Danica Patrick

[skalogre]

Is anyone else fed up hearing about her? Now, I don't watch anty "domestic" motorsports (except for ALMS) but I know that she is yet to prove that she deserves the media attention she gets as a driver. Fine, she is the only woman in IRL. Big bloody deal. What is the deal with peope fawning over her anyway?
It is not like she is say, Michèle Mouton, who had only lost the 1982 WRC title due to the Audi Quattro's unreliability.

Edit:
It almost smacks of old fashioned sexism, as in "oh my, that little 23 year old girl is driving in a series with men. Isn't that amazing?"

 

[Tokyo Slim]

Originally Posted by skalogre

Is anyone else fed up hearing about her? Now, I don't watch anty "domestic" motorsports (except for ALMS) but I know that she is yet to prove that she deserves the media attention she gets as a driver. Fine, she is the only woman in IRL. Big bloody deal. What is the deal with peope fawning over her anyway? It is not like she is say, Michèle Mouton, who had only lost the 1982 WRC title due to the Audi Quattro's unreliability. Edit: It almost smacks of old fashioned sexism, as in "oh my, that little 23 year old girl is driving in a series with men. Isn't that amazing?"
I think she's a better driver than you give her credit for. From what I can tell, she's been pretty damn good in IndyCar, finishing third in points in 2004, finishing top 5 in 10 out of 12 races, etc. She also finished 4th at the Indy 500 in 2005, And she would have done better if she hadn't been so agressive. She led the race for 19 laps overall througout various points in the race. This year she is 12th on the points list going into Indy, but only because she withdrew from the opening race due to the death of her teammate during qualifying. And she's had two top ten finishes in the other two races she HAS been in. I'm not saying that maybe she isn't overexposed, but its not JUST because she's a woman. She can drive.

 

[skalogre]

Fine, I'll give you that she is decent. But do you think that she deserves the amount of attention she gets considering her inconsistency? Of course leading a race is impressive but you must also be consistent and controlled enough to make it to the finish line in a good position. Do you think she will be able to mature in to a competent driver that will be able to win races - or at least be consistent enough to bring points to the team that are not near the bottom? The last part was an actual question. IRL is not my thing

I don's know how good a predictor of future success the whole rookie of the year rubbish is, either. Anyone have any stats on that? In IRL, what is the pont structure, anyway? If you are a near-backmarker, do you still get points?

 

[Tokyo Slim]

Originally Posted by skalogre

Fine, I'll give you that she is decent. But do you think that she deserves the amount of attention she gets considering her inconsistency? Of course leading a race is impressive but you must also be consistent and controlled enough to make it to the finish line in a good position. Do you think she will be able to mature in to a competent driver that will be able to win races - or at least be consistent enough to bring points to the team that are not near the bottom? The last part was an actual question. IRL is not my thing

I don's know how good a predictor of future success the whole rookie of the year rubbish is, either. Anyone have any stats on that? In IRL, what is the pont structure, anyway? If you are a near-backmarker, do you still get points?
Well as far as her consistancy goes, she has been somewhere between the fourth and tenth best driver in IndyCar for almost two years. Before IRL she raced Toyota Atlantic and was probably the third or fourth best racer in that league for two years. That seems pretty consistant to me, I'd say her problem is her agressiveness getting in the way of her decision making. She has been known to run her car longer and harder than anyone else in the race before pitting in, and she lost Indy because she refused to pit for fuel during the last stretch of the race, she had to back off the lead so she would have enough fuel to finish. If she wised up a little bit, she would probably be top five in IRL and maybe the best anywhere else. She has never WON a race, but consistantly finished in the top ten, and has frequently made it to the podium at Toyota Atlantic. Like I said, she finished 12th in IRL points last year with 325 points. Her Teammate Vitor Meira was seventh with 422 points. I'm pretty sure that in IRL you get points based only on your finishing positions. And to answer your question, yeah, I think that she's proven that she belongs in IRL racing and deserves to be recognized for it. The fact that she's a woman is a novelty, which brightens her spotlight a bit, but then again, Michelle Wie gets a lot of press too, and Annika Sorenstam when she played with the guys. Etc. Thats just the way it is.

 

[skalogre]

So this is not a Kournikova-type situation as far as you are concerned? I know that the parallel has already been made by some of the automotive press. Edit: Only I think that DP is not near K. in looks but that is a whole different issue

 

[Tokyo Slim]

There has been negative press and doubts vocalized from her fellow racers, the press, and etc. And no, I don't think she deserves most of it. Robbie Gordon in particular looked like an anus when he said it wasn't fair that she was lighter than the other male racers. Its estimated that she has a 1 mph net advantage because of her weight. But its also not illegal for Robbie Gordon to go on a diet, or for his race team to find a lighter driver.

Edit: Personally, Anna Kournikova has never really done much for me. She SHOULD be attractive, but I think she KNOWS she's really pretty and subconciously it turns me off. Danica isn't the prettiest girl in the world (and her name isn't Jennifer, so she's automatically disqualified), but she's certainly not ugly, and in racing, that is like being the only woman guard in a mens prison.

 

[skalogre]

Originally Posted by Tokyo Slim

There has been negative press and doubts vocalized from her fellow racers, the press, and etc. And no, I don't think she deserves most of it. Robbie Gordon in particular looked like an anus when he said it wasn't fair that she was lighter than the other male racers. Its estimated that she has a 1 mph net advantage because of her weight. But its also not illegal for Robbie Gordon to go on a diet, or for his race team to find a lighter driver.

 

[Tokyo Slim]

I guess nobody else has an opinon, which is fine by me.

I prefer being right all the time, which is why all my rivals end up dead.

 

[skalogre]

...

"I'm not dead!"

Edit: Just caught your whole prison guard comment. Anyway, she is hounded to do spreads it seems (at least according to wikipedia). Don't know why but there you have it

Now if she were in NASCAR... LOL! Oh, the possibilities...

 

[Tokyo Slim]

Correction... you aren't dead... YET.

There was an article with Tony Stewart a while ago that indicated that he thought she might have some success in NASCAR, but that she should concentrate on IRL for the time being. As you probably know, Tony Stewart has raced the Indy 500 five times. Never finished higher than fifth. Danica has raced it once and came in fourth place. It must be that extra 1 mph Danica has on everyone else...


And for the record: Anything Smoke is ok with, I'm ok with.
When I randomly punch people in the eyeball, its an homage to Tony Stewart.

 

[matadorpoeta]

i clicked on this thread because i thought you were talking about winnie cooper.

winnie cooper was way overrated, imo.

 

[dusty]

Originally Posted by matadorpoeta

i clicked on this thread because i thought you were talking about winnie cooper.

winnie cooper was way overrated, imo.

Couldn't agree more. But did you know in real life she's a mathematician?

 

[Dakota rube]

Danica Patrick IMO is the result of a confluence of occurences: she has talent, she has looks, she is a magnet for media attention in a time when American open wheel racing is in dire need of press because of the schmism, she drives for a very well-funded and managed team.

I am happy to see her get ink because if her presence adds — even infintesimally — to awareness of open wheel racing in North America, perhaps it will start to climb back into a position of some prominence. Since the IRL was founded, open wheel racing here has fallen off the radar screen of casual motorsport fans. If DP's presence keeps the media attention a little longer, until CART and the IRL merge (perhaps as early as 2007), there is a chance to resurrect the sport.

DP is using her gender to personally profit; the IRL is using her to stop the skid. Sounds like a win-win deal, although sooner or later she's going to have to win a race to validate all the hype. She won't win the Indy 500 Sunday; Penske and Ganassi are too strong.

 

[Arethusa]

She deserves her hype. Her performance so far has been consistently strong. Pushing from consistently strong to actually winning is generally the difference between raw talent and experience.

 

[skalogre]

Originally Posted by Arethusa

She deserves her hype. Her performance so far has been consistently strong. Pushing from consistently strong to actually winning is generally the difference between raw talent and experience.

Hmm, I guess we will see. While strong she is not yet exceptional (unlike what seems to be the press' opinion). Time will tell.