A scholarship of approximately €150,000 will be awarded to an LGBTQ+ racing driver to compete in a new electric single-seater championship as part of a new initiative.
Racing Pride has partnered with the ERA championship, the first international junior electric single-seater series, to launch a scholarship for an LGBTQ+ racing driver in an international first.
After months of delays and initial rounds cancelled, ERA launched earlier this year with its first race in July at Zolder as part of the bill to support a series of electric touring cars: ETCR (e-Touring Car World Cup ), which features drivers including two-time DTM champion Mattias Ekstrom and former Formula E driver Tom Blomqvist.
ERA has planned a five-race season for 2023 with two races per weekend in support of ETCR.
The series will offer a scholarship for an LGBTQ+ driver aged 16 or over after partnering with LGBTQ+ inclusion initiative Racing Pride, which has previously linked with the Alpine and Aston Martin Formula 1 teams since its launch in mid-2019.
Applications are open until midnight on October 16 and the top six shortlisted candidates will be invited to an assessment day two weeks later in Zolder.
That judging day will include a series of challenges on and off the track and the units will be judged not only on their absolute speed, but also on “their potential to be a positive ambassador representing the values of Racing Pride and ERA”.
The winner will receive entry to pre-season tryouts and all five rounds next year.
It’s not the only scholarship program that ERA will offer, as there is a ‘Next-Gen Racer’ scholarship that will hold a similar shootout-style assessment day in Pau in November.
The Next-Gen Racer Scholarship is open to any racing driver 16 years of age or older and drivers eligible for the Racing Pride Scholarship can also apply for the Next-Gen Racer Scholarship.
“ERA Championship’s commitment to diversity and inclusion is extremely genuine – it’s been there from the very beginning,” said Racing Pride co-founder Richard Morris, who entered the first ERA race.
“Through initiatives like the Racing Pride Scholarship and the Next Gen Racer competition, organizers are actively creating the means to turn that commitment into a tangible reality.
“This is a fantastic opportunity that the scholarship winner will have to build a career. The ERA championship is unique in offering an electric track for junior single-seaters.
“I am excited to see the applications come in and see the scholarship winner compete across Europe, flying the Racing Pride flag, in 2023.”
ERA co-founder and director Beth Georgiou added that she wants the series to “empower anyone to pursue a career in motorsport and feel welcome in our paddock.”
The ERA champion will receive an ETCR test, but aims to be a broad-based junior secondary series to propel drivers to high-level single-seater championships as well as sports car and touring car championships.
Photos: Media by Amber
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