LONDON: W Series, the international single-seater motor racing championship for female drivers only, announced the start of its new eSports League - and yes, it's still a ladies-only occasion.
The league will commence its simulation racing season in the coming weeks together with PC and console gaming gear makers Logitech G, community-driven organisation and specialist in hosting tournaments Beyond Entertainment as well as leading eSports simulation platform iRacing.
There will be 18 ladies vying for the top spot have previously qualified to race in the on-track W Series this year which names such as 21-year-old Jamie Chadwick (UK), 25-year old Beitske Visser (Netherlands) and 19-year-old Marta Garcia (SPA) to name few.
However, the company said that it reserves the right to invite other female drivers to participate in the league.
The race will be held on 10 iconic, albeit virtual, international race circuits made famous by Formula 1, IndyCar, the World Endurance Championship and Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM) among others.
These venues include Autodromo Nazionale di Monza (Italy), Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium), Suzuka International Racing Course (Japan), Mount Panorama Circuit, Bathurst (Australia), Nürburgring Nordschleife (Germany) and Silverstone Grand Prix Circuit (United Kingdom) among others.
The ladies will be racing in a digitised version of the Tatuus Formula Renault 2.0 race car that's similar in looks, performance and driver "feel" to the W Series Tatuus Formula 3 race car
Points collected will be awarded in every race and at the end of the season, the driver with the most points will be declared the season champion.
Up to three races will be run at each of the 10 circuits, of varying lengths and durations, with the majority of the races starting on the grid as usual - based on the driver's best qualifying time.
However, some will be run in reverse grid-order that's based on the driver's current points standings within the league.
At current, no decision has been made in respect of any W Series eSports League prize money.
The eight-race 2020 W Series was originally scheduled to begin in St Petersburg, Russia from May 29 to 30 and was supposed to follow the DTM race venues.
However, DTM has postponed its remaining races until autumn due to the current coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.
