Abbie Eaton is among a wave of 14 drivers who are set to try out for a berth in the second season of W Series competition.

The prospective drivers will go head to head in a series of tests at the Almeria circuit in Spain looking to fill the eight empty seats.

The leading 12 drivers from this year’s championship receive automatic re-entry, leaving up to eight berths for newcomers in 2020.

Among those joining Eaton in the trial is fellow Brit and accomplished racer Katherine Legge, while Chelsea Herbert is the sole Antipodean representative.

“I’ve been following W Series throughout its inaugural season and I’ve been really impressed by how the championship has developed,” explained Eaton.

“I’m delighted to have been invited to Spain for the 2020 selection event following the simulator test event last week in the UK, and I’m looking forward to getting some mileage in a single seater, hopefully ending with a spot on the 2020 grid.”

At 39 years old, Legge is the oldest of the drivers set to take part, and with two seasons of Champ Car under her belt is also the most experienced.

“I was sceptical about W Series in the beginning but I’ve followed it throughout the 2019 season and I can honestly say that it has exceeded my expectations, so much so that I’m delighted to be taking part in the test event myself this weekend in Almeria,” she said.

Herbert meanwhile has been plying her trade in the BNT V8s series in New Zealand, finishing third in Class 2 in the 2017-18 season while still a teenager.

“I believe that the opportunity W Series represents only comes around once in a lifetime and I feel fortunate and highly excited to be in the right place at the right time to take this opportunity forward,” said the Kiwi.

“I believe in myself and I believe I can prove why I am worthy of a place in the W Series 2020 season.”

The three-day test, which begins on Monday, will include evaluation on simulators as well as track time in the series’ Tatuus T-318 cars, with benchmark times set by 2019 competitors Beitske Visser and Miki Koyama.

No calendar has yet been released for the series’ second season, which supported DTM in its inaugural year.

Entry List: 2019/20 W Series selection test field

Abbie Eaton, UK
Abbie Munro, UK
Anna Inotsume, Japan
Ayla Agren, Norway
Belen Garcia, Spain
Bruna Tomaselli, Brazil
Chelsea Herbert, New Zealand
Courtney Crone, USA
Gabriela Jilkova, Czech Republic
Hannah Grisham, USA
Irina Sidorkova, Russia
Katherine Legge, UK
Michelle Gatting, Denmark
Nerea Marti, Spain