Former racing driver and Keeping Up with the Kardashians star Caitlyn Jenner has launched her own W Series team that will compete on the Formula One calendar for the 2022 season.
Although formerly known for her Olympic decathlon success, the Olympic champion then had a short stint in motorsport, driving in the Camel GT series throughout the 1980s.
Jenner later competed in the Toyota Pro Celebrity Race at the Grand Prix of Long Beach, winning in 1979 and 1982 in a 10-lap F1 bout.
Now she has decided to form her own W Series team - and has targeted further success in a prestigious sporting career.
Jenner Racing team will be ready for W Series' third season, which consists of Formula 1 support races at eight Grand Prix weekends.
The first race is set to get underway in Miami, USA, and the sport is expected to bring in even more viewing figures this year than ever before. The W Series had a global reach of more than half a billion viewers in 2021 when their partnership with F1 began.
Jenner has taken on the role of team principal, and will watch over the handling of her Jenner Racing team, with lots of logistics still needing to be sorted out before the season gets underway in May.
Her first port of call will be to oversee their driver line-up, and also securing the relevant sponsorships as Jenner continues to promote women in sport by creating a platform for them in motorsport.
Fifteen drivers from around the world have already attended a testing event in Arizona ahead of putting together a team, and the W Series line-up for the new season will be announced shortly.
Jenner's decision has been majorly backed by W Series CEO Catherine Bond Muir, who said: "W Series exists to promote women in motorsport, believing that they can compete equally with men if given the same opportunities.
"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."
Following the news that her Jenner Racing team had been given the green light to compete, Jenner 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."
