Given that so few race teams, championships, governing bodies or any other stakeholders in motorsport seem to have done anything at all to encourage female participation in racing, we at Ti were saddened to learn that W Series had collapsed before the end of its third season – because here at least was one initiative that was trying to address the gender imbalance in our sport.
W Series has always had its detractors and it may have been imperfect from the start, but it was something. And now, unless the organisers are able to overcome their alarming financial woes (press reports suggest the series is in debt to the tune of £7.5m) and re-establish the category next year or some time soon, that something will be lost, leaving almost nothing in its place.
This is an important topic, one that both Andrew and I wanted to weigh in on here. Joana Fidalgo recently wrote a very insightful piece about women in racing, looking at what the barriers to entry for would-be female racers might be and profiling the few women who have competed at motorsport’s highest level. You can read her article here.
