Susie Stoddard

[foreversideways]

I was not suggesting she should die in any real sense, sorry if i gave that impression.

[Mathias]

Hum. Y'see, I can see what you guys are saying here, but there are a lot of less talented drivers than Susie racing in higher formulae than she is. As I see it, there are no reasons why there shouldn't be far more women in motorsport than there are, and plenty of positive reasons why it would be good if there were more women in motorsport. Trouble is, it seems to me, that all the women who could be really shot hit at driving a racing car, don't start as early and stick with it as long as their male counterparts, and so we need drivers like Susie and Katherine and Sarah to get more women involved even if, as it happens, they, as pioneers really, aren't necessarily as brilliantly talented as the Nelsons and Adams and Jameses of this world. That said, there isn't a driver who finished ahead of her in the 2003/4 FRenault serieses that you wouldn't be proud to have been beaten by, if you catch my drift.

[Jonny Apex]

Originally Posted by foreversideways

I was not suggesting she should die in any real sense, sorry if i gave that impression.

I think Mackmot was joking, foreversideways ...

[Nigel Wilson]

Suzie is obviously talented and deserves her good fortune, she has done a world of good for showing that women can be regarded as serious racers. There are many in this male dominated sport that just will not give female racers the credit they deserve which in turn puts off the sponsors. ie Catch 22. Suzie's sponsors have stuck with her and have no doubt got their money's worth which will hopefully open doors for other up and coming girl competitors.
Yes I admit I'm the father of arguably the best teenage female karter presently competing in England and would love to attract the attention of some serious sponsorship and mayby with Suzie's success that may one day happen.

[JJ Jet Plane]

Nicely said Nigel. While no-one with any sense is tipping her as a likely F3 champion, she's far from the worst driver signed up for 2005. In all probability she'll be a competent midfielder, maybe a bit better. I do find her remark that "Formula Renault didn't suit my driving style" a bit grating – she spent three years in Formula Renault and in that time should have sorted it out if her talent was from the top bracket! But anyone who can finish on the podium in FRenault from time to time must be pretty reasonable.

[Craner Curves]

Originally Posted by Gaz

Extreme way of putting it - I like it! And I agree fully with what your saying, she's done nothing so far in her career yet has had more PR and opportunities than most drivers get in there career. This PR and the opportunities she's received have been based purely on the fact that shes female and not on the fact that she has any real driving talent. I mean it comes to something when she's asked what the best moment of her career so far is and she says "nearly winning a race at Thruxton"! What a joke!

So what if she is generating PR and so what if she does have an F3 driver? It's not as if there are dozens of similar candidates knocking down the door does it? I doubt if BT would back a male driver, as they wouldn't be in such a unique position and wouldn't get the publicity that Susie does. So she's not taking sponsors from anyone and she's not taking a car from under the nose of anyone else. Fair play to her. I really hope she does well and goes to prove the so-called 'experts' wrong.

[Phoenix1]

http://www.autosport.com/newsitem.asp?id=41765&s=11

"Two-time McLaren Autosport BRDC finalist Susie Stoddart has landed a drive with Alan Docking Racing, to compete in the Championship class of the British F3 series, reports this week's Autosport magazine."

Well done!

[toot toot]

I'm not trying to knock the girl but how can she expect to be successful, judging from her performances in Renault i'm not expecting much.

[Tweed]

I'd agree, but with the lack of strength in depth this year might even see her win a race.

[strider]

You can never tell. Ernesto Viso was nothing special in Renault, but was pretty much an instant star in F3.

[DSM]

Originally Posted by Phoenix1

http://www.autosport.com/newsitem.asp?id=41765&s=11

"Two-time McLaren Autosport BRDC finalist Susie Stoddart has landed a drive with Alan Docking Racing, to compete in the Championship class of the British F3 series, reports this week's Autosport magazine."

Well done!

'Landed'? shouldn't that say 'bought'?

[Fan]

Every person in British F3 "bought" their drive. I suppose it' sounds better to say "landed", rather then: I paid around £300k to get this drive...

[Russfeld]

Originally Posted by foxy mole

You can never tell. Ernesto Viso was nothing special in Renault, but was pretty much an instant star in F3.

I must have missed that race...

[JohnMiller]

LOL. Is there anyone you've got a good word for Russfeld?

You do seem to have a rather large chip on your shoulder...

[Tweed]

I was about to ask who Russfeld rated.

[JohnMiller]

Possibly a rather short list, comprising mainly of one person?

[toot toot]

He's right though, Viso hardly took the formula by storm.

[DSM]

But so is foxy. Viso was very average in FR and did better, let's say, in F3, though a bit reckless and inconsistent if I remember correctly. Mind you, big car for such a little chap!

[Craner Curves]

Originally Posted by DSM

'Landed'? shouldn't that say 'bought'?

Yeah, but with sponsorship money, not Daddy's money. I don't quite see your point here DSM. Surely she's going the right way about it. Hardly any F3 drives are handed out on talent alone.

[DSM]

My point is why say 'landed' which implies won, given, fought for, when all she did was buy the drive like any one of hundreds could have, if they had the money.

As for 'sponsorship', I've yet to see any evidence of a genuine commercial deal, certainly for her previous racing history, which brought her to this point. I stand to be corrected. (As you say yourself, CC, BT are only backing her because she's female)

Again, nothing wrong with that, the number of genuine commercial deals in national motorsport could be counted on the fingers of one hand but don't trot out the old story of 'talent' being noticed and backed and drives being 'landed' when we all know that, at the end of the day, it IS Daddy's (or other relative / personal contact) money that funds 99% of these drives. I very much doubt that SS is any different.

[strider]

Originally Posted by DSM

But so is foxy. Viso was very average in FR and did better, let's say, in F3, though a bit reckless and inconsistent if I remember correctly. Mind you, big car for such a little chap!

Thanks for the support, DSM. Your assessment is about right. He won the Scholarship Class for P1 in 2003 and was doing pretty well for them in the Championship Class last year until he decided to move up to F3000 halfway through the season.

Russfeld's cynical one-liners do have entertainment value, though. The day he really missed would have been Ernesto's race win at Knockhill! Apart from that, he pretty well in F3000. Better than van der Merwe, for example.

[Craner Curves]

Originally Posted by DSM

don't trot out the old story of 'talent' being noticed and backed and drives being 'landed' when we all know that, at the end of the day, it IS Daddy's (or other relative / personal contact) money that funds 99% of these drives. I very much doubt that SS is any different.

I expect it was probably The Purple Tangerine (her management company) who done the BT deal.

[Kicking-back]

Indeed.

I interviewed Susie a couple of years ago when she came to visit a radio station I was working at - and I did not get the impression that family money was paying for her career.

[Dr Venom]

For the last 2 years Susie's racing has been founded by a "Genuine Commercial Deal" (DSM) and the same "Genuine Commercial Deal" will be there for her F3 drive.
Susie and her managment team (Purple Tangerine) have worked bloody hard to get BT onboard and for all the hard work thats ben put in, BT have rewarded them with Funding for her F3 drive.
Well done Susie's, Well done Puple Tangerine
Good luck to you and ADR for the coming season.

[Driving Spanner]

I raced against her in karts and altho not the quickest, she was bloody damn good and a very clean racer, probably the fastest 'clean' racer at the time. she'll go well in F3 as her smooth driving style is what ,I am told, these cars need.