W Series to host prospective driver test in Arizona for 2022 season
W Series will hold a test for prospective drivers in the US ahead of the 2022 season, with 14 drivers confirmed for the Arizona event.
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
Ahead of the series' third season, it will stage a test at the Inde Motorsports Ranch between 31 January and 4 February using US specification F4 cars.
The all-female championship staged its first-ever round outside of Europe last October at the Circuit of the Americas in support of the US Grand Prix, holding a double-header season finale.
Drivers attending the test include 2020 Britcar Endurance Champion Jem Hepworth, Formula Regional European driver Lena Buhler, and FIA Girls on Track finalist Julia Ayoub.
The top eight drivers from the 2021 season have all been given the opportunity to race again next season, including double champion Jamie Chadwick and runner-up Alice Powell.
Chadwick said it was unlikely she would return to the series, while both drivers took part in a WEC test in Bahrain in December.
W Series Academy members Nerea Marti and Irina Sidorkova are also guaranteed seats as part of the academy package.
The 14 drivers attending the test are as follows:
Madison Aust, USA, 16
Julia Ayoub, BRA, 16
Tereza Babickova, CZE, 18
Lindsay Brewer, USA, 24
Lena Buhler, SWI, 24
Bianca Bustamante, PHI, 16
Maite Caceres, URU, 19
Chloe Chambers, USA, 17
Jorden Dolischka, AUT, 17
Emely De Heus, NED, 18
Nicole Havrda, CAN, 15
Jem Hepworth, UK, 21
Corinna Kamper, AUT, 27
Lola Lovinfosse, FRA, 16
Racing Director Dave Ryan, who will oversee the test, said: "The purpose of this test is to get to know a new group of drivers and understand what they are capable of as we finalise our 2022 driver line-up and look to the future.
"All of the drivers who will be with us in Arizona have demonstrated talent and potential in their careers so far and, while some may be a year or two away from racing in W Series, this is an opportunity for them to showcase their skills and for us to accelerate their development.
"The final round of our 2021 season at the Circuit of the Americas was very successful and proved what a great appetite there is for W Series in the USA. I am therefore delighted to be staging this test at the Inde Motorsports Ranch with a great group of drivers, many of whom have experience of racing in the Americas."
The series is yet to confirm its 2022 calendar.
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