Formula Pro USA organizers are set to launch a new all-female F4 championship based on the West Coast of the United States: Formula Pro WRS targets a 6 double-headers calendar, with 10 to 12 entries expected for the first season.
After W Series and F1 Academy, a new all-female single seater championship will see the light of the day in 2024: Formula Pro WRS.
Just like the F1-promoted series which will enter its second year - and first season on the support bill of F1 - Formula Pro WRS will run Formula 4 cars and will position itself as an entry level platform for young women to access the most competitive forms of open wheel racing.
Formula Pro WRS will be organized by Exclusive Racing, which is the promoter behind the successful Formula Pro USA series - an open single seater category hosting both a F4 and a Formula 3 Regional class. Canadian racer Nicole Havrda claimed the Formula 3 Regional class of the Formula Pro USA Western Championship, becoming the first female champion.
The new Formula Pro WRS will feature the Ligier JSF4 cars, a first generation F4 machine which has been also used in the F4 US Championship until the end of 2023.
The JSF4 is built by Ligier North America, a partner of the series, to current FIA safety standards and is powered by a 2L four-cylinder normally aspirated Honda engine producing 160 hp. Hankook will be the tyre supplier.
The series organizers' are aiming for a 10-12 car field for the first season of competitions, and it will be open to all female drivers over 14 years of age, obviously requiring a competition license. Two proposed classes include a FPWRS-4 Pro class (14 to 35 years of age) and a FPWRS-4 ProAm class (+35 years of age).
Based on the West Coast of the United States, the championship will be sanctioned by SCCA - Sports Car Club of America and will run in conjunction with the Formula Pro USA Western Championship.
"We believe that women are just as capable as men in racing, and we want to provide them with the opportunity to prove themselves", the series' mission reads. "We are committed to providing a safe and competitive racing environment for all drivers."
Like its parent series, Formula Pro WRS aims to provide a very cost effective format of racing also by reducing the travel and transport time and distances. The released tentative schedule features an optional collective test and 6 race weekends all based in California.
The first of the double-header rounds is set to kick off on 22-24 March 2024 at Thunderhill Raceway Park, which will also host testing on March 1-3. Venues also include other iconic venues such as Sonoma Raceway and WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca and Buttonwillow Raceway.
Two teams have so far been confirmed to enter the championship: Kiwi Motorsport and World Speed Motorsports. The series is set to run on the same technical and sporting regulations as F4 US.
Formula Pro WRS could therefore become an interesting opportunity for young female racers - especially in the US - to step up to F4 machinery.
Formula Pro WRS 2024:
March 22-24 – Thunderhill Raceway Park
April 19-21 – Thunderhill Raceway Park
June 7-9 – WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca
July 5-7 – WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca
August 30-September 1 – Sonoma Raceway
October 11-13 – Buttonwillow Raceway