Caitlyn Jenner-owned team to compete in W Series

A team owned by Olympic champion and former race car driver Caitlyn Jenner will compete in the 2022 W Series season.

‘Jenner Racing’ will enter the third season of the all-female open-wheeler competition, with Jenner herself filling the role of team principal.

Drivers are yet to be confirmed, as are a livery and sponsors.

Jenner won Gold in the Decathlon in the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games, becoming a genuine sporting superstar in the United States.

After victory in a celebrity race at the 1979 United States Grand Prix West, when Formula 1 raced at Long Beach, a career as a professional driver would follow.

That saw Jenner compete in the IMSA GT Championship for several years, including a stint as a factory Ford driver, with highlights including a runner-up finish in the 1986 season.

Those feats were all achieved as ‘Bruce Jenner’, but the 72-year-old now identifies as Caitlyn after a gender transition.

In explaining the decision to enter the W Series, she said, “As a believer in fair competition, a lover of motor racing, and a supporter of all women in sport from the grassroots to elite level, W Series ticks every box for me and is a fusion of the different aspects of my career.

“A championship dedicated to inspiring young girls and giving women the chance to succeed in roles throughout what has traditionally been a male-dominated industry, W Series is changing the face of motorsport.

“As the series continues its rapid expansion with a truly international cast of drivers and races, this was the perfect time to come on board.

“W Series had a global reach of more than half a billion viewers in 2021, and I am going out to the market to acquire sponsors that align with mine and W Series’ joint missions.

“I watched on with great excitement last year when W Series made its American debut in Austin, Texas, USA, where its drivers entertained 400,000 fans over the weekend at the Circuit of the Americas.

“In May, I will be beaming with pride when my Jenner Racing team starts its bid for W Series glory on motor racing’s greatest stage at the first race of season three in Miami, USA, in support of Formula 1. As has always been the case, I’m in it to win it.”

W Series CEO Catherine Bond Muir hailed Jenner’s involvement in the competition.

“W Series exists to promote women in motorsport, believing that they can compete equally with men if given the same opportunities,” she remarked.

“We are determined to give females a platform and a pathway to succeed in our sport, and when I first met Caitlyn Jenner, it was clear that she is as committed to that mission as all of us at W Series are.

“She has performed at the highest level in sport, is a proven winner and a complete petrol-head, and I know that her passion for sport and motorsport will inspire everybody at W Series.

“We continue to rethink racing and I am excited to see how the Jenner Racing team performs this season. With one of the world’s greatest athletes supporting them, the sky is the limit.”

The 2022 W Series season is comprised of eight rounds, all of which will be held on the support bill at Formula 1 grands prix across three continents.

Round 1 takes place at the Miami Grand Prix on May 6-8, followed by races at the Spanish, British, French, Hungarian, Japanese, United States, and Mexico City events.

W Series 2022 calendar

* Subject to contract