The W University opens the doors of the Monza racetrack to women passionate about racing. Appointment with the drivers of Ford Driving University and with professional sim-racers to learn the secrets of driving on the track, on a real circuit and behind the wheel of simulators.

The event is part of The W Track project, presented by Ford Italia last March 8 on the occasion of International Women’s Day, to promote inclusiveness and gender equality in eSports and racing, worlds too often the preserve of men.

MONZA, Italy, April 14, 2022 – Two days of training reserved for women with the aim of getting to know all the secrets of safe driving up close, on a real and virtual track, with the technical advice of the drivers of the Ford Driving University and of professional sim-racers.

The Monza racetrack was tinged with pink for the first stage of the W University (the second will be held on 21 June, again at the Lombard circuit), as part of the project “The W Track” , launched by Ford Italy on the occasion of International Women’s Day, last March 8, with the aim of promoting gender equality by opening a universal gateway to eSports, a world that Ford has been overseeing for a few years with the Fordzilla Team.

This team of drivers who, taking advantage of the Blue Oval’s heritage in real races, aims to compete at the highest levels even in virtual ones, currently sees only one female exponent in the roster of runners, Sara Stefanizzi (aka Kurolily).

“The fact that there is only one woman in Team Fordzilla is our fault. We know future pro gamers are out there but we haven’t looked for them enough. It is clear that we have to do things differently. We cannot win the race without even starting it and for this reason we have decided to take to the track by organizing training days dedicated to women”Says Fabrizio Faltoni, President and CEO of Ford Italy .

The aspiring “pro-racers”, 24 participants for each training day, alternate between test sessions on the track, on the legendary Monza circuit, aboard Mustang Mach-E, the first All-Electric SUV of the Blue Oval, and challenges behind the wheel of sim-racing simulators.

With the support of the Ford Driving University team of drivers, participants can experience all the practices related to the safety and control of the car on the track, such as setting the trajectories, handling, braking, oversteer control or dynamic behavior in different driving conditions.

The tests also include a session on board the sim-racing simulators where the participants, under the guidance of professional sim racers, can experience all the secrets and winning techniques to be adopted in the world of virtual racing.

The W University represents the testimony of a concrete commitment that Ford Italia wanted to carry out, beyond the anniversary of 8 March, with the aim of being able to overcome the gender inequality with which women are often forced to confront both in the world of work and in sports, without the possibility of having a winning model of reference available. This is because, in many areas, there is still a constant under-representation of the female world in top positions, with a gender wage gap that seems to have now become physiological.

For more than a century, the Ford brand has been a pioneer in offering opportunities to people, regardless of race, sex, ability, sexual orientation and social class, creating a culture of belonging that has its roots in diversity understood as a plus capable of generate innovation and change.