beyond Entertainment and iRacing, and will see the drivers race in the Tatuus Formula Renault 2.0 across 10 rounds.
The drivers are:
- Jamie Chadwick, United Kingdom, 21
- Beitske Visser, Netherlands, 25
- Alice Powell, United Kingdom, 27
- Marta Garcia, Spain, 19
- Emma Kimilainen, Finland, 30
- Fabienne Wohlwend, Liechtenstein, 22
- Miki Koyama, Japan, 22
- Sarah Moore, United Kingdom, 26
- Vicky Piria, Italy, 26
- Tasmin Pepper, South Africa, 29
- Jessica Hawkins, United Kingdom, 25
- Sabre Cook, United States, 25
- Ayla Agren, Norway, 26
- Abbie Eaton, United Kingdom, 28
- Belen Garcia, Spain, 20
- Nerea Marti, Spain, 18
- Irina Sidorkova, Russia, 16
- Bruna Tomaselli, Brazil, 22
“Nothing beats the sheer thrill of driving a real race car flat-out on a real racetrack, and I don’t mind admitting I’m missing that enormously. But I’ve been massively impressed by the work that W Series, Logitech, Beyond Entertainment and iRacing have done together over the past few weeks, and the result, the W Series Esports League, is seriously impressive.
“Moreover, when I saw the list of circuits, I literally gasped: it’s a truly mouth-watering schedule. So you can be well sure I’ll be practising hard from now until the first W Series Esports League race. It won’t be easy to continue my winning form – I respect all the W Series drivers and I know how keen they’ll all be to do well – but I’ll definitely be giving it my best shot. Bring it on!” said Jamie Chadwick, the reigning W Series champion.
There’s no set dates as yet, but the track list has been revealed.
- Autodromo Nazionale di Monza
- Circuit of the Americas
- Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit
- Autódromo José Carlos Pace
- Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps
- Watkins Glen International
- Suzuka International Racing Course
- Mount Panorama Circuit
- Nürburgring Nordschleife
- Silverstone Grand Prix Circuit
Catherine Bond Muir (Chief Executive Officer, W Series) said:
“In the absence of on-track racing anywhere in the world, as a result of the ongoing global COVID-19 crisis, we at W Series are pleased to announce the inauguration of our own W Series Esports League.
“I’m extremely impressed by the work that has been done to put it together, in record time, by ourselves and by our partners Logitech, Beyond Entertainment and iRacing, in association with our principal sponsor ROKiT Phones, and I’m confident that the result will be a difficult yet exciting challenge for our drivers and an innovative yet thrilling spectacle for fans watching on YouTube, on Twitch, and on other streaming platforms dedicated to online gaming.”
David Coulthard (Chairman, W Series Advisory Board) said:
“The 2019 W Series championship was a brilliantly successful and hugely popular six-race debut season, and I’m sure that the 2020 W Series championship, which has been scheduled over eight races, would have been even bigger and even better. We intend to stage on-track W Series races once the global COVID-19 crisis has subsided, whenever that will be, but, in the meantime, we’re delighted to have created the next best thing, the W Series Esports League, which will race on 10 of the greatest racetracks in the world.
“I began my racing career prior to the digital revolution, so I’d be the first to admit that I’m not an ace sim racer, but I recognise the brilliance of modern esports and I’m very much looking forward to watching our W Series drivers take each other on, racing wheel-to-wheel, on identical set-ups, remotely, from their own homes, all over the world.”
We’ll share updates from the new all-female W Series Esports League announced yesterday as they become available as part of our eSports news coverage, as well as our iRacing news.
And if you’re a female sim racer, or want to get started, then you can sign up for iRacing here, and begin building your virtual motorsport career. If you use that link, please enter dan.thornton@onlineracedriver.com when asked for a referring email address. It won’t cost you more, and gets me some credits to spend on tracks and cars!
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