The upcoming W Series, an all new racing series which is exclusively for female drivers aimed at giving them a platform to compete fairly in motorsport, has received a huge number of applications, all vying to be on the grid when the first race takes place in May at Hockenheim in support of the DTM Series.
But with just 18 spots available, how will the series whittle its 60 applicants down? That's the job of ex-Formula 1 driver and double Le Mans 24 Hours winner Alex Wurz, who will be a judge alongside David Coulthard and retired female racer Lyn St James, who in the '90s made seven Indy 500 starts.
Wurz is heading up the qualifying process through a company he and his father started, Test and Training International, which will be tasked with the job of putting each candidate through their paces in a series of tests and challenges.
The process will take place this weekend at the Wachauring Circuit in Melk, Austria and last for three days. Wurz refused to go into detail as to what exactly is involved, but explained that various abilities from the obvious, such as driving skill, to PR skills, would be tested.
"It’s a comprehensive programme, and I won’t go into all the details now, but it’s a very tough series of tests involving all aspects of a racing driver’s skill-set – not only the driving itself but also physical fitness, mental aptitude, psychological and psychometric testing, communications/media/PR skills and so on," the Austrian explained in a W Series interview.
"I’ll be one of the judges, but so will David Coulthard, who’s one of the Directors of W Series, and also Lyn St James. It’ll be a private event – not open to fans or journalists I’m sorry to say – because it’ll be a crucial and challenging test for all the W Series qualifiers, whatever they’ve raced in the past, and they must be able to focus on the tasks they’ll be given without distraction of any kind."
Wurz says his involvement goes further than simply offering his services as he is a keen supporter of promoting women in motorsport, who he believes can race equally if given the right opportunity.
"If, as a result of the launch of W Series, more girls and young women are able to go motor racing, then more girls and young women will progress to the higher levels of motor racing. It’s as simple as that. The fact that we’ve never had that many female racing drivers is merely a reflection of the fact that so few parents encourage their daughters to go karting whereas so many of them encourage their sons to do so.
"If W Series’ drivers begin to generate a following, particularly among young girls, and those young girls then develop an interest in motor racing, then that current gender imbalance may gradually shift towards greater equality. I’d be very happy if Test and Training International could play its part in helping bring about that important change.
"And, last but not least, I want to help make sure that the best, most promising and most deserving drivers are chosen to race in W Series this year, so that W Series has the very best chance it can possibly have of developing its winners and champions into successful professional high-level racing drivers who’ll go on to compete and win against male rivals, utilising the lessons they learned while racing for W Series."
To see a full list of W Series qualifiers, click here.
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