The FIA considers sim racing an entry point into motorsport, and it wants to leverage this for more women to find their way into the sport via the FIA Girls On Track Esports Cup in iRacing.
There are plenty of examples for sim racers who have made their way from the rig to the real-life motorsport rigs. In 2025, there should be no doubt anymore that sim racing can act as an entry point into the sport, and the FIA thinks so, too. As the governing body is also trying to incentivize more women to become racers, it has teamed up with iRacing and Advanced Sim Racing to create the Girls On Track Esports Cup.
The 2025 Iron Dames WEC lineup (right photo, from left to right): Célia Martin, Michelle Gatting, Rahel Frey. Images: Porsche Newsroom
The Iron Dames team is arguably the prime example for women in motorsport doing well: Competing across multiple GT disciplines including WEC and IMSA with drivers like Doriane Pin, Sarah Bovy, Michelle Gatting or Rahel Frey, the team also supports women and girls in junior formula series and karting, and even in WRC2. The team's tagline 'Women Driven By Dreams' certainly applies.
However, the Iron Dames are an exception in the racing world - and the FIA wants to give more girls and women the opportunity to show that they belong. For this purpose, they have teamed up with iRacing and Advanced Sim Racing to create the Girls On Track Esports Cup, with the online qualifier round already being open.
"The FIA is committed to doubling motor sport participation and driving opportunities for women and girls", said FIA Women in Motorsport Commission Chair Burcu Çetinkaya. "Esports allow us to reach broader, younger audiences—especially those with untapped talent or those with limited access to traditional motor sport pathways."
FIA Esports Commission President Niroshan Pereira states: "We know that Esports is the future – but for the discipline to truly grow and develop, we need to encourage more girls and women to get involved. We hope that this competition will act as a catalyst, encouraging aspiring racers to try out our discipline and consider pursuing a career in motorsport."
The online qualifier round, which is a leaderboard competition, will be open until May 6, 2025, at 00:00 UTC. Participants can enter via a dedicated Girls On Track registration website, after which they can tackle the full layout of Okayama in the FIA F4 car in iRacing. To be eligible, they must be female according to their personal identification documents, and be at least 16 years old as of June 1, 2025.
What do you make of the FIA Girls On Track Esports Cup? Let us know in the comments below and join the discussion in our iRacing forum!
There are plenty of examples for sim racers who have made their way from the rig to the real-life motorsport rigs. In 2025, there should be no doubt anymore that sim racing can act as an entry point into the sport, and the FIA thinks so, too. As the governing body is also trying to incentivize more women to become racers, it has teamed up with iRacing and Advanced Sim Racing to create the Girls On Track Esports Cup.
The 2025 Iron Dames WEC lineup (right photo, from left to right): Célia Martin, Michelle Gatting, Rahel Frey. Images: Porsche Newsroom
The Iron Dames team is arguably the prime example for women in motorsport doing well: Competing across multiple GT disciplines including WEC and IMSA with drivers like Doriane Pin, Sarah Bovy, Michelle Gatting or Rahel Frey, the team also supports women and girls in junior formula series and karting, and even in WRC2. The team's tagline 'Women Driven By Dreams' certainly applies.
However, the Iron Dames are an exception in the racing world - and the FIA wants to give more girls and women the opportunity to show that they belong. For this purpose, they have teamed up with iRacing and Advanced Sim Racing to create the Girls On Track Esports Cup, with the online qualifier round already being open.
"The FIA is committed to doubling motor sport participation and driving opportunities for women and girls", said FIA Women in Motorsport Commission Chair Burcu Çetinkaya. "Esports allow us to reach broader, younger audiences—especially those with untapped talent or those with limited access to traditional motor sport pathways."
Online Qualification Open Until May 6
The online qualification is followed by an in-person event spanning multiple days at the 2025 FIA Extraordinary General Assemblies Week in Macau in June. There, the top 10 of the qualifier round will battle for the title while also having the opportunity to attend media training workshops and to expand their networks.FIA Esports Commission President Niroshan Pereira states: "We know that Esports is the future – but for the discipline to truly grow and develop, we need to encourage more girls and women to get involved. We hope that this competition will act as a catalyst, encouraging aspiring racers to try out our discipline and consider pursuing a career in motorsport."
The online qualifier round, which is a leaderboard competition, will be open until May 6, 2025, at 00:00 UTC. Participants can enter via a dedicated Girls On Track registration website, after which they can tackle the full layout of Okayama in the FIA F4 car in iRacing. To be eligible, they must be female according to their personal identification documents, and be at least 16 years old as of June 1, 2025.
What do you make of the FIA Girls On Track Esports Cup? Let us know in the comments below and join the discussion in our iRacing forum!
