Racing Prodigy™, a sports, entertainment, and media venture focused on increasing accessibility to motorsports, announced that Williams Racing, a renowned Formula 1 team, has joined as the first official team in the Prodigy Racing League™ (PRL). The PRL is set to debut its inaugural real-world series in the United States in the fall of 2024, marking a significant step in bringing professional motorsports to a broader audience. This collaboration underscores Racing Prodigy’s mission to democratize the sport, leveraging Williams Racing’s expertise and prestige to enhance the league’s appeal and reach.
This summer, Williams Esports, the sim racing arm of the F1 team, will draft four drivers from among the 32 competitors representing 14 countries – aged 15 to 45 including two female drivers – to compete on its four-car, real-world PRL racing team.
The drivers, many of them elite sim racers, qualified for the draft by competing in one of the PRL esports events and competing at Prodigy Week. These selected drivers will receive paid contracts from Racing Prodigy, to compete in its real-world racing series within the Prodigy Racing League, allowing them to pursue their dreams of a real-world racing career.
Williams will also host the inaugural Prodigy Draft within its London Fan Zone on Saturday, July 6 at 2pm BST. Projected first round draft picks will be on-site to hear their names called by their new teams. The draft will be streamed live on Racing Prodigy’s YouTube channel.
As well as competing in the league, Williams – in collaboration with PitFit Training – will provide an intensive remote coaching program to all PRL drivers competing in the series. The program features a comprehensive driver evaluation test with feedback from a driver coach, chief engineer, and human performance coach. Preceding each race, drivers will engage in a tailored training regimen covering crucial aspects such as race car physics, set-up development, condition and performance mapping, strategy testing, and adaptive driving styles. Furthermore, PRL participants gain access to PitFit’s Human Performance program, responsible for preparing hundreds of drivers and teams in motorsports, ensuring that physiological and cognitive stressors never become a limitation of maximizing performance. PitFit’s program for PRL drivers is complemented by Williams’ coaching expertise in fitness, strength & conditioning, nutrition, and sports psychology, as well as its rich heritage of engineering and driver development.
In addition to the draft in London, Williams will hold competitions at its Fan Zones worldwide, inviting attendees to showcase their skills on simulators for a chance to earn golden tickets to Prodigy Week, qualify for the Prodigy Draft, and potentially race for the prestigious team in the Prodigy Racing League. The initiative offers an enticing opportunity for motorsport enthusiasts to engage directly with the sport and transition from virtual to real-world racing. Promotions will be held at all Williams Fan Zones, which take place in city centers in the week building up to F1 grands prix, including locations such as Melbourne, Tokyo, Miami, Montreal, Barcelona, Singapore, Austin, and Las Vegas.
Marcus Prosser, Marketing Director, Williams Racing stated, “Williams is passionate about breaking new boundaries in bringing fans closer to motorsport and has a proud tradition of developing talented young drivers into race winners, so teaming up with Racing Prodigy makes perfect sense. We’re excited about this opportunity to work with sim drivers from a range of backgrounds and getting them ready to race for real.”
“Williams Racing is one of the world’s leading Formula 1 teams, so to bring its expertise in real-world racing to the world’s first e2Real sports league is a major step forward for motorsports,” stated Racing Prodigy CEO David Cook. “We have a clear vision to deliver the next generation of motorsports that is driven by our e2Real PRL league, built for access, transparency, fan engagement, and opportunities for all, regardless of socioeconomic background.”
The first season of esports in the Prodigy Racing League welcomed over 100,000 participants from more than 100 countries. These competitors, representing all walks of life, engaged in virtual racing competitions, demonstrating a high demand from drivers seeking a viable path to a real-world racing career.
The racers earned their golden tickets to try out at Prodigy Week in fall 2023 and spring 2024 either by winning an esports competition on iRacing, RaceRoom, rFactor 2, Street Kart Racing, or by being selected by Prodigy Search Committees. During Prodigy Week, drivers were coached and judged across multiple disciplines, including fitness, on-camera interviews, skid pad, autocross, racecar data review, and competing in Radical SR1 race cars on the main racetrack. In total, they completed more than 2,000 laps or nearly 4,000 miles.
Additional Racing Prodigy partners include Advanced SimRacing, Atlanta Motorsports Park, GRID Engineering, iRacing, Max Papis Innovations (MPI), Mazda North American Operations, PitFit Training, Primal Racing School, RaceRoom, Sim-Lab, SuckerPunch, Street Kart Racing, The Racers Physio, Toyo Tires, and Women in Motorsports North America.
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