Women in racing

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Danica Patrick qualified on the second row for the upcoming Indianapolis 500. How far do you think she will go at Indy come Memorial Day weekend?

Speaking of Indy, it's sad that Buddy Rice will have to sit out this year's race.
 
I've raced against a young Swedish lady by the name of Jenna Brorsson on a couple of occasions, i can tell you she's every bit as quick as the men, and certainly 'easier-on-the-eye' 👍

She also races in the Scandinavian 911 Carrera Cup, 7th in the championship so far.
 

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I really hope Danica Patrick will win the Indy 500, by watching her timed runs she seemed pretty good, except for the first one where she got a little squerilly. But that was a rookie mistake. Maybe she won't win but I think she will do very well, she is a very good driver. Watch out in the coming years once she gets the technique down.
 
You know one thing I like about Danica Patrick? Man, I swear. She is greatly focused and just has a love and a passion for winning. Also, she isn't really afraid of anything. I wouldn't say she has a chip on her shoulder, but her bravery is unreal. Other than Indy, Danica Patrick has raced (from what I've seen), Toyota Atlantic, some Champ Car World Series events, and she raced a Ferrari 550 Maranello in the ALMS. I think she said she would like to be an F1 racer as well. Can you imagine her going up against the likes of Fernando Alonso (correct spelling?) Juan Pablo Montoya, Jensen Button, Kimi Raikkonen, Mark Webber, and last but not least... Michael and Ralf Schumacher? I think the future is very bright for this young lady.

Another thing about her is that she kind of dislikes being labeled as a "female racer" or something like that. I don't even think Sarah Fisher felt as Patrick did when she was one of the more popular IRL racers. But as I said before, Danica Patrick has a great future. A win would really boost her morale, but I'd be happy if she can get at least a Top 10 finish. Something else you have to remember is that D. Patrick came back from a certain injury sometime back. I'm sure she'll be in great shape when May 29th rolls around.
 
There have been a lot of great women drivers throughout the years, and even at the local level you'll find plenty of women just as eager as the menfolk who strap into cars and get to racing.

It's almost a shame that great drivers like Danica, Milka, and Sarah get more recognition out of being accomplished woman drivers than out of being accomplished drivers.
 
I guess you're right about liking Danica Patrick JohnBM01, she kinda qualified 4th for the Indy 500 ;)

As far as women in racing goes, I don't like it. I have my reasons, most of my reason is due to witnessing women driving on the road, it's scary to watch, I hated when I had to drive with my mom in my early years. Go ahead and flame all ya want, I have my reasons, and my story, and I'm sticking with it :P
 
No one has mentioned Shirley Muldowney or Lisa Kubo.
They may only race a 1/4 mile at a time. But they represent the beginning of women in drag racing, and the present and future of drag racing.
 
One lady in racing recently won. Milka Duno was part of the winning Daytona Prototype team at beautiful Le Circuit Mont-Tremblant. I didn't hear her reaction to the victory, but I'm sure she's pretty happy. She's arguably the most beautiful lady racer in the world. She can back up that beauty with beautiful driving. So, good job to the Venezuelan Milka Duno at Mont-Tremblant.

Next weekend is the Indianapolis 500, and Danica Patrick is likely still in the Top 10, if not the Top 5. Of course, she hates being labeled as a female driver, and I guess sometimes we tend to follow more of the female racers more than male racers, like the female racers get some special attention from the media. Personally, great talent has no assigned sex. If you have the talent and the will to win, then hit the track. And of course, you either play hard, or go home. Now, can you dig that?

By the way, what would it mean for Danica Patrick to win the Indy 500? Would it bring out a new inspiration for ladies to take up on professional-level auto racing (even if it's the top three NASCAR series)? I know Lyn St. James, Michele Mouton, and others are inspirations, but I think that if Danica Patrick can win the Indianapolis 500, let me tell you something. She's going to be on all sorts of TV shows, magazines, online publications, GTPlanet message boards (^_^), and all sorts of stuff.
 
JohnBM01
One lady in racing recently won. Milka Duno was part of the winning Daytona Prototype team at beautiful Le Circuit Mont-Tremblant. I didn't hear her reaction to the victory, but I'm sure she's pretty happy. She's arguably the most beautiful lady racer in the world. She can back up that beauty with beautiful driving. So, good job to the Venezuelan Milka Duno at Mont-Tremblant.

Next weekend is the Indianapolis 500, and Danica Patrick is likely still in the Top 10, if not the Top 5. Of course, she hates being labeled as a female driver, and I guess sometimes we tend to follow more of the female racers more than male racers, like the female racers get some special attention from the media. Personally, great talent has no assigned sex. If you have the talent and the will to win, then hit the track. And of course, you either play hard, or go home. Now, can you dig that?

By the way, what would it mean for Danica Patrick to win the Indy 500? Would it bring out a new inspiration for ladies to take up on professional-level auto racing (even if it's the top three NASCAR series)? I know Lyn St. James, Michele Mouton, and others are inspirations, but I think that if Danica Patrick can win the Indianapolis 500, let me tell you something. She's going to be on all sorts of TV shows, magazines, online publications, GTPlanet message boards (^_^), and all sorts of stuff.

She just got 4th, was leading with a few laps to go but was running on fumes so couldn't keep yup the speed
 
With the update to this topic, I'm really happy for Danica Patrick. As I said before, at least a Top 10 finish would have made me happy, and in so, the fuel pressure wasn't enough to try to make the push for the win. She's the highest-qualifying lady in history, the highest-finishing lady in history, also the first lady to lead a lap of the Indianpolis 500. And oh yeah, she lived up to the hype.

So what happened? Danica Patrick placed fourth with her array of incidents. Among them, she stalled her car in the pits on about lap 79 of 200. Dropped from about 4th to 16th. She then steadily worked her way through the field- 16th, 14th, top 10, up to 8... after pit sequences, top of the mountain. But there was one concern- fuel conservation. Her team knew she probably wouldn't make it on tires and fuel, and I thought this would be the key issue within the Wheldon/Patrick fight of around 10 laps to go. Danica Patrick had a chance to create the ultimate upset. I think people like Lyn St. James, Sarah Fisher, Janet Guthrie, and all them who turned left for over 500 miles really have to admire and congratulate Danica Patrick on her efforts.

Personally, I'm very happy for Danica Patrick, and I felt that she could get herself a podium finish at least. I, like probably many of you, wanted D. Patrick to win the race. I'm very happy for her to finish in the Top 5. And after the race, she didn't feel dejected, she didn't really hate herself for not winning, there are gentlemen in racing, but Danica Patrick really shown her stuff. The 5'1", 100 lb. 23-year old out of Illinois has really impressed the hell out of me. To me, she won the Indy 500. She lived up to the hype, didn't lose focus, and simply kept her eyes on the prize. Started 4th, finished 4th. Maybe next year- 3rd or better.
 
Mighty impressive drive, I went into that race not going for anyone in particular but she showed so much talent in the face of adversity and over that 500 miles she really gt my respect 👍

Blake
 
Danica Patrick qualified 3rd in my home state of Texas, but finished 13th, one lap down. She was the second-placed rookie in the race, trailing Ryan Briscoe. In the points heading into Richmond, she dropped from ninth in the standings to tenth.

Concerning Danica Patrick, I still have sincere respect for her. The Indy 500 was a morale boost for Ms. (going to be Mrs. soon) Patrick, but this is the first time she's raced under the lights, and the first at Dallas/Fort Worth's Texas Motor Speedway. My real concern is that I think some or most people are going to think that Danica is all show, no go. They'll probably say that Danica is overhyped and can't get the job done on the track. I'm not going to hate on her for ANYTHING she goes through. You know why? Because she really isn't afraid of anything. I don't think she feels dejected after not placing very well. When there's traffic and she wants the higher position, she'll fight for it. She may be 5'1" at 100 lbs, but she's like a right hook from Mike Tyson or Evander Holyfield. On the track, she's a cook. Cooks up fresh cans of whoop ass on the track. At Texas, however, she raced nicely.

I still have faith in Danica. In fact, on another message board, I predict that Danica Patrick may win AT LEAST one race before the season comes to a close. I'm not one of the ones saying "she needs to win with all this attention she's getting." My thing is, she's learning the tracks, doing her best, and looking for any oppurtunity to win. Remember. She did something no other lady has done in the past at any time- lead laps at the Indy 500. It's the signature race for the IRL, and any time you have an impressive showing there, you're great. I think if Danica may have a chance, it may be in road racing, since she's coming out of Toyota Atlantics, which is mostly road course racing. The season is still young.
 
There are quite a few who've done reasonably well. Certainly Michele Mouton is the only woman to win a round of an FIA-recognised World Championship, and she absolutely destroyed the Pikes Peak record, which does tend to support Vat's theory of her being the best woman of all time. Notably, everyone thinks that Ari Vatanen's climb was about the best drive ever at Pikes Peak, but it was less than a second quicker than Mouton's run the previous year.

Danica Patrick is enjoying some run of form at the moment. I hope that she'll get the job done and actually start winning some races.

Vanina Ickx is racing at Le Mans again this year. She's in Martin Short's Rollcentre Racing Dallara Judd LMP1 car. No real chance of outright victory, I would say. I think it's between the the Courage Judds and the Champion Audis.

Ellen Lohr had a good run in the DTM in the 1990s.

Lots of people are making noises about Susie Stoddart in the UK. No relation to Minardi-owner Paul, she's making the most of the publicity, but I don't think that she's really got it as a driver.

Jutta Kleinschmidt has done well in Rally Raids, but that rarely requires outright speed.

And then there's the only woman to score (half a point) in Formula 1: Lella Lombardi, who came sixth at the shortened race at Montjuich Park in Barcelona in 1975.
 
Danica is a ****ing good driver. Sure she is with a good team, but she came out of the blue and is able to stick it to the guys. She is very beutiful. I must say. I always thought that with all of the training these drivers have to do, they'd be muscley as. She looks like a normal, hot female. I reckon she looks hotter in the pics where she is in her racing mindset. Not when she's posing like in the previous pics. As a driver. She has my respect. As a female driver.......... A competitive, female, driver I'm rooting for her. I support her.

We have a couple of female rally drivers, here in NZ. I think one of them is third or fourth in the championship standings.
 
The latest lady of discussion is Katherine Legge in Toyota Atlantic. Whereas Danica Patrick suffered her third DNF (second straight), Katherine Legge won her third Toyota Atlantic race. I thought Legge was American, but she's a British lady heading into the Champ Car ranks. The IRL has a week off this coming weekend, but will then race at Kentucky. Care to continue? Go ahead.
 
Ellen Lohr -> raced in the "old" DTM does now Rallye Raid

Sabine Reck -> has won the 24h on the Nurburgring on a "Scheid" BMW and drive the famous "Ringtaxi"

Claudia Hürtgen -> drove in the DTC (nearly the same as now WTCC) and has won the last 4h VLN race at the Nurburgring Nordschleife.

http://www.claudia-huertgen.de/ (German only... sorry)
 
Some bastard on "WindTunnel with Dave Despain" and the FIRED UP segment said that (1) women belittle racing, and that (2) Danica Patrick will NEVER win a race. Ouch. Harsh words. Well let me tell you something brother (thank you, Hulk Hogan!)! It's time to sound off.

(1) Women BELITTLE racing? What about Milka Duno's racing success in open-wheel and sportscar racing? I bet some of you wouldn't complain if Erin Crocker or Sarah Fisher won a stock car race. And let's not forget the legendary Lyn St. James and Janet Guthrie. Most racing series are complete with male competition. Don't you chauvanistic pigs tell me that women can't race or don't belong in racing. NBA players can play basketball, but that doesn't stop women from being part of the WNBA. College basketball boys can hoop it up from any team between Air Force and Youngstown State... doesn't stop women from acheiving the same fame. Racing is as much of a sport as any other. But don't tell me that women belittle racing and have better things to do than strap into a racing outfit. Great talent has no gender. Hell, I bet a transsexual or a hermaphrodite can race just as good as any other male talent. Don't tell me racing is only a man's game.

(2) Danica Patrick will never win a race? She has the talent to win. It may sound like I'm sugarcoating all of this, but racing isn't easy. She is under as much pressure as any other racer, and doesn't need any extra pressure to win. She talked with ABC after the race and was happy, but upset. And I'm sick of people bashing her all the time. Danica Patrick isn't David Coulthard (congratulations for 3rd at Monaco) or Kimi Raikkonen. She's not overrated hype. She has talent and will only get better. This 24-year old is as beautiful as her racing. Danica placed 8th and was the highest-placed Panoz. Dallara is the better chassis, but she made a great effort driving for Rahal-Letterman. Hell, she can race for Penske or Ganassi and be a star. And if she wins a race, what will you say then? What, "I'm sorry?" "I take my words back?" "That was a fluke?" "She shouldn't have won this race?" You gave Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Carl Edwards a chance, so why not her too?

Maybe that person who made these silly comments should visit GTPlanet.net's Message Boards so I can REALLY grill him on his views. Accept the fact that women can race, or I'll give you a Texas-size talking-to. Dig, player?
 
It's not that I don't support women racers or w/e, it's just Danica Patrick is 5'1 and like 90lbs. The IRL doesn't have a minimum driver and car weight, so she has a clear advantage over the other drivers, doesn't she?

m.piedgros
 
hm. no-one's mentioned Melanie Troxel. gee, she'd been dominating the Top Fuel charts for some time now.

and, if you want old shcool, what about Sarah Christian? or Ethel Flock? both female NASCAR drivers in the stock car circuit's formative years.
 

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