Australians in contention for W Series seats

Three Australians feature in a list of drivers hoping to secure a spot in the inaugural W Series next year.

Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge driver Chelsea Angelo, SuperUtes and Aussie Racing Cars pilot Charlotte Poynting, and Lamborghini Super Trofeo racer Caitlin Wood all appear on a list of more than 50 female drivers vying to fill the 18 spots on the 2019 grid.

Offering fully funded drives, the all-female series is the first of its kind and aimed at increasing female participation in motorsport.

It will feature a $1,500,000 prize pool with the winner taking home $500,000.

The qualifying drivers were carefully selected from a pool of more than 100 applicants from 30 countries around the world with more than a 100 drivers registering their interest.

“We are thrilled but perhaps not surprised by the response,” said W Series CEO Catherine Bond.

“Even today there is a massive gender imbalance in motorsport and W Series is making the first step to correct that.

“Drivers from all over the world have stepped forward, so it’s clear that with the right framework we can make the changes this sport desperately needs.”

Angelo, Poynting and Wood will join the rest of the qualifying drivers in participating in the next part of the selection process due to take place early next year.

The trio will complete a three-day on and off-track trial including fitness tests and psychometric profiling, as well as multiple driving skill tests.

Former Formula 1 stars David Coulthard and Alex Wurz will be among the judges, alongside Dave Ryan, W Series Racing Director.

The W Series will run on the DTM bill beginning at Hockenheim from May 3-5.

Full qualifier list

Ayla Agren, 25, Norway
Amna Al Qubaisi,18, UAE
Chelsea Angelo, 22, Australia
Carmen Boix, 23, Spain
Sarah Bovy, 29, Belgium
Toni Breidinger, 19, USA
Ivana Cetinich, 22, South Africa
Jamie Chadwick, 20, UK
Veronika Cicha, 31, Czech Republic
Sabre Cook, 24, USA
Courtney Crone, 17, USA
Natalie Decker, 21, USA
Mira Erda, 18, India
Carlotta Fedeli, 26, Italy
Cassie Gannis, 27, USA
Marta Garcia, 18, Spain
Michelle Gatting, 24, Denmark
Angelique Germann, 27 Germany
Megan Gilkes, 17, Canada
Samin Gomez, 26, Venezuela
Grace Gui, 27, China
Michelle Halder, 19, Germany
Esmee Hawkey, 20, UK
Jessica Hawkins, 23, UK
Shea Holbrook, 28, USA
Carmen Jorda, 30, Spain
Vivien Keszthelyi, 17, Hungary
Emma Kimilainen, 29, Finland
Natalia Kowalska, 28, Poland
Stephane Kox, 24, Netherlands
Miki Koyama, 21, Japan
Fabienne Lanz, 32, South Africa
Milla Mäkelä, 25, Finland
Alexandra Marinescu, 18, Romania
Milou Mets, 28, Netherlands
Sheena Monk, 29, USA
Sarah Moore, 25, UK
Marylin Niederhauser, 22, Germany
Tasmin Pepper, 28, South Africa
Vicky Piria, 24, Italy
Taegen Poles, 20, Canada
Alice Powell, 25, UK
Charlotte Poynting, 20, Australia
Naomi Schiff, 24, Belgium
Carrie Schreiner, 20, Germany
Sharon Scolari, 23, Switzerland
Doreen Seidel, 33, Germany
Siti Shahkirah, 24, Malaysia
Sneha Sharma, 28, India
Bruna Tomasell, 21, Brazil
Shirley Van Der Lof, 31, Netherlands
Beitske Visser, 23, Netherlands
Fabienne Wohlwend, 21, Lichenstein
Caitlin Wood, 21, Australia
Hanna Zellers, 21, USA