Be honest - do you think a woman should be racing?

[Kicking-back]

Some people (possibly of the "old school" in racing) have been quick to dismiss Danica Patrick - ie claiming she's dangerous, must have a trick engine etc etc.

I believe she's a great addition to the series.

But I'm interested to know - are you one of the people who thinks women should not be driving racing cars?

Don't be politically correct - lets hear your real opinion.

Don't bash Danica here - this is a general concept about women in racing I'd like to hear about.

[evo]

Absolutely she should be racing. She's proven she can be just as fast as the guys. In fact I wish there were more women racing there with a real shot at winning. Maybe then Danica wouldn't be the only driver in the field that the media gives any coverage to. If there were three or four women in there with a real opportunity to win, the hype might die down some.

Bring on Mishael Abbott and Katherine Legge.

[Aysedasi]

Absolutely. If she's good enough she should be terated exactly the same as anyone else. I can't think of any reason for treating her differently for her gender.....

[cybersdorf]

Same here. A driver is a driver is a driver.

[graham bahr]

why shouldn't she race, in this day and age its disgusting that anyone should even suggest such stuff, i cant hear anyone saying zinardi shouldn't race because he hasn't got any legs, and i'm not for one moment suggesting he shouldn't, anyone who wants to race should be able to as long as they are compitant (unlike my spelling)

[marcus]

well quite frankly I enjoyed seeing her all swaety and hot and bothered after the race than Dan being hot and sweaty

Ok thats the sexist comments from me over.

I saw this thread title and thought OMG KB has simply lost his mind (yet again according to some)

but thankfully the thread isnt like that

honestly I cant see any point in this thread (im not saying we shouldnt have it but to me there is no point as I think its a non issue)

she well and trully proved this weekend that she is worthy of a top line drive she performed perfectly and almost came away with the win and hey if i could say before i dided that i finished 4th in the Indy 500 I would think Im a hero.

well done Danica you have made a huge fan out of me and I hope we see more of this kind of stuff.

if a woman can hack it with the pace then she deserves to be there no matter what

[PaulSands]

It's not like she hasnt done any of the ground work..yes of course her looks etc. are going to help a little (especially sponsor wise) but in the same way they will work against her...I remember a lot of vitriol flying in her direction after the FHM spreads (me I thought they were great but dont tell my wife )
She's done as much as many on the grid in terms of previous results, second in the Formula Ford Festival is no mean feat. Sarah Fisher must be a bit pi**ed though

[BootsOntheSide]

There aren't many major races which no women have comepted in now,a dn several have been genuinely successful. Any driver whpo's good enoguh should be allowed out there (and this applies to racial or sexuality differences as well - I'm pleased to see Kartheikeyan doing so well in F1 for example). Motor racing needs to have general appeal, and that invovles having a diverse field of drivers. I very much doubt Hodna would give her more engine powert than tehir other drivers, especially as that could've cost them the race agaisnt one of the Toyota or Chevvy teams.

[Kicking-back]

Originally Posted by marcus

I saw this thread title and thought OMG KB has simply lost his mind (yet again according to some)

but thankfully the thread isnt like that

honestly I cant see any point in this thread (im not saying we shouldnt have it but to me there is no point as I think its a non issue)

I found my mind this morning - it was in the kitchen cupboard. A bit dusty but it works.

The point of the thread was to find out if there are any people who simply don't want women racing - because that was the only explanation I could think of for some of the unwarranted criticism Danica gets.

if a woman can hack it with the pace then she deserves to be there no matter what

Absolutely.

[marcus]

the problem is we have all given her praise for her efforts and rightly so , but if she does something wrong (like the late race restart) it gets heightened but if it had of been kanaan doing the same thing people would say "oh kanaan made a blue" but because it wqas danica some will say "see i told you women shouldnt be racing" in fact i dont think the incident was all her fault the pack completely slowed down and she actually did the right thing in trying to avoid contact but unfortunately lost control which could happen to anyone be it dan Wheldon or Micahel schumacher.

its is a shame that we have to make these comparrisons really isnt it ?

i must admit if it was "Dave patrick" in the car I probably wouldnt have paid that much attention and just said well done to him at the end of the day but BECAUSE danica is feamle the atention is so much more.

so in summary i guess i would like to see her treated as an equal but at this point in time she is sadly being treated as a novelty because it is different and the focus is highlighted because of her sex and i cant even deny that even as much as i'd like too.

mind you she is a very very quick and talented novelty , i just hope that in the future even my own views cange slightly , i respect her as racer but yet I pay more attention because she is a female

[jock25]

Absolutely agree with everyone that women can and should race. Personally I think, especially for open-wheel racing, it would be a good thing in order to introduce a larger number of women to the sport.

I don't know what it is like when you guys go to the races or participate, but I always feel that the women attending racing are typically wives/girlfriends dragged along at the behest of guys like us and that there are very few women genuinely interested in motor racing. It has to be a good thing to have women competing, but most of all competing and doing well, for boosting interest in motor racing in general.

[PaulSands]

Interesting to see the weight advantage issue is now developing.

[Seton Fanatic]

I personally feel that Danica is a very talented race driver, and that she will go a long way on her own merit. Her drive in the Indy 500, while not perfect, certainly caught a lot of people's attention back here in Australia. Hopefully, there will be a reunification between the two series soon, so Danica can come to Surfers, if they keep it on the calendar.

[rustyfan]

Originally Posted by marcus

mind you she is a very very quick and talented novelty , i just hope that in the future even my own views cange slightly , i respect her as racer but yet I pay more attention because she is a female

I don't think there is anything wrong in paying more attention just because she is a woman. She is, after all, on the verge of breaking through in an extremely male-dominated world.

In a way I think you can compare it to when Tiger Woods burst onto the US golf tour, which changed golf in more ways than one.

[mountainstar]

I think female racers are great and I'd like to see more of them.

A lot of people get all worked up over Danica, but she is very ordinary looking.

I'm in New Zealand so I've missed all this, but from the sounds of it the media has found their new 15 minute media darling. It seems like the media finds something and just latches on to it and wont let go. I'm sure the IRL will milk it for all its worth, as they should.

[Jack Man]

It was rookie mistakes that kept her from drinking the milk NOT womens mistakes. I'm suprized anyone would even ask this question in this day and age.

[Jordi]

She deserves her place, was on pace, unlike some other guys in the race.

I'm all for women racing - the more the better.

[prn 31]

I think this thread should be renamed:

"Be honest - do you think a Foyt should be racing?"

Then we can merge it with that other thread doing the rounds.

Danica got to the Indy 500 on merit and performed to expectations.

The Foyts could've killed someone (or themselves) out there. They have no right to be there, famous father or not!

[baclightning]

Any driver should be allowed to race on a equal basis, regardless of gender, race, color, nationality, religion, sexual orientation, age, or any other factor. Talent is what matters...

[N I Tram]

Originally Posted by Jack Man

It was rookie mistakes that kept her from drinking the milk NOT womens mistakes. I'm suprized anyone would even ask this question in this day and age.

Brilliantly put Jack. Danika was the most impressive rookie all weekend, even more so than Bourdais who has more top-level experience (although little of it on ovals). Baclightning's point is also valid, although I'd hate to see 'positive discrimination' to bring people in who either don't have the talent or aren't ready, simply for the same of tokenism. Danika's there on merit, she's raced in the feeder championships, done very well along the way, and got her ride in a top team purely because Bobby believes in her.

[1200Datto27]

And money...

[Raglanparade]

Does Danica have a lower insurance premium too ?

[Oaksnaf]

To answer the question "should a women be racing?" of course she should. Danica clearly has the talent and speed to cope with the best in the world. 4th in INDY 500, qual 4th and could have gotten pole and could have won the race. I mean this girl is a red hot talent. She does not seem to care about being the fastest women, all she cares about is being the fastest on the track.

Once the helmet goes on it makes no difference whether she is a female or male. She becomes a race driver and should not been seen differently.

Best of luck for future success.

[indycool]

As Lyn St. James has said many times, the race car doesn't know if it's a man or a woman driving it.

[paul-collins]

I just want a good reason to drag my daughter to the races.