DET ULTIMATA GITI TIRE DAMLAGET

What is the background of the project?
The racing team WS Racing, based in Trierweiler, started in the 2019 motorsport season together with its partner Giti Tire with a pure women's team on a new Golf 7 GTI. Not only the driver line-up is female, but also the entire team: From the team manager to the engineers to the mechatronics. The project name is "Girls only ", the entire claim is *"Girls only - Ready to rock the Green Hell".

How did the idea for the project come up?
The managing directors of WS Racing, Thorsten Willems and Thomas Rehlinger, had the idea to have a pure women's team for ADAC TOTAL 24h race in 2015 already. Due to the time-consuming and extensive support of their own customers as well as the use of the own vehicles it was not possible to set up the project in a way that meets the own professional demand. In spring of 2018, the discussion then resumed, based on Nicole Willems, the wife of the team manager, who believed that a pure women's team could act with the same performance. Resources are available for the season 2019. The project is supported by Giti Tire as main partner and Volkswagen as communication partner.

What are the goals of the project?
Pure women teams in long-distance sports are nothing new. However, WS Racing has rolled out this idea and thought consistently further: The result is the deployment of a complete women's team inside and outside the cockpit. The sporting success is the focus of the commitment. The primary goal is to build up a competitive team for the competitive environment of the ADAC TOTAL 24h race from 20 to 23 June 2019 with extensive training and coaching measures and to show that motor sport does not have to be a purely male domain.

How were the team members selected?
The team was composed by a casting. Female drivers who have all the necessary licences for the 2019 season (DMSB Permit Nordschleife) could register as well as mechatronics, engineers, helpers and organisers. The former DTM driver Rahel Frey has promised to support the team as a coach and mentor. The team made a selection and assignment of all the applicants and then prepared them intensively for their tasks.

How many drivers did we cast?
In total, the driver team should consist of three women. Three female drivers were selected by the main partners and confirmed as drivers by the project initiators: Jasmin Preisig from Schwellbrunn (CH), who already had numerous successes in the VLN, and Carrie Schreiner, Völklingen (D), the DMV GTC champion in the GT3 class and the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Middle East Champion. Petra Becker (D) completes the drivers team.

Which races will be attended?
In preparation for the ADAC TOTAL 24h race, five starts have been announced. After the VLN test and adjustment run (16.03.) the team will start in the first three runs of the VLN Langstreckenmeisterschaft Nürburgring (23.03., 13.04., 27.04.). After the qualification race (18.-19.05.) the highlight of the season will be the ADAC TOTAL 24h race (20.-23.06.). Three further VLN races are planned after the ADAC TOTAL 24h race. The project is being considered visionary and structured with a view to further tasks and challenges.

Why is Giti Tire the main partner?
Giti Tire wants to prove its competence in the European and especially in the competitive environment of the German tire market. Furthermore, Giti Tire wants to use the visibility of the media-relevant project for its own brand awareness and relies on the professional work of WS Racing. Giti Tire is a Singapore based tire manufacturer, currently represented in over 130 countries, including Germany with the European Development Centre and the Marketing and Sales unit in Hanover. In June 2017, the company received original equipment approvals for the Volkswagen T-Roc, the Seat Ateca and the Škoda Karoq. In European motorsport, Giti Tire has been involved in the 24-hour race since 2017. The tire manufacturer has been racing a Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo Evo for the last two years.

What is the role of Volkswagen in this project?
Volkswagen is the communication partner of WS Racing and accompanies the commitment around the girls team as well as the use of the Golf 7 GTI with an accentuated profile. The aim is to increase visibility and reach outside the established automotive and motorsport media.
WS Racing is responsible for the communication, acquisition and marketing, which is focused on the sporting aspects and racing.

Why a new Golf 7 GTI 2018?
WS Racing already has Volkswagen in its portfolio and currently uses two Golf VI GTI as customer vehicles. To underline the importance of the project, WS Racing has decided to purchase and use a new Golf GTI. At the same time, the main partner Giti Tire is also a supplier of original tire equipment at Volkswagen AG and therefore a start with a Golf GTI was a logical consideration. In addition, the Golf GTI has gained a broad fan base for many years, which is intended to appeal to the team and its partners.

Who's WS Racing?
WS Racing is a company and a racing team, which is settled in the motor sport and Eventmarketing. Founder Thorsten Willems has been an enthusiastic motor sportsman himself since 1986 and can look back on numerous successes with his team, which has been existing in this constellation since 1994 - primarily in long-distance racing. These include the VLN Endurance Championship and the ADAC TOTAL 24h Race. In addition to the use of its own vehicles, WS Racing also focuses on the support and development of customer vehicles.

Mission Statement
WS Racing, Giti Tire and the communication partner Volkswagen are sending a clear signal with their joint commitment: We want to offer women a professionally oriented platform in motorsport in order to develop in a competitive environment and to enable a top performance at the ADAC TOTAL 24h Race 2019. That is why a pure women's team with a new Golf GTI TCR will start at the ADAC TOTAL 24h race this year.