Female Racing World Championship?

[mustafur]

So Bernie has put up an idea of maybe making a World Championship F1 Support series that is female only, to encourage more female Racers and give them a way to integrate into the demanding Male dominated racing.

http://en.espnf1.com/f1/motorsport/story/196307.html

personally I think this is a good idea, if you could get Drivers like Simona, Wolff and some others you might end up with something decent for fans and something for Women to aspire for.

 

[Legro]

And there goes gender equality.

 

[IforceV8]

 

[mustafur]

And there goes gender equality.

I think in this case it doesn't really harm one gender over another though.

1. It doesn't take away what already exists for men.
2. It gives women more ability to race in a competitve environment as the teams will likely have to actively find talent/paydrivers to drive their cars.
3. Possibly inspires more women into motorsport from the grassroots and expands motorsport as a whole.

 

[Johnnypenso]

And there goes gender equality.

I'm guessing most of the higher ranked female drivers wouldn't object to being part of an F1 support series.

 

[Legro]

I think in this case it doesn't really harm one gender over another though.

Yes, it would. It'd make the real F1 into a sport for "men", as faster female drivers could be placed in a support series where they can succeed better in the championship and FF1 would have the perception of a lower series for women only, because the real F1 gets more media coverage.

 

[mustafur]

Yes, it would. It'd make the real F1 into a sport for "men", as faster female drivers could be placed in a support series where they can succeed better in the championship and FF1 would have the perception of a lower series for women only, because the real F1 gets more media coverage.

Good points however.

1. F1 is still open gender regardless.

2. Women wouldn't be forced into racing in this series and nothing else.

3. The very definition of support series very much suggests it will be getting much less coverage, but more coverage then non existing in the first place.

F1 is the most covered Motorsport in the World, no sane human being would think this is going to change from this, and even if the Female championship where to gain extreme popularity it would still have the flaw of being single gender to F1s open gender.

what it would do though is add some relevency to females at a young age to be inspired to do such a thing without being gender outcasted.

Racing fans in general are smart enough to know where a series will stand, let the market decide where this stands and then give it the ability to grow and maybe motorsport as a whole will grow as well from it.

 

[Soundtrack]

Yeah, let them entertain us a bit while we wait for the real stuff to begin...

I'm guessing most of the higher ranked female drivers wouldn't object to being part of an F1 support series.

Possibly, as long as it's not segregative.

BTW, will they be limited to white liveries?

 

[Johnnypenso]

Possibly, as long as it's not segregative.

BTW, will they be limited to white liveries?

It's segregative by definition is it not? What is the question about white liveries about?

 

[Soundtrack]

It's segregative by definition is it not?

What make's it a false good idea, IMO

What is the question about white liveries about?

"You know I've got one of those wonderful ideas ... women should be dressed in white like all the other domestic appliances."

 

[Legro]

Good points however.

1. F1 is still open gender regardless.

2. Women wouldn't be forced into racing in this series and nothing else.

3. The very definition of support series very much suggests it will be getting much less coverage, but more coverage then non existing in the first place.

F1 is the most covered Motorsport in the World, no sane human being would think this is going to change from this, and even if the Female championship where to gain extreme popularity it would still have the flaw of being single gender to F1s open gender.

what it would do though is add some relevency to females at a young age to be inspired to do such a thing without being gender outcasted.

Racing fans in general are smart enough to know where a series will stand, let the market decide where this stands and then give it the ability to grow and maybe motorsport as a whole will grow as well from it.

1. The series itself is gender open, but there would be less pressure on the teams for having a female driver in the real series, as there already a place for fast female drivers and you can't put paying male driver into any other series than the F1, which leads into a situation where female needs to pay more and to be slightly faster than men.

2. First F1, then other racing series. If this happens, before you even notice even karting separates men from women.

3. There are two series that get in the sports headlines here, F1 and WRC to a lesser extend. Support series aren't interesting for the general media and even if people noticed the series women would need to be considerably faster than men to make it look like it's not just a lower level of racing in top level cars for the general public.

If they really want an F1 support series using F1 cars. Better idea would be a series for pay drivers or new drivers, from which teams can raise to the full series if they perform well enough. Because we don't need a lower series for women, but a woman in the main series and that would give every good driver a better chance in the series, both women and men.

 

[magsolid]

I would love to see that happen!

 

[Johnnypenso]

1. The series itself is gender open, but there would be less pressure on the teams for having a female driver in the real series, as there already a place for fast female drivers and you can't put paying male driver into any other series than the F1, which leads into a situation where female needs to pay more and to be slightly faster than men.

2. First F1, then other racing series. If this happens, before you even notice even karting separates men from women.

3. There are two series that get in the sports headlines here, F1 and WRC to a lesser extend. Support series aren't interesting for the general media and even if people noticed the series women would need to be considerably faster than men to make it look like it's not just a lower level of racing in top level cars for the general public.

If they really want an F1 support series using F1 cars. Better idea would be a series for pay drivers or new drivers, from which teams can raise to the full series if they perform well enough. Because we don't need a lower series for women, but a woman in the main series and that would give every good driver a better chance in the series, both women and men.

1. F1 is still open, and nothing changes in F1, regardless of whether this series happens or not. Moot point. If anything, a true feeder series would make F1 more accessible for women by showcasing their talent.

2. As long as karting still has it's top series as open, why would we care if they had women's only divisions? It would be an addition to what already exists.

3. Thanks for the input but my money, my series, I'll do it my way. Any woman can make it in the main series today, so long as she meets the qualifications. Adding a feeder or support series doesn't affect that. It also doesn't stop a woman from participating in any other series. Again, if anything, it would enhance their visibility and showcase their talents.

 

[mustafur]

1. The series itself is gender open, but there would be less pressure on the teams for having a female driver in the real series, as there already a place for fast female drivers and you can't put paying male driver into any other series than the F1, which leads into a situation where female needs to pay more and to be slightly faster than men.

2. First F1, then other racing series. If this happens, before you even notice even karting separates men from women.

3. There are two series that get in the sports headlines here, F1 and WRC to a lesser extend. Support series aren't interesting for the general media and even if people noticed the series women would need to be considerably faster than men to make it look like it's not just a lower level of racing in top level cars for the general public.

If they really want an F1 support series using F1 cars. Better idea would be a series for pay drivers or new drivers, from which teams can raise to the full series if they perform well enough. Because we don't need a lower series for women, but a woman in the main series and that would give every good driver a better chance in the series, both women and men.

But this all goes by the premise you have a clue what a series will be in popularity without any proof or guideline on how it will result.

WRC might be popular in Finland for example but here in Australia it is probably the least covered World championship out there.

different markets see different things, alot of people assumed Formula E would Fail given they had no real idea how it will stack up as a completely new Formula but soo far has proven successful.

Fact is making an entirely new series is creating drives, not decreasing drives.

Hence the it hurts no one directly regardless of gender.

 

[Legro]

F1 is still open, and nothing changes in F1, regardless of whether this series happens or not. Moot point. If anything, a true feeder series would make F1 more accessible for women by showcasing their talent.

Everything of that is true, but it doesn't really prove my point wrong.

As long as karting still has it's top series as open, why would we care if they had women's only divisions? It would be an addition to what already exists.

If there's a top level which could be anyone and a top women level which can only be a woman. What if we just leave the original series as there everyone competes in their own level based on their driving and sadly, money.

Thanks for the input but my money, my series, I'll do it my way. Any woman can make it in the main series today, so long as she meets the qualifications. Adding a feeder or support series doesn't affect that. It also doesn't stop a woman from participating in any other series. Again, if anything, it would enhance their visibility and showcase their talents.

What if the original idea of separating the series was scrapped and the women's series was driving among the full series and had the ability to collect full championship points. There they would really show their talent, and not to just to people who'd follow the lower series too. But since I haven't heard anything good regarding gender equality from Bernie before, I don't really think that's what he wants.

 

[Northstar]

Currently I don't think there are that many female drivers to have a full field of capable drivers. So, if Bernie is serious about this he is going to have to start drafting young females into a development program so that when the series starts it's not just a few capable drivers and a bunch of others that can't keep the car straight.

 

[Bo]

This is Bernie's new way of saying "don't look over there!".

 

[Dennisch]

So we can see them making a twenty point turn getting the cars parked in the pits?

 

[Pseudopod]

Hilarious, Dennisch. I'm falling off my chair here.

 

[catamount39]

So Bernie has put up an idea of maybe making a World Championship F1 Support series that is female only, to encourage more female Racers and give them a way to integrate into the demanding Male dominated racing.

http://en.espnf1.com/f1/motorsport/story/196307.html

...

 

[TenEightyOne]

So Bernie...

How on earth did you convolute a sentence in English to begin with the word 'so'? Especially given that it was the OP and not in response to a previous statement?

F1 is still open gender regardless.

Haha what? In a thread where a suggestion for a secondary women-only series is repeated?

 

[TheCracker]

I think in this case it doesn't really harm one gender over another though.

1. It doesn't take away what already exists for men.
2. It gives women more ability to race in a competitve environment as the teams will likely have to actively find talent/paydrivers to drive their cars.
3. Possibly inspires more women into motorsport from the grassroots and expands motorsport as a whole.

It's a great idea! - let's have a world championship for 'coloureds' too whilst we're at this whole equality thing.

 

[GTPorsche]

That's not how you get women into motorsports...

 

[Johnnypenso]

Everything of that is true, but it doesn't really prove my point wrong.

If there's a top level which could be anyone and a top women level which can only be a woman. What if we just leave the original series as there everyone competes in their own level based on their driving and sadly, money.

What if the original idea of separating the series was scrapped and the women's series was driving among the full series and had the ability to collect full championship points. There they would really show their talent, and not to just to people who'd follow the lower series too. But since I haven't heard anything good regarding gender equality from Bernie before, I don't really think that's what he wants.

I assume you guys have heard of women's sports right? Womens baskeball leagues. Women's hockey leagues, women's tennis, women's volleyball, women's only gyms? Are you ok with that or do we have to make all sports gender free?

It's a great idea! - let's have a world championship for 'coloureds' too whilst we're at this whole equality thing.

How many white folks do you think win NAACP Image Awards or the B.E.T. Awards?

 

[SagarisGTB]

How is this a scandalous proposition? Are the WTA tour and the WNBA also 'anti gender equality'? I don't think it would work (the market and driver pool just aren't there when compared to the potential cost), but it's not an outrageous proposal.

It's a great idea! - let's have a world championship for 'coloureds' too whilst we're at this whole equality thing.

Bit of a ridiculous post. "Coloured people" is a racist fabrication (distinct human races don't exist, the entire human population is 'mixed race') born in archaic, gender differentiation certainly is not. Hence the Negro Leagues of baseball are long gone, yet female only categories in sport are ubiquitous.

 

[MatskiMonk]

The primary question is "Why aren't there more female drivers in motorsport?". If having a high profile women's league would counter whatever answer that gave, then I don't think it would be a terrible idea. I have a facebook friend that races in a ladies superbike cup, she seems to have lots of fun. Where's the harm?

 

[GTPorsche]

Can't compare other sports to this because racing involves being in machinery, whereas playing traditional stick and ball sports involves nothing but the human body and whatever sticks and balls... where men tend to be much bigger than women in those same category of sport. It's not an equalization thing, it's a competition thing.

 

[Bo]

Someone elsewhere made the point of gender divided sports being that way because of an inherent physical advantage for males. I don't believe Motorsport is somewhere where the difference is too pronounced.

I don't think this is one of his worse proposals; the only issue is it's just a distraction tool.

 

[TheCracker]

Bit of a ridiculous post. "Coloured people" is a racist fabrication (distinct human races don't exist, the entire human population is 'mixed race') born in archaic, gender differentiation certainly is not. Hence the Negro Leagues of baseball are long gone, yet female only categories in sport are ubiquitous.

Of course it's ridiculous, that was the whole point. You unnescessarily segregate women from men in one of the very few sports that they can compete on an equal footing, and you are taking a massive backwards step. You create a 'woman's league' and you are immediately giving women a 2nd class billing. Women already compete equally with men in all levels of motorsport, so why aim to change that by filtering them into a separate league?

 

[ItzRacing]

There is actually a lot of merit to this and although it does bring up the whole debate of gender equality, I see another way to look at it.

A lot of other sports have Women's and Men's competitions, but more importantly we should look at the example golf has set. They have the PGA tour and then the LPGA for Females. Yes there is seperation of genders but the best Female golfers often jump into the PGA tour and have a go at beating the Men. So ideally, the idea of an all female series would encourage more females into racing and then eventually we could be more likely to have a greater pool of talent competing against each other which would then see a few females competing against each other, potentially for a spot on the Formula 1 grid!