Williams Racing has become the first official team to sign up for the new Prodigy Racing League (PRL) series.
Confirmed:
- PRL is planned to launch in autumn 2024 in the US
- Williams’ fan zone in London will host the inaugural PRL draft on 6th July
- All fan zones this season will offer the chance for people to showcase their simulator skills and potentially qualify for PRL
- Williams to also provide training to all drivers in the series in collaboration with PitFit Training
Context:
PRL started life as an esports series that welcomed over 100,000 participants from more than 100 countries. Through a series of competitions, this was whittled down to 32 competitors representing 14 countries that will take part in the first real-world series.
Each team will draft four drivers from a talent pool between the ages of 15 and 45, which includes two female drivers. The selected drivers will receive paid contracts in the series designed to reduce the barriers to entry in motorsport.
Elsewhere, Williams Racing has also agreed a licensing partnership with Memento Exclusives to sell official memorabilia including Grand Prix-used racewear, signed photos and helmets via F1 Authentics.
Comment:
Marcus Prosser, marketing director of Williams Racing, said, “Williams is passionate about breaking new boundaries in bringing fans closer to motorsport and has a proud tradition of developing talented young drivers into race winners, so teaming up with Racing Prodigy makes perfect sense. We’re excited about this opportunity to work with sim drivers from a range of backgrounds and getting them ready to race for real.”
Coming next:
With 32 competitors, the expectation is that there are seven more teams to be announced before the official launch of the series. An expected autumn start date this year means things will need to start ramping up soon.
Go deeper:
- Opinion | The role of haptics in simulated motorsport training
- The comeback trail: How Williams’ new commercial strategy is winning over sponsors
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