The FIA’s W Series for female open-wheel competition, begins its third, 2022 season with a double-header, by accompanying the Formula 1 circus as it competes on the streets of Miami, Florida for the first time this weekend. With Hard Rock International as its title sponsor, the W Series will conduct two races in support of the inaugural Formula 1 Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix, May 6-8.
W Series Miami presented by Hard Rock features two races at the brand new Miami International Autodrome, located around Hard Rock Stadium in this South Florida megapolis. There are 19 drivers, one a reserve driver, on the docket for this race, from all corners of the world. Great Britain is widely represented with two-time W Series champion Jamie Chadwick leading six British racers in the series. The UK is the most widely represented in this series, with Spain bringing three drivers to the show and The Netherlands producing two. There are drivers from Brazil, Czech Republic, Finland, Japan, Lichtenstein, Norway, The Philippines and a single United States entry.
Chloe Chambers, from New York state, is 17 years old and has been racing since she was eight. Her family is motorsports-centric and when Chloe showed an interest, she got the support necessary to start and continue a racing trajectory. She began, as most do, in karts and has rampaged through the myriad of classes in that discipline before beginning to drive racing cars. She’s won championships in a variety of karting disciplines since 2012, with her 2020 WKA title in Rok Senior is a grand accomplishment, as is her Guinness World Record for vehicle slalom of 47.45 seconds.
Chambers will have a route to success in the W Series this year that not every one of the other drivers can claim: she’s racing for Jenner Racing, with former Olympic decathlete Caitlyn Jenner her team owner and with reigning two-time W Series champion Jamie Chadwick her teammate. “Caitlyn has so much knowledge and information to share about being a high-profile sports person,” Chambers said. “I think learning things from her, especially publicity-wise, is something I can take this year for the rest of my life.”
If that commentary sounds a bit driven, that’s what is necessary to be successful in her chosen field. One must be greedy to be successful in this sport. But it’s also necessary to get on with one’s teammate and Chambers recognizes that having the reigning titleholder in her corner is an advantage no one else has: “I think having Jamie as my teammate definitely gives me an advantage,” with four other competitors being first-timers. “She’s the one everyone has been trying to beat. She’s the benchmark for everyone, so to have her as my teammate and able to have access to her and all her knowledge is very helpful.”
If Chambers is successful right from the start and is ahead of Chadwick, that reflection might change. And, of course, neither one of Jenner Racing’s two drivers has any idea of what to expect once the Miami track opens for practice. For Chambers, though, the pre-season testing, along with the fact that she knows two of the circuits: COTA and Barcelona (where W Series testing has been held), give her a step up. “I think I can learn new circuits really easily. I’ve always had to learn new tracks in karting, so I had to develop that skill,” she said.
From her first indoctrination into motorsports, Chambers has had her sights set at the pinnacle: Formula 1. She started racing because of her father’s motorsports activities and from watching F1 races. “I always, from a young age, had my eyes set on Formula 1 and I wanted to be like the Formula 1 drivers.” She has other goals as well: “I want to go to Formula 1 and be competitive, have a chance to win and not just go into Formula 1 and have that be it. I’ve also wanted to do the Indy 500 because it’s a big race in America. Since I’ve been getting into sports cars recently (she’s racing a Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport in the World Racing League this year, as well as W Series and US F3), I’ve been looking at the Daytona 24, the Le Mans 24 and some of the more iconic sports car races.”
Although we’re all “homers” and will cheer for our local racers, it’s wise to remember it’s been a vast 195 days since the stress-fueled W Series 2021 finale at Circuit of the Americas, W Series’ first American race. This weekend’s doubleheader in support of Formula 1’s inaugural Miami Grand Prix features 17 other drivers beyond Chloe Chambers. This year marks 10 races in support of F1 grands prix, with contests in Spain, the UK, France, Hungary, Japan (W Series’ first race in Asia), USA (COTA and Miami) and Mexico, where the season ends with another double-header.
This weekend’s activities begins on Friday, May 6, with a 30-minute practice session at dusk, while Saturday, May 7 offers qualifying from 9:10-9:40AM. Drivers’ best lap times will determine the starting grid for the first race of the weekend, to be held Saturday at 2:25PM (all times Eastern). Each driver’s second-best time determines the starting grid for the second contest, which starts at 10:20AM on Sunday, May 8. Both races are for 30 minute plus one lap and can be seen across W Series’ digital and social channels, as well as by viewing the broadcast in more than 175 territories.
2022 W Series driver line-up:
Click2Drive Bristol Street Motors Racing W Series Team:
Alice Powell (UK, 29) and Jessica Hawkins (UK, 27)
CortDAO Racing W Series Team:
Fabienne Wohlwend (LIE, 24) and Marta Garcia (ESP, 21)
Jenner Racing: Jamie Chadwick (UK, 23) and Chloe Chambers (USA, 17)
Puma W Series Team: Emma Kimiläinen (FIN, 32) and Tereza Babickova (CZE, 19)
Quantfury Racing W Series Team: Nerea Martí (ESP, 20) and Belén García (ESP, 22)
Racing X: Abbi Pulling (UK, 19) and Bruna Tomaselli (BRA, 24)
Scuderia W: Sarah Moore (UK, 28) and Abbie Eaton (UK, 30)
Sirin Racing W Series Team: Beitske Visser (NED, 27) and Emely De Heus (NED, 19)
W Series Academy: Bianca Bustamante (PHI, 17) and Juju Noda (JPN, 16)
Reserve driver: Ayla Agren (28, NOR)
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