W SERIES BEGINS 2020 DRIVER DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME

W Series, the new international single-seater racing championship for female drivers only, kicks-off its 2020 driver development programme with an intensive four-day skills workshop in London – bringing in stars and experts from the worlds of athletics, team sports, snooker and broadcasting to help deliver the programme.

Olympic champion and triple world champion athlete, Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill DBE, Ama Agbeze MBE, former England netball captain, and legendary snooker champion, and current World Seniors Champion, Jimmy White MBE, will be working with teams of professional sports coaches and trainers to optimise the performance of the drivers ahead of the first race of the season, at Igora Drive, St Petersburg, in May.

Catherine Bond Muir, CEO of W Series, said: “We are committed to developing the best female drivers in the world and this means investment in skills and training, as well as access to our proven international racing series. In this way we believe we will help our drivers realise their full potential and prepare them for competition in the elite formulae of motorsport – perhaps even Formula 1, in time.”

Key skill sessions will include media training, nutrition, fitness, motivation and psychometric assessment, with detailed driving technique modules planned for simulator and on-track sessions later.

Jessica Ennis-Hill, the 2012 Olympic heptathlon champion and triple world champion said: “I’ve been following the amazing progress of W Series really closely and totally support their mission to encourage more women into the sport. Performing at the highest level goes beyond physical conditioning – it’s a perfect alignment of mind and body, and I hope my story will inspire and motivate these great drivers as they work to reach their full potential.”

Ama Agbeze MBE, former England netball captain, will be working with trainers to develop a robust and dynamic performance culture, and Jimmy White MBE, multiple snooker championship winner and current world seniors champion, will demonstrate the art of concentration and precision. The World Seniors Snooker Tour is partnered by global telecoms operation, ROKiT Phones, which recently became the first major W Series sponsor in a multi-year deal announced in December last year.

The W Series eight-race 2020 season starts on May 30 at the new Igora Drive circuit near St Petersburg and finishes with back-to-back weekends supporting Formula 1 races at Austin, Texas on October 24, and Mexico City on October 31.