Screen to Speed powered by Pennzoil, for women by women brought to you by Init Esports, is set to start on Dec 19th, 2022.
Screen to Speed Powered by Pennzoil aims to create a multiyear pipeline to discover female talent from esports and gaming and offer them a direct route to become part of the Motorsports industry.
The overarching mission of the online reality-style show developed by Stefy Bau, founder of Init Esports, and Victoria Thomas, co-owner of Kellymoss Inc. is to raise both awareness and opportunities for females, as at less than 3%, they are very underrepresented in the motorsport industry. Sim racing is the only esports with a direct link to its in-real-life sport and 50% of gamers in the world are women. With a soft focus on educating through this fun online tournament, it’s not just the drivers who can win. There are prizes for both participants and supporters all along the way, to incentivize male and female viewers to share the journey and the mission.
The digital tournament & online show will be asynchronous from Dec until Feb 12th, 2023, where women from all over the world will sign up to race their way to the grand finale show in Las Vegas on March 4, 2023 during the Pennzoil 400 NASCAR round.
The 15 finalists, based on fastest lap time and social reach campaigning, plus 5 influencers will come to Las Vegas to race on Next Level Racing cockpit simulators and have the opportunity to be coached by Sabré Cook, a professional racing driver. The grand prize includes $15,000 cash, a racing simulator, and a real-life track event with the Kellymoss Porsche race team.
Bringing in powerful partners means powerful reach, and Screen to Speed has partnered with Pennzoil, iRacing, and Yahoo; all companies dedicated to taking action in the areas of diversity and inclusion.
Entry to the Screen to Speed powered by Pennzoil competition on iRacing is open to all females. Participants will be playing on the virtual Las Vegas Motor Speedway road course with the Ford Next Gen NASCAR car.
The show will be live on Twitch, Youtube, and ESTV. You can stay up to date by following Screen to Speed social channels.
Stefy Bau, founder of Init Esports: “The idea started as a way to meet the younger demographic where they are (online) and show them the different doors into the motorsports industry. As a former professional racer, I have experienced first-hand the difficulties to
get into motorsports as a female. We want to change that and inspire everyone to go for their dreams. During my racing career I was featured as a character in a videogame and now having a company that focuses on bringing more women and minorities into esports and motorsports is so rewarding.”
Victoria Thomas, owner of the 34-time national championship Porsche racing team, Kellymoss: “This project is a perfect match to our mission of bringing more women, and
diversity as a whole, into motorsports: drivers, technicians, engineers, truckers and especially fans.” Introducing the youth is part of a multi-prong approach Kellymoss is taking in this mission in 2023. Focus on the missing half of the population is a win for everyone: teams, drivers, vendors, and the series”
“It’s rewarding that we are able to help give these women an opportunity to learn and get excited about the motorsports industry. I’m hopeful that programs like ‘Screen to Speed’ may help to inspire the next generation of female leaders in motorsports and encourage them to dream big,” said Bree Sandlin, VP Shell Lubricants Marketing. “It’s important to Pennzoil — and me personally — to provide pathways for more females to get involved on and off the track and help them grow in careers where women are historically underrepresented.”
“Yahoo is a supporting media partner capturing inclusive stories that fuel transformative change.”- Nikki Thompson, Head of Inclusive Partnerships and Content Strategy
