Women in Circuit Racing

[mctshirt]

Originally Posted by speedreader

Christina has been running select single seater events in the USA (Indy Lights or similar from memory) but I believe money was a problem because like any driver, male or female, she was having to contribute toward the running costs and with the exchange rate of the NZ$ versus the US$ this was a dificult scenario to keep on top of. She recently returned to Australia to race in the Bathurst 12 Hour race, albeit in a fairly slow, normally aspirated Subaru Impreza.

Leanne has select rides in Fujitsu V8's and F3 leading up to the Enduro rides with PCR later this year.

Not sure about Lauren Gray or ???

The sad thing is everyone attacks female racers and their lack of competitive drives but also attackes them when they get publicity. Lets face it, Robbie (Jones) driving the pace car was just another competitive race car driver driving the pace car but Amber driving it is an editorial spin that the media love - why is that Amber's fault ?

Many people have said this before and I will reiterate - when you are dealing with literally hundreds of male drivers attempting to prove themselves alongside perhaps 2-3 female drivers at any one time the odds will always be better that more males will shine in the long run...

Lets stop knocking those that are trying - if ever I had a good word to say about Americans it is how they constantly find the good in people instead of just ripping them apart like we do down here. You can be coming last in a Nascar race and still receive good coverage with knowledgable journalism, historical results and genuine comments to support your effort's. Here, the media just want to make a laughing stock of anyone who tries to achieve no matter what.

It's embarrasing and I really wish people would just grow up and start applauding those who give it a go no matter what their gender !!!

.

You're right - we should go easy on them cause they're just girls - maybe a lap head start? How about two laps head start for the sheep shaggers "giving it a go"?

[alfacors]

No one is saying to give them an advantage, but they cop more than the equivalent male. Perhaps some guys on here can;t handle the fact there are females out there who can outdrive them, or are wrangling their way into opportunities they cannot?

It's easy for people to target the females. Robbie Jones hasn't done much either in recent memory, but some seem to think he is far more worthy than any female in the Safety Car.

[bazil]

Originally Posted by GTRMagic

So where are...



... the 4 of these ladies now?

Cooking, Cleaning, Sewing and taking the kids to school faster than other mums????

[stigette]

I can't speak for everyone, but most girls that I know who are involved in motor sport don't want any special treatment, in fact most hate being singled out for being female!

I personally don't like the concept of 'ladies classes' in club events because it's special treatment. Having said that, it is a good way to get women involved in the sport and some women love it because they have more chance of winning a trophy.

I guess at the end of the day it comes down to what drives you to be involved, and for me it's about having fun, having a go and challenging myself, it's not about a trophy, but hey if it happens then that's great!

Once we put our helmets on we are all the same.
And no head starts please mctshirt!

[sweetchuk]

Ultimately, it might not come down purely and singularly to a woman being skilled enough to take out a major championship - although it is my own personal opinion that there has not been, nor *likely* will there ever be a woman who can hold control enough over their emotions and hormonal variances over the course of a month, let alone a championship year, to ever challenge the mental and physical focus and dedicated fitness levels of a Senna, Schumacher etc - however I do believe Sponsorship, Marketing etc and the financial support given by those sponsors and endorsements can be one of the ultimate arbiters.

Most marketing firms see quite plainly that whilst the huge majority of supporters of Motorsport are male, and while for a certain period of time, that majority of male support can be swayed by occasional calenders etc portraying attractive females involved in Motorsport showcasing their various charms, that that same majority of males would and do choose to be aligned with skill and flair and for want of a better term, 'maleness', rather than being associated with the more feminine traits of what female drivers are out there - can only imagine the derisory comments between mates at a BBQ if one of them was found to be supporting a female driver - perish the thought, but a salient observation in any case.

I respect Ms Tanders achievements on track, but other than a few die hard supporters in this forum, plus a couple strewn around race tracks in this country, where are the huge sponsor deals, the endorsements or any other form of long term drive contracts queueing up for her signature, thus assuring her long term survival in this sport?
With respect, she is just (and perhaps never has been if those offers, or lack thereof are any indication) not that marketable from a corporate point of view as a serious, long term, pack leading championship contender - whether she has the skill or not is another discussion.

We can argue about whether or not a female will ever win a major motorsport championship - well, if a female can secure the financial resources to give it a decent go on an even footing, and has the same or very similar skill, fitness and utterly determined focus level, as the saying goes, time will tell.

But I personally will not hold my breath waiting.

[Wilder]

Originally Posted by Aslak Vind

The US Military, and the Marines in particular, are very happy with their female F18 fighterpilots. They have bodies better suited to high G´s, as they tend to be more compact, less way between brain and heart.

And they do very well, thank you. So saying that unless a female driver wins a major championship, they are rubbish, does not make sense to me. There are lots of male drivers, not winning anything either. And no one picks on them ?

I wondered how long it would take before someone brought up fighter jet pilots...
Ok, firstly the inclusion of fighter pilots is not remotely similar.

The reasons are simple:
1/ Fighter pilots do NOT experience high G for more that a few seconds.
Although the G forces are higher (up to 7-9G typically) sustained high G of around 8-9 renders any human unconcious rapidly, even with the G suit.
Women are suited to sporadic high G because they have smaller mass, and less blood than men, and it is this blood leaving the vital organs -the brain mainly into the extemeties than lead to this condition.
This is why Douglas Bader made a great fighter pilot after he lost his legs, (in the days before this condition was understood,) it meant he had no legs for his blood to accumilate in during high G manouvers.

2/high G and -Ve G manouvers do not require intensive physical conditioning for the reasons mentioned ( short duration).
In a typical F1 race, corners of 3G are common, (peaks of 5G) and can last as in the famous 130R for 10 seconds or more.
Over a race distance this leads to incredible fatigue, and requires tremendous strength , particularly in the kneck muscles.
Women simply do not have this musculature, even with the most intense training.

I use F1 as the example, because its the highest G forces in motorsport, and therefore most appropriate to compare with the Fighter pilot comparison.
It may also be a good explanation for the fact below, and why a woman is unlikely to ever win the F1 drivers crown.
There have been 8 women compete over 51 years (1958 was the first one).
The years 1974 to 1976 saw the emergence of the most successful female driver in Formula One—Lella Lombardi. Lombardi had a total of 17 entries with 12 starts, and she managed to finish sixth in the Spanish Grand Prix where she managed to score 0.5 points. Today, Lombardi remains the only woman to have ever scored any points in Formula One.

[Casper]

Originally Posted by Dasher

Its not bikes,its not drag racing,its not rallying, its single driver,four wheels on a track designed for circuit racing.

So karts are in, goody. Linda Knapp, Australian sprint kart champion JNL. I could ring her and find the year but I can't be bothered as you will find criteria to say it does not count.

[nycuk]

Originally Posted by Wilder

In a typical F1 race, corners of 3G are common, (peaks of 5G) and can last as in the famous 130R for 10 seconds or more.
Over a race distance this leads to incredible fatigue, and requires tremendous strength , particularly in the kneck muscles.
Women simply do not have this musculature, even with the most intense training.

I use F1 as the example, because its the highest G forces in motorsport, and therefore most appropriate to compare with the Fighter pilot comparison.
It may also be a good explanation for the fact below, and why a woman is unlikely to ever win the F1 drivers crown.
There have been 8 women compete over 51 years (1958 was the first one).
The years 1974 to 1976 saw the emergence of the most successful female driver in Formula One—Lella Lombardi. Lombardi had a total of 17 entries with 12 starts, and she managed to finish sixth in the Spanish Grand Prix where she managed to score 0.5 points. Today, Lombardi remains the only woman to have ever scored any points in Formula One.

What about g-forces in Indycar (oval or road course)? Maybe they are less an in F1 on average, but surely not dramatically so? Danica, amongst others, seems to cope okay.

[Rob29]

Yep,three women qualified for the Indy 500 for second year running.

[Dasher]

Originally Posted by Casper

So karts are in, goody. Linda Knapp, Australian sprint kart champion JNL. I could ring her and find the year but I can't be bothered as you will find criteria to say it does not count.

You are right in this case,

I don't know why you bothered either Casper as the criteria is for a MAJOR Motor Racing Championship not a junior karting championship such as jnl, albeit quite a significant achievement for Linda.

There have been a huge number of girls that have started off in karts and have done extremely well,but very few seem to go on with it and take their driving talent from karts to another class in car racing and then seem to just fade away and are never heard of again.

[Rob29]

Seems to be an Australian problem.Leanne Tander leading ace in Aus F3 last year-best offer seems to be to drive the safety car.Why is she not in the V8 supercars? Would like to see her come to europe.

[nycuk]

Originally Posted by Rob29

Seems to be an Australian problem.Leanne Tander leading ace in Aus F3 last year-best offer seems to be to drive the safety car.Why is she not in the V8 supercars? Would like to see her come to europe.

Wasn't DTM a possibility at one point?

[Dasher]

Another year in motor racing has come and is just about gone and still no female has won a major championship for pavement circuit style car racing.

Why is this so, anybody care to comment?

[Nero]

you mean apart from the fact that they probably make up less than 1% of CAMS lic holders and constantly have to put up with ignorant fools telling them that they are not as good?

[Rob29]

Originally Posted by Dasher

Another year in motor racing has come and is just about gone and still no female has won a major championship for pavement circuit style car racing.

Why is this so, anybody care to comment?

Maybe in AUS but here in UK Sarah Moore age 16yrs has just won Ginetta Jnr.series-look to have promising future.Still don't think there are more than 1% of licence holders female.

[PVDA]

I was driving an FIV at the Alpine Rally around Lakes Entrance over the weekend and there is a lot of female competitors in gravel rallying, downside is the majority are navigating and not driving

[mtpanorama]

Samantha Reid is driving Leanne Tanders Improved production RX7 at the Nationals at PI this weekend. The car is fast but she hasn't had much time in the car, so it will be interesting to see how she goes.

[Belly13]

Good luck to her. Also, Lauren Gray will drive in the 12-Hour next year with her old man. It would be nice to see a women or two get a good break in Australian motorsport.
Also, did anyone watch the doco about Leanne Tander on the weekend? Garth seemed to get more air-time than Leanne did...

[Southern Man]

Emma Gilmore has just finished 2nd to Cody Crocker in the Asia Pacific Rally Championship which finished a few days ago, and she continued driving when she broke her wrist during the final event the Rally of China. That was a pretty gutsy effort and one worthy of anyone trying to win a championship

[Dasher]

Just to remind everybody that the criteria for this is a MAJOR MOTOR RACING OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP like F1, Indy Car, Nascar,Nationwide, Formula 3, BTCC, V8 Supercars etc.etc.,not junior Karting titles,Drag,Rallying,Bikes,Boats that others want to throw into the mix.

All the above achievements by females is great and congratulations to them all,quite a few girls have outstanding talent in Karting Juniors and progressive classes from there but NONE have ever Won a Championship like above.

Yes,they are a minority group in the big ocean of motor racing but that dosent hide their talents if they have any.

WHY haven't they won a Championship ???????????????????????

[rustyinsthoz]

Originally Posted by Dasher

Just to remind everybody that the criteria for this is a MAJOR MOTOR RACING OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP like F1, Indy Car, Nascar,Nationwide, Formula 3, BTCC, V8 Supercars etc.etc.,not junior Karting titles,Drag,Rallying,Bikes,Boats that others want to throw into the mix.

All the above achievements by females is great and congratulations to them all,quite a few girls have outstanding talent in Karting Juniors and progressive classes from there but NONE have ever Won a Championship like above.

Yes,they are a minority group in the big ocean of motor racing but that dosent hide their talents if they have any.

WHY haven't they won a Championship ???????????????????????

Probably for the same reason 99.9% of male racing drivers have not won a major championship.

[Jacob Black]

Originally Posted by Nero

you mean apart from the fact that they probably make up less than 1% of CAMS lic holders and constantly have to put up with ignorant fools telling them that they are not as good?

Originally Posted by Dasher

WHY haven't they won a Championship ???????????????????????

Dasher... can you read?

[Dasher]

Originally Posted by Jacob Black

Dasher... can you read?

Is that why,never would have thought of that as a reason, well thats it then.

[Denosaur]

Originally Posted by Dasher

WHY haven't they won a Championship ???????????????????????

Why?? Because motor sport around the world is male dominated, testosterone overloaded sport where women have been treated like trophies, swapped between drivers arms and told to stand in the corner half naked showing there wears for the benefit of the sponsors and all other males at the track. Work on removing the stigma that all women at the track need to just be trophies or display pieces and then you might get somewhere.

There are women out there capable of winning, rather than riding on the coat tales of "I'm a woman in male dominated sport", they need to get there heads down and stick it to men. Plain and simple. I'm sick of seeing all there PR pieces in telecast about how they have struggled against all the men, and "I'm not here to make up numbers". Enough talk, time to put it on the line.

Results mean everything in this sport.

[Marcos WTF]

More women in Motor Sport can only be a good thing. As long as they arn't there
simply because they are female.

My belief is that if more woman raced cars, more women will watch, be involved,etc.

That can only be good for the sport.