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W Series
- New team to be named Jenner Racing
- Jenner will oversee driver lineup, car livery and acquisition of sponsors
Olympic gold medallist and US media personality Caitlyn Jenner has announced she is launching a new racing team in the all-female W Series single seater championship.
As a Formula One support series, the all-female championship will be contested across seven rounds in 2022 with Jenner Racing joining the grid for the first race in Miami this May.
Jenner will take on the role of team principal, overseeing the day-to-day running of the team, with a brief that includes signing drivers, input on car livery and the acquisition of sponsors.
During the 2021 season, the W Series debuted a new team structure, which it is set to continue for 2022. The series ran an unofficial teams championship, with entries from Veloce Racing, Bunker Racing, M. Forbes Motorsport, Puma W Series Team, Racing X and Sirin Racing. Jenner Racing will now join the W Series’ roster for its third season.
Jenner has a background in motorsport and raced professionally in the IMSA Camel GT Championship as a factory driver for the Ford Motor Company for six years.
As a high profile name, the addition of Jenner’s team could boost interest in the W Series beyond traditional motorsport fans and grow the series’ global broadcast reach - which last year was more than half a billion potential viewers.
"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," said Jenner.
"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, US, in support of Formula One. As has always been the case, I’m in it to win it."
Catherine Bond Muir, chief executive of the W Series, added: "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."