W Series Announces 2020 Drivers – Horsepower & Heels

The W Series, a ground-breaking racing series for women that launched in October 2018 to change the racing industry stereotypes and provide opportunity for women in racing has announced its second season of drivers.

After extensive three-day, on-track test sessions at Almeria (southern Spain) last month, and reviewing rigorous lap-time assessment and data-analysis, the W Series has selected six new drivers to race in 2020. They will join the top 12 returning drivers who automatically qualified for the 2020 W Series championship as a result of having finished inside the top 12 in the 2019 W Series championship season.

The 18 confirmed drivers for the 2020 W Series championship

DRIVER	Country	Age	Pts Position
Jamie Chadwick	UK	21	1st
Beitske Visser	Netherlands	24	2nd
Alice Powell	UK	26	3rd
Marta Garcia	Spain	19	4th
Emma Kimilainen	Finland	30	5th
Fabienne Wohlwend	Lichetenstein	21	6th
Miki Koyama	Japan	21	7th
Sarah Moore	UK	25	8th
Vicky Piria	Italy	25	9th
Tasmin Pepper	South Africa	29	10th
Jessica Hawkins	UK	24	11th
Sabre Cook	USA	24	12th
Ayala Agren	Norway	25	New
Abbie Eaton	UK	27	New
Belen Garcia	Spain	20	New
Nerea Marti	Spain	17	New
Irina Sidorkova	Russia	16	New
Bruna Tomaselli	BRasil	21	New

Two more 2020 W Series championship drivers will be announced at a later date, bringing the total to 20. Over 40 new drivers applied for consideration in the series.

It’s an impressive list, including the top 12 from our 2019 season, and six new drivers, who all performed well at Almeria. The result is a varied and international group, comprising 18 drivers from 12 countries, ranging in age from the super-experienced Finn, Emma Kimilainen, 30, to the very promising young Russian, Irina Sidorkova, 16.
Our commiserations go to those whom we haven’t selected, but sadly their disappointment is simply an example of the jeopardy inherent in any athlete’s life at the higher levels of competitive sport. The more you can win, the more you can lose.
Catherine Bond Muir (Chief Executive Officer, W Series)

I was generally impressed by the 14 drivers whom we tested and appraised at Almeria [southern Spain] last month, and making our selection was correspondingly difficult. But we’ve crunched all the data to the best of our ability, and I’m therefore confident that the 18 drivers whom we’ve selected so far represent an excellent line-up. But we’ve left two spaces available, to allow us a little more time to select the final two drivers who, together with the 18 drivers we’ve already selected, will make up the 20 drivers who’ll contest the 2020 W Series championship.
Dave Ryan (Racing Director, W Series)