ROKiT to sponsor second season of W Series

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Global telecommunications company ROKiT has been confirmed as the first sponsor of the all-female W Series since the championship launched at the end of 2018.

The deal means that ROKiT branding will be on all 20 cars on the grid for the second season that gets underway in 2020.

“We’re thrilled to welcome ROKiT to W Series,” commented W Series CEO Catherine Bond Muir. "We’re delighted that we’ll be racing together in the coming years.

“As a high-tech, disruptive, customer-focused brand, ROKiT sits comfortably alongside W Series and its mission to change the face of motorsport.

Chadwick to defend W Series title as new drivers join the grid

"It’s also exciting to see a brand that’s already present in Formula 1, Formula E and other well-established race series, recognising and supporting opportunities for women in sport, and taking immediate action.

"We expect this to be an emerging trend in 2020," she added.

ROKiT has already established itself in motorsport as a long-term title sponsor with the Williams Racing team. An initial three year deal starting this season has now been extended to five years in duration.

The Venturi Formula E team is also sponsored by the company, which also backed Lewis Hamilton's brother Nic during his outings in the British Touring Car Championship.

"We’ve been amazed by the progress made and the success achieved by W Series since it smashed into the world of motorsport," ROKiT chairman Jonathan Kendrick said.

"We really want to be a big part of its future as it develops over the next few years.

"Like W Series, ROKiT is a young, ambitious, tech-driven company making waves at the leading edge of our industry," he continued. "This partnership is an absolute natural fit for us.”

The W Series staged its first race last May in Hockenheim, with Britain's Jamie Chadwick claiming pole and the race win.

Following a total of seven events at venues including Zolder, Misano, Mayerling, Assen and Brands Hatch, Chadwick succeeded in wrapping up the title despite a strong challenge from Dutch driver Beitske Visser.

So far there have been six races announced for the W Series' sophomore season, which will start in St. Petersburg, Russia on 29 May as a support event to the DTM Series.

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Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.