Analyzing W Series in the US, UK, and Italy

With all the buzz surrounding the all-female single seater W Series’ second season, we decided to dedicate this month’s SponsorPulse Insight piece to the growing motorsport competition and its property health in the US, the UK, and Italy.

W Series in the US

Motorsport as a genre of sport has undoubtedly grown in markets like the US. Although the American motorsport industry is typically dominated by series such as Nascar, Formula One, and IndyCar, that’s not to say that other titles haven’t found their place in the thick of it all. NHRA Drag Racing, AMA Pro Road Racing, MotoGP, and of course, W Series, have all been able to carve out some room in a relatively congested sports market where motorsports are continuing to build a presence.

In the US, more than 59 million people have engaged with W Series at least once in the past year, and 43 per cent of that group engage on a weekly basis. The young racing series actually performs stronger among American males than females, as the property receives a SponsorPulse Opportunity Score of 14 when filtered by the male demographic (compared to the Opportunity Score of five for females). In fact, of the 37 per cent of American males who have engaged with W Series in the past year, 50 per cent of them interact with the property on a weekly basis and 15 per cent claim to be excited about the competition and what it has to offer. Although these aren’t exactly equal to the numbers that the National Football League (NFL) or National Basketball Association (NBA) draw at present, it is still encouraging to see how well the all-female motorsport competition has done in the few years that it has been around.

W Series in the UK

With five of the current 18 W Series drivers being from the UK, there is certainly an area of opportunity for the property and its sponsors to connect with British consumers. According to SponsorPulse data, the racing series hasn’t reached its maximum potential just yet, but it does show some promise as a viable sponsorship opportunity for brands.

Of the 18 per cent of British consumers who have engaged with the property over the past year, one-in-three engage with W Series on a weekly basis. Although it would be ideal to expand that reach to connect with a larger percentage of the market, being able to connect with a significant portion the audience 52 times a year is definitely an appealing feat to potential sponsors. Also, W Series in the UK performs best among those aged between 25 and 39, as 30 per cent of consumers in that age group have interacted with the competition in the past 12 months.W Series in ItalyIt’s no surprise that motorsport has a special place in the hearts of sport fans in Italy. Formula One, MotoGP, and Scuderia Ferrari are all ranked in the top ten of marketable properties in the nation based on SponsorPulse Opportunity Scores. With such an affinity for motorsport in general, the W Series stands to benefit greatly in the market with their recent decision to increase sponsor involvement and transition to a team-based championship starting in 2022.As of now, 23 per cent per cent of Italian consumers have engaged with the property in the past year, and 32 per cent of that cohort engage on a weekly basis. Unfortunately, W Series only records a momentum rating of seven per cent, representing the percentage of those engaged who claim their interest in the property will increase over the next year. With the new team-based model coming and the decision to provide support races for Formula One Grand Prix weekends, hopefully this metric will see an increase over the next year and begin to drive further engagement in a market where motorsport is especially embedded into the sporting culture.Without a doubt, W Series has demonstrated the need and appetite for an all-female racing series that allows these athletes the opportunity to compete and challenge for seats in competitions like Formula One. Despite entering just its second season, the promise that this young property has shown is not only insightful to sports marketing managers, but also inspiring to those wondering what the future of women’s sport looks like.Recently, the world celebrated International Women in Engineering Day and our friend Georgina Yeomans at BlackBook Motorsport responded to a Williams Racing video claiming “Women DO belong in motorsport!”.We’re proud to say that we agree with Georgina on this one, and according to our data, the rest of the world does too.‍

To learn more about international consumer data surrounding W Series and other motorsport competitions around the globe, visit www.sponsorpulse.com!