W Series for Women

[bella]

Originally Posted by NaBUru38

Is talent a must to reach F1? Unfortunately, not really. So it's understandable they are considering other more relevant factors.

none of which are musts to reach f1 either, unless they’re asking for family trees and trust funds

the hardest bit here is, as a woman, supporting other women moving through the selection process, but also articulating disagreement with the concept itself.

[NaBUru38]

Many women have criticised the project, most notably Pippa Mann.


It would be easier if 3-driver teams in FIA F3 were required to have a least one woman.

[midgetman]

Originally Posted by NaBUru38

Is talent a must to reach F1? Unfortunately, not really.

Of course it is. Even the lamest, back of the grid F1 driver can drive the socks off all of us here. You've got to have some kind of talent to even keep an F1 car on the road.

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

[gregc]

Originally Posted by NaBUru38

Many women have criticised the project, most notably Pippa Mann.

It would be easier if 3-driver teams in FIA F3 were required to have a least one woman.

My biggest problem with this whole concept (apart from the segregated racing itself, which is just plain wrong to me - but Pippa Mann, Sophia Floersch and others have articulated that far better than I can) is that if you want to increase female representation in motorsport then going in at F3 level is far, far too late.

Spend the money supporting female drivers in karting and junior series, or put it into a female driver development programme - I'd be right there supporting either of those. By the time you get to F3, most of the female drivers have already fallen away from the sport. Of course, it's harder to make a PR stunt out of things like that....

I'm not going to criticise the drivers who are taking the opportunity (I think Jamie Chadwick has the best attitude - it's another series she can add to her 2019 calendar, and it's free, so she might as well go for it), but I genuinely hope the series itself fails - otherwise I worry that segregated racing starts being seen as normal*.

*it pains me saying that, normally I would wish any new series the best of luck on the basis that more racing is always good. But not this one.

[andrewc]

Meanwhile Jamie Chadwick shows its not necessary by winning the MRF single seater series with a total of 6 wins out of 15 races

[ArcticRacing]

Hello, I'm writing a fan guidebook about W Series in French and English to help motorsport fans to know more about the 28 drivers before the 4-day tests from March 23rd to 27th in Spain.


(The guidebook is a free PDF made with Scribus, a Linux DTP software)


The PDF is already done in French ( here http://online.fliphtml5.com/xezw/hxoy/ ) but I'm not used to translate in English, so a quick translation was done with DeepL Translator and I then corrected the most obvious mistakes, but each time I read the translation, I found others mistakes, so maybe someone could help me ? I like to share accurate information in correct language ^^


Here's a link if you want to make suggestions :

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1...it?usp=sharing


Thank you in advance!

[ArcticRacing]

The 7 first pages are done, but as I'm mostly used to read and heard "broken English" from all over the internet, I'm note sure if my sentences are wrong or not
Here's the 7 pages : https://imgur.com/a/c3wW3yz


An example of the result :

[Juntos]

Good job ArticRacing.

[ArcticRacing]

Thanks !


Here is the fully translated guidebook :

http://online.fliphtml5.com/xezw/fygy/

[gregc]

Interesting show on Radio 5 Live last night - Jennie Gow discussing the series with Catherine Bond Muir & Jamie Chadwick on the "pro" side and Flick Haigh & Sophie Williamson-Stothert against. Also recorded contributions from various others. It hasn't changed my personal view that it's a bad idea, but it's a good listen and it's the first time I've personally heard Bond Muir (or anyone else involved in running the series) tackle the criticisms head on.

I also find it encouraging that the whole subject of women in motorsport gets a solid hour of discussion on mainstream radio.

Worth a listen if you've got an hour to spare - https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0003tvw

[ApexTurtle]

That was very interesting, thanks. It hasn't changed my point of view either in that I don't really have any concrete views... I can see the bad as well as the good and I guess it's going to happen regardless. I will wait with forming an opinion until after the cars have been on track.

[Johno.UK]

I think it's a bad idea that sends the wrong message but I don't blame any of the women who are trying to get a drive. If I was the right gender I'd be there in a heartbeat as well, any drive is better than no drive after all.

[S griffin]

Have to say the guidebook is well written. Still this series has a lot of credibility at stake if the winner doesn't make a mark in the next series she competes

[cds_uk]

Nice job ArcticRacing.

[Umai Naa]

Good work!

[rich07]

Originally Posted by ArcticRacing

Thanks !





Here is the fully translated guidebook :



http://online.fliphtml5.com/xezw/fygy/

Thanks for the effort. Great work!

It’s nice to read up on the backgrounds of the competitors and possible strengths/weaknesses.

[morninggents]

Originally Posted by Johno.UK

If I was the right gender I'd be there in a heartbeat as well.

Presumably that can be fixed. Depends how much you want to go racing.

[Umai Naa]

Most have been fairly quiet on social media this time around.

I guess that's what separates those who are serious from those who are perhaps just happy to be there...

[bella]

the series own social media makes me cringe a bit. i’m not sure which market they’re targeting with their tweets.

[peebee2]

Originally Posted by Umai Naa

Most have been fairly quiet on social media this time around.

Almost certainly been gagged by the organisers I’d have thought...

[ArcticRacing]

Originally Posted by Umai Naa

Most have been fairly quiet on social media this time around.

I guess that's what separates those who are serious from those who are perhaps just happy to be there...

Indeed, a lot of drivers was like Sarah Bovy :

[ArcticRacing]

And here is the list of the 18 selected:

Jamie Chadwick, UK
Sabre Cook, USA
Marta Garcia, Spain
Megan Gilkes, Canada
Esmee Hawkey, UK
Jessica Hawkins, UK
Shea Holbrook, USA
Emma Kimilainen, Finland
Miki Koyama, Japan
Sarah Moore, UK
Tasmin Pepper, South Africa
Vicky Piria, Italy
Alice Powell, UK
Gosia Rdest, Poland
Naomi Schiff, Belgium
Beitske Visser, Netherlands
Fabienne Wohlwend, Liechtenstein
Caitlin Wood, Australia

And the 4 reserve drivers

Sarah Bovy, Belgium
Vivien Keszthelyi, Hungary
Stephane Kox, Netherlands
Francesca Linossi, Italy

Not surprisingly, goodbye Van der Lof, Mets, Gui, and Kowalaska. Linossi too : we shouldn't see her often.

2 "shocks" on the other hand with the non-selection of Natalie Decker, very young, and a real star in the USA with a lot of followers, as well as Vivien Keszthelyi only reserve driver. She is also very popular, and she is the 2nd youngest of the 28, so with theoretically more progress to come.
Of course, it's a half surprise as Decker is a pure NASCAR driver with no experience of single-seater championships, and the same for Keszthelyi, GT driver who discovered single-seaters with the winter 2019 F3 Asia, without impressive performances since Koyama came for the last round and had no trouble being faster.

I'm also disappointed for Sarah Bovy, but it's been so long since she's been in a single-seater and she has very irregular programs...
I would have expected Alexandra Whitley to be selected, but she has never known anything other than New Zealand pickup races, so...

[bella]

honestly, i’m not surprised at most, if not all of the names on the list and i’m pleased for everyone and the new lease of life some of their careers are getting.

still fundamentally against this in every shape and form.

[Umai Naa]

I'd say maybe only 50% of the ladies in that list would have a full-time gig in any championship this year without the W Series.

Above all the politics, tokenism, etc, it gives these ladies an opportunity to compete in front of audiences that they perhaps may not have been able to otherwise. For that alone, it's a good thing.

[ascarracinguk]

Im surprised Natalie Decker would have had time to do this amongst all of her other NASCAR commitments. good young driver and seems to be racing in every stock car series I watch at the moment!