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Bianca Bustamante to race alongside Juju Noda in W Series Academy Team

Just days after her 2022 race seat was confirmed and we’ve now learned that Bianca Bustamante has been placed with the ‘W Series Academy Team’. The Filipina driver will compete in one of the team’s purple liveried machines alongside her teammate Juju Noda from Japan.

At only 17 and 16 years of age, respectively, the pairing are the youngest driver’s on the grid this season. As part of the W Series, they’ll be assigned dedicated engineers, and receive intensive mentoring and coaching to further hone their driving skills. But it’s not all about driving since they’ll also get fitness, nutrition, and media training. Other driver responsibilities include attending official W Series media events and community outreach programs.

Both the Academy Team cars will feature branding from the W Series’ global cyber protection and security partner Acronis. But aside from that, their Tatuus F3 T-318 will be very very purple.

For those unfamiliar with Juju, she’s the daughter of ex-Formula 1 driver Hideki Noda. She began karting at the age of 3 and competed in the 2020 Danish F4 Championship where she scored a race win and 3 podium finishes. Juju will become the youngest-ever driver to race in the W Series when the championship begins in May.

What’s interesting is how the official press release from the W Series says that both girls “will compete in W Series for the next two seasons as part of the W Series Academy programme.” If the wording is accurate, then it secures their seat ’til the 2023 season.

Bianca Bustamante: “I’m thrilled to be part of the W Series Academy this season. It’s a dream come true and I’m still pinching myself. All my life, I’ve had my sights set on Formula 1, and now my racing career has taken a big step in the right direction thanks to W Series. There’s still a lot of work to do, and every day I’m learning because everything is still new to me. I’ve enjoyed every moment so far learning what it takes to become a professional driver, and I’m going to give it my all both on and off the track.”

Juju Noda: “I’m still young, but I’ve already been racing for a long time and I’m ready to take the next step in my career with W Series. I’ve watched lots of W Series races in the past and the standard is very high, so this is a great opportunity and I really like what W Series is trying to do for females in motorsport. Everything is new to me with these cars so I wasn’t sure what to expect, but the pre-season testing helped me get up to speed and I’ve been training hard physically and mentally to prepare myself.”

Dave Ryan, W Series Racing Director: “W Series aims to give opportunities to the most talented female racing drivers in the world, and we have been tracking the progress of Bianca and Juju for some time now. We knew they had raw skill but, since joining us and working with the team at this year’s pre-season tests, they’ve also shown consistency in the car and a willingness to learn. We’ve put our faith in them by giving them W Series race seats for 2 years and dedicated race engineers, and it’s now up to them to repay it by continuing to work hard. If they do so, they have every chance of going on to achieve great things with W Series and further up the motorsport ladder.”

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Time Attack Manila

Time Attack Manila

Founded in late 2013, Time Attack Manila (TAM) is the only dedicated online magazine in the Philippines that focuses on local and international motorsports.
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Time Attack Manila

Time Attack Manila

Founded in late 2013, Time Attack Manila (TAM) is the only dedicated online magazine in the Philippines that focuses on local and international motorsports.
View All Posts