Danica Patrick

MountainPro said:

Women need to be kept out of the motorsport industry at all costs...

calm down...i am not being sexist, its just not a natual job for women to drive cars...their arses are the wrong shape and their knockers get in the way of the steering wheel...they have no sense of direction (not a problem in the Indy/NASCAR circuits where all you have to do is press the gas and turn left the whole time) and they have no spatial awareness. They cant tell if the car in front is 20 metres away or 40 metres away. They dont know which gear to use not how to apply the brakes properly.

They should be kept away from complicated machines at all times...the problem with women is that they drive a car as if they are using a washing machine or a microwave oven. They get in a car and press a few buttons, pull a few switches and the car moves, thats all they care about. To be a good driver you have to know how a clutch, accellerator and brakes actually work. You dont need to know how a microwave works to cook a meal...

there is no way that a woman, any woman, could ever compete with the likes of Schumacher or Sebastien Loeb.

women have a very simplistic view of technology..."a box with buttons that does stuff"... end of story...it doesnt matter if it is a DVD player, a computer or a car...what more do they need to know.

stick to dishing out the champagne and trophies love and let the men drive the machines.

Actually Pro yopu could not be more wrong...The US Air Force and Navy, in cooperation with the Royal Airforce did a physiological study on the suceptability of women to G forces in the manuvering of high performance aircraft (i.e. Fighters). What they found blew them away. Women, on a consistent basis were able to sustain higher G loads on their bodies before "greying" and "blacking" out. Women were also able to negotiate tacticle situations at extremely high speed with a higher degree of mission success than the men could. Women were also able to deal with the fatigue and emotional stress of combat operations alot better than the men could. The result of these tests is what finaly convinced the Us Government and British Governments to start putting women in the cockpits of front line fighters. Now ofcourse the Israelis and Russians have known this alot longer than us and until Women in the USAF, USN and RAF saw action in Bosnia, Afgan, and Iraq, the Russians and Israelis have sent women into air combat as far back as the WWII for the Russians and the 10 day war with Syria for the Israelis.

How does all of this transpire to car racing you ask...well drving a vehicle at over 200 MPH requires split second decision making and great phsical endurance and stamina, something women have us beat on.

And all of this is because WOMEN CAN HAVE BABIES. :eek:

i'll believe it when i see it, most women driver i meet on the roads have no idea how to drive, park a car and heaven help them when they get lost and get the map out...its may as well be written in martain...

nah, flying aeroplanes is easy...you get auto pilots and all that stuff...

jaguar75 said:

Actually Pro yopu could not be more wrong...The US Air Force and Navy, in cooperation with the Royal Airforce did a physiological study on the suceptability of women to G forces in the manuvering of high performance aircraft (i.e. Fighters). What they found blew them away. Women, on a consistent basis were able to sustain higher G loads on their bodies before "greying" and "blacking" out. Women were also able to negotiate tacticle situations at extremely high speed with a higher degree of mission success than the men could. Women were also able to deal with the fatigue and emotional stress of combat operations alot better than the men could. The result of these tests is what finaly convinced the Us Government and British Governments to start putting women in the cockpits of front line fighters. Now ofcourse the Israelis and Russians have known this alot longer than us and until Women in the USAF, USN and RAF saw action in Bosnia, Afgan, and Iraq, the Russians and Israelis have sent women into air combat as far back as the WWII for the Russians and the 10 day war with Syria for the Israelis.

How does all of this transpire to car racing you ask...well drving a vehicle at over 200 MPH requires split second decision making and great phsical endurance and stamina, something women have us beat on.

And all of this is because WOMEN CAN HAVE BABIES. :eek:

Fixey said:

Jeez you guys would get serious beatings over here!!!! Our girls take being singled out because they beat a few men as insulting! In what way would a Female be disadvantaged in motor racing? I know woman are a minority in that sport but so what? The only reason she is getting great publicity is because she has a great rack (and can drive abit also).

actually, the veteran NASCAR/Indy 500 driver Robby Gordon claims that she has an unfair advantage.

http://www.nascar.com/2005/news/headlines/cup/05/29/rgordon_indy.ap/index.html

He says that because she only weighs 105 pounds, the overall car/driver weight is lighter and she can therefor go faster. Other "experts" say that her weight of 105 lbs can give her up to 1 MPH more per lap. Robby says that he will not race against her until the IRL "takes that advantage away."

hmm...I hear ya Robby. I'm not going to ride in any of the grand tours until the UCI makes all of the riders wear weights so that their overall bike/rider weight is the same as mine. And I won't play in any NBA games until the NBA takes away the advantage that comes from other players being taller than me. :p

tas1978 said:

He says that because she only weighs 105 pounds, the overall car/driver weight is lighter and she can therefor go faster. . :p

in motorsport terms it is known as "power to weight ratio" and yes it does give her an advantage. Thats why you never get fat race car drivers. Same goes for professional cycling.

MountainPro said:

in motorsport terms it is known as "power to weight ratio" and yes it does give her an advantage. Thats why you never get fat race car drivers. Same goes for professional cycling.

I remember when I ran into Jeff Gordon at a bar in Charlotte, NC. I could not believe how little that guy was. He can't be more than 5'4" and 110lbs. Then you have other guys in NASCAR like Micheal Waltrip who is like 6'4" and 200lbs, do they use balast in NASCAR or is Robbie just whining about Indy (he races both)?

The one difference between motorsports and cycling is that if you weigh more, you should make more power, while in motorsports, it is only a handicap... I do think it is a legitimate argument to have the car/driver combination the same. Unless you want it to be like horse racing...

p38lightning said:

Man are you guys running with the ball! Every man to his own taste but I'd say she's no more than slightly better looking than average.

I totally agree... in a bar I wouldn't even give her a second glance and my standards are not that high. If you like her as a driver that is one thing, but the way several people are like "dude she is so hot..." just seems really off. 😕

wilmar13 said:

I remember when I ran into Jeff Gordon at a bar in Charlotte, NC. I could not believe how little that guy was. He can't be more than 5'4" and 110lbs. Then you have other guys in NASCAR like Micheal Waltrip who is like 6'4" and 200lbs, do they use balast in NASCAR or is Robbie just whining about Indy (he races both)?

The one difference between motorsports and cycling is that if you weigh more, you should make more power, while in motorsports, it is only a handicap... I do think it is a legitimate argument to have the car/driver combination the same. Unless you want it to be like horse racing...

using ballasts in cars is done in order to comply with race regulations rather than for any performance reasons. In most competitions cars must not be under a certain weight. A formula 1 team was heavily fined recently for having an under weight car...cant remember the team though.

in cycling a heavier rider may generate more power but that is only because he/she requires more power because they have more weight to move so i suppose it levels out...power is linked to endurance in humans (perhaps someone can verify this for me) thats why the power guys can only unleash thier full potential in small bursts such as in sprints.

a lighter driver however has many advantages over a heavier driver...

1. the cars power to weight ratio is increased so accelleration is faster for a given power
2. braking can be left a few milliseconds later than your rivals giving you advantage in hairpins and complex corners
3. you can use more fuel in your tanks opening up a whole new pit strategy which can save vital seconds
4. a lighter driver can use a slightly softer tyre compound that will have the same wear characteristics as a heavier driver in super hard slicks...the softer compound will give improved accelleration, cornering, braking and control to over take.

a heavier driver may have the advantage of greater momentum in motion which would be useful in NASCAR but useless in Formula 1.

p38lightning said:

Man are you guys running with the ball! Every man to his own taste but I'd say she's no more than slightly better looking than average.

She did win many of my friends and myself over with here excellent and very professional driving. At last, after many years, we have a women in Indy racing who is "going for broke" and really out to win, not just finish.(like Lynn St. James) Many of us found ourselves rooting for her on race day.

While we're on the subject let's remember Desiree Wilson who had several top ten finishes in Indy cars and WON a formula one race! With all the hype about women drivers how did the most sucessfull one in history get forgotten?
Most people don't even know her name.

Desire Wilson won a race in a satelite series that were using cars that conformed to Formula one rules - she was not racing in the formula one world championship - some slotcar maker was the prime sponsor , auraur fx or something like that ,it was a long time ago .

re robby gordon : he always had a problem - they told him he had potential to be great but turned out to be average , happens .
In formular three ayrton senna was often beaten by martin brundle , in formular one .............
the only women I know who ever competed on equal terms ( aside from drag racing ) was michele mouton a works driver for the audi quatro rally team , she won three rallys in the course of a couple of years ( there were only 5 or 6 a year in those days )

To get into formular one these days you need to be very good or bring an awful lot of sponsorship money or market access ( don´t be too suprised to see a chinese driver in the next year or two ) , to get into a competative car you need to be very good indeed .

el Inglés said:

Desire Wilson won a race in a satelite series that were using cars that conformed to Formula one rules - she was not racing in the formula one world championship - some slotcar maker was the prime sponsor , auraur fx or something like that ,it was a long time ago .

re robby gordon : he always had a problem - they told him he had potential to be great but turned out to be average , happens .
In formular three ayrton senna was often beaten by martin brundle , in formular one .............
the only women I know who ever competed on equal terms ( aside from drag racing ) was michele mouton a works driver for the audi quatro rally team , she won three rallys in the course of a couple of years ( there were only 5 or 6 a year in those days )

To get into formular one these days you need to be very good or bring an awful lot of sponsorship money or market access ( don´t be too suprised to see a chinese driver in the next year or two ) , to get into a competative car you need to be very good indeed .

Right you are El Ingles. Desire Wilson didn't qualify for the British GP, (her only entry) on the Williams team. Best finish in Indy cars was a 10th. Thanks, I stand corrected!

MountainPro said:

i'll believe it when i see it, most women driver i meet on the roads have no idea how to drive, park a car and heaven help them when they get lost and get the map out...its may as well be written in martain...

nah, flying aeroplanes is easy...you get auto pilots and all that stuff...

Pro I would say that according to the world as you see it women should go back to being barefoot, pregnant, and in the kitchen. 🙂

jaguar75 said:

Pro I would say that according to the world as you see it women should go back to being barefoot, pregnant, and in the kitchen. 🙂

either that or you need to get a sense of humour...its one or t'other.

MountainPro said:

either that or you need to get a sense of humour...its one or t'other.

Ohhh...right....I forgot, it was you making those dry posts.... 😉

MountainPro said:

in motorsport terms it is known as "power to weight ratio" and yes it does give her an advantage. Thats why you never get fat race car drivers. Same goes for professional cycling.

So, Robbie's team should probably find a lighter driver. (He weighs about 200lbs.)

MountainPro said:

A formula 1 team was heavily fined recently for having an under weight car...cant remember the team though.

Ummm...was it Sato- BAR Honda?

In nascar they weight the car AND the driver. Together they must weight 3400 lbs. Levels the playing field in that regard.

As for female drivers, Nascar team owner Ray Evernham has recently signed Erin Crocker from the world of sprint cars and World of Outlaws. Personally, (not that it effects how she can drive in anyway, shape, or form), I think the much cutier than Danica (of course I've always been partial to redheads.....)
mutleycrew.typepad.comerincrocker.jpgOpen ↗

tas1978 said:

So, Robbie's team should probably find a lighter driver. (He weighs about 200lbs.)

or maybe robbie should get into shape...take a look at your top Formula 1 drivers and WRC drivers. There guys are super fit both mentally and physically.

FastFly said:

Ummm...was it Sato- BAR Honda?

yea...BAR Honda (or what ever they are called these days🙂 ). I think that was them.

Basically they had a hidden fuel compartment inside thier main fuel tank which means that when this extra fuel was used up the car would be lighter than its competitors by some 5Kg. In an 800Bhp car that weighs only 600Kg this is a significant weight saving...

they basically cheated and then got caught.