Gordon pissed because female Indy 500 driver 100 lbs lighter!?!?

[SludgeFactory]

Of course it's an advantage. She has the potential for better speed, fuel mileage, and tire wear from hauling 40-60 pounds less than the most everybody else. The main reason she was in contention at the end of the race despite all her screwups was the fuel mileage she was getting, she skipped her last scheduled pit stop. "She always gets great fuel mileage" -- Bobby Rahal. No sh!t Bobby.

The IRL is desperate for the attention they get from Danica Patrick running extremely fast at Indy. Their TV ratings and attendance suck, they're downright abysmal at some tracks. 8000 people showed up for Phoenix this year, LMAO. Of course they're going to deflect this issue and dismiss it and spout off the company line "it's not significant." If she actually wins and the grumbling really starts, they might change the rule during an offseason.

With da Matta, all 129 pounds of him, CART started including driver weight mid-season back when he was winning so many races and so many people were bitching.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: redgtxdi
I agree with most points here. Gordon's a whiner but even ***I*** could've told ya' somebody would complain eventually. It's true she's lighter. Hey......anybody remember Manute Bol?? He was THE TALLEST......PERIOD & that didn't mean he was at an advantage.

Well, I'll go one further.........................

Consider that there's a good argument that along with male strength/power features you could also possibly argue that men could drive better (and this is strictly hypothetical) due STRICTLY to fast-twitch/slow-twitch muscle make up. NO......this is not to say that men are arbitrarily faster/quicker in the reflex dept but if you get the gist, then I don't need to explain. But does the slight (and aside from RG's weight, I mean SLIGHT) weight advantage offset that?? Does it matter??

I, personally, think it's great and I think that it's something Indy has needed for a while. Heck, did ANYBODY do the double this year?? (Robbie sucked in both races, IIRC, last time he did it). I'd like to see Danica in Nascar too, but she probably doesn't care to do more than the best.

And if you consider most horsejockey-type Nascar drivers......(Jeff Gordon comes to mind)......these guys aren't much more than she is anyway. I think it balances out quite well & can't WAIT to see more of her & perhaps more Indy coverage overall.

Great job Danica!

Interesting post.

Yes, Robby Gordon has done nothing but suck in Nascar. He likes to blame it on his engine builder though rather than the lack of talent behind the steering wheel.

I don't think there is any difference between a womans ability in a racing car and a mans. Women are capable of the same reaction times as men, clearly Shirley Muldowney proved that. I think it's only a matter of time until a woman beats a man in the top levels of motorsports...even F1. I think it's great too.

The only thing that keeps women out is, obviously, the way people are conditioned as children (woman aren't race car drivers, they should be having babies and cleaning the house, or working in a career like retail sales or marketing). The negative reception they get from everyone in motorsports from the sanctioning bodies to the team owners to their fellow drivers only makes it more prohibitive. For a woman to excel in that environment is, I think, exceptional.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: 91TTZ

Originally posted by: redgtxdi


And if you consider most horsejockey-type Nascar drivers......(Jeff Gordon comes to mind)......these guys aren't much more than she is anyway. I think it balances out quite well & can't WAIT to see more of her & perhaps more Indy coverage overall.

Great job Danica!

It seems that a lot of fanboys are sucking up to her for no other reason than the fact that's she's an attractive woman. If she was butch, nobody would give a crap.

She's a racecar driver, not a playboy bimbo.

The top 5 reasons for people liking her are:

1. She's a hot female
2. She's a hot female
3. She's a hot female
4. She's a hot female
5. She's a hot female

While people like drivers such as Richard Petty, Dale Earnhart, Mario Andretti, etc for various reasons such as driver skill, attitude, sportmanship, etc., people seem to like her for one reason and one reason only. She gets their vote solely for being a hot female. That would be a shame if she makes a career for herself by racing, only to find her fan support erode as she ages and loses the looks.

If you truly want to be a free thinker, you should leave the gender out of it and consider her as "just another racecar driver" and judge her on skill alone. It's quite pathetic seeing people swoon over her simply because she's a woman in a traditionally male sport.

................... ./´¯/)
....................,/¯../
.................../..../
............./´¯/'...'/´¯¯`?¸
........../'/.../..../......./¨¯
........('(...´...´.... ¯~/'...')
.........\.................'...../
..........''...\.......... _.?´
............\..............(
..............\.............\.

Here's what I think of that point of view.

She's obviously a talented driver. Being a woman in that sport has got to be tough. If anything, I think her looks would tend to make people discredit/discourage her even more. What's pathetic is people who just gloss over the fact that she's really doing what no other woman has done before. Maybe it's just that there are people around her who are encouraging her and giving her a chance (along with a heathy dose of actual skill on her part). That doesn't take anything away from the accomplishment because she has something to deal with that the men she races against don't have to deal with and that's the stigma of "being a woman in a mans world." You can dismiss that as no big deal, being a man, but it is a pressure no other driver in IRL has to deal with. I think she's worthy of the attention.

BTW-Every year, in recent years, that I've tuned in to the Indy 500 (for the 30-40 minutes total I traditionally watch it) I've seen a few women in it and I've watched them crash out of 29th or 30th position, secretely hoping they'd do better but at the same time not holding much hope. I really took interest in this year's race because of Danica Patrick. Normally, I hate IRL. I think it's one of the most boring types of motorsports on the planet, but I watched more of this IRL race than I've watched of all other IRL races combined since they broke off from CART back in the mid 90s.

Your comments about Danica Patrick are ignorant and I think you should withdraw them.

 

[OvErHeAtInG]

Birthdate: Jan 25, 1982 (from ESPN)
and she's YOUNG (not sure if someone commented on this already)
I think that's what really gets me, all gearheads secrtly have a little dream of being an indy-CART driver. When a 23-y/o girl (sorry woman) holds the lead at Indy for 19 laps, it really touches the "shucks I wish it was me" nerve in all of us. Or me anyhow.

91TTZ says she wouldn't be a popular indy-car starlet except for she's good-looking. I think she wouldn't be good-looking at all except the fact she's a successful indy-car rookie. :heart:

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

Whahhhhh ...... athletes arn't people that use machines 4000 more popwerful than they are.

I gues sthis is also admitting that there is no skill in race car driving if the 100 pounbds bothers him so much. Does he realize how stupid he sounds? That's like saying Shaq won't play against another team because there center is stronger, taller, smarter and faster. What a dumb fvck ... but it's not shocking given the "sport" he's in.

 

[Scarpozzi]

Ahh...I'm sure they can run her off the road with intimidation techniques.

 

[91TTZ]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus


Your comments about Danica Patrick are ignorant and I think you should withdraw them.

I think you just take the counter-culture views on things, and you always blindly support the "oppressed" and blame who you think is the oppressor. You need to support her and hold her above all other male drivers, even if they've done nothing wrong.

Her looks and her gender is definitely not holding her back, career wise. While some of the other drivers may give her some heat, she's getting major support from the higher-ups in the IRL. Have you seen what she's done for their ratings? She brings in the money, which they like. No exec is going to hold back someone who brings in the revenue.

I would support her for her driving skill, but I'm not so liberal that I'm going to support her simply for being a woman that's going to "show up" the men. I don't subscribe to that liberal "ihatethewhitemaleoppressor" mindset.

Qualities that I'd look for in a race car driver would be described as "consistent", "skillful", "dominating", and "successful". People who seem to like her (for the wrong reasons) seem to use the words "refreshing", "empowered", "underdog", and "different". This is Indy car racing, this is not an Apple commercial or a feminist movement.

Keep things in their proper perspective. She's a race car driver, she did pretty well in that race and she finished 4th place, and if she delivers consistent performance over her career she should be able to win the race at least once. But save the liberal "empowered woman challenges male dominance" nonsense for a San Francisco coffeeshop.

 

[91TTZ]

Originally posted by: OvErHeAtInG

91TTZ says she wouldn't be a popular indy-car starlet except for she's good-looking. I think she wouldn't be good-looking at all except the fact she's a successful indy-car rookie. :heart:

You wouldn't consider her good looking if she wasn't an indy-car driver? I think she's good looking in general, no matter what her job is.

 

[ITJunkie]

Originally posted by: BobDaMenkey
He got beat by a girl and didn't like it. Suck it up buttercup.

 

[A Scream]

lol that's hilarious. but then... 1MPH can be a big advantage.

 

[misterj]

lol he has point, she does have an unfair advantage, but how is that different from the weight differences of all the men before? apparently when nascar started they wanted to leave that as an open variable. i think they should have accounted for it long ago, but what other racing league does this?

anywho, nascar is just not my cup of tea and i'll leave it at that.

 

[91TTZ]

Originally posted by: misterj
lol he has point, she does have an unfair advantage, but how is that different from the weight differences of all the men before? apparently when nascar started they wanted to leave that as an open variable. i think they should have accounted for it long ago, but what other racing league does this?

anywho, nascar is just not my cup of tea and i'll leave it at that.

Most other racing leagues, such as Formula 1, include the weight of the driver in the car's race weight. The rules of IRL are flawed and don't include that.

It's not about "oppressive male vs. empowered female", it's about the league's flawed rules.

 

[trmiv]

Originally posted by: misterj
lol he has point, she does have an unfair advantage, but how is that different from the weight differences of all the men before? apparently when nascar started they wanted to leave that as an open variable. i think they should have accounted for it long ago, but what other racing league does this?

anywho, nascar is just not my cup of tea and i'll leave it at that.

He's commenting on the IRL not NASCAR, two completely different forms of racing. Also in NASCAR, as in almost every other racing series in the world besides the IRL, the driver's weight IS included when weighing the cars.

 

[apoppin]

Originally posted by: 91TTZ

Originally posted by: misterj
lol he has point, she does have an unfair advantage, but how is that different from the weight differences of all the men before? apparently when nascar started they wanted to leave that as an open variable. i think they should have accounted for it long ago, but what other racing league does this?

anywho, nascar is just not my cup of tea and i'll leave it at that.

Most other racing leagues, such as Formula 1, include the weight of the driver in the car's race weight. The rules of IRL are flawed and don't include that.

It's not about "oppressive male vs. empowered female", it's about the league's flawed rules.

they don't believe their rules are flawed - even though this argument has been presented to them for YEARS. . . only the "armchair experts" here
:roll:
:thumbsdown:

 

[91TTZ]

Originally posted by: apoppin
rules.

they don't believe their rules are flawed - even though this argument has been presented to them for YEARS. . . only the "armchair experts" here
:roll:
:thumbsdown:[/quote]

Their failure to listen to reason is partly the reason why the IRL is not nearly as popular as Formula 1. Sadly, there is money to be made by being lazy and low-tech. Look at NASCAR. The cars weigh 3500 lbs and have pushrod V8's with carburetors. It's one step up from a junkyard derby.

I think that any driver that gets to take his pick would choose F1 over the other leagues. :disgust::thumbsup::thumbsdown:

 

[apoppin]

Originally posted by: 91TTZ

Originally posted by: apoppin
rules.

they don't believe their rules are flawed - even though this argument has been presented to them for YEARS. . . only the "armchair experts" here
:roll:
:thumbsdown:

Their failure to listen to reason is partly the reason why the IRL is not nearly as popular as Formula 1. Sadly, there is money to be made by being lazy and low-tech. Look at NASCAR. The cars weigh 3500 lbs and have pushrod V8's with carburetors. It's one step up from a junkyard derby.

I think that any driver that gets to take his pick would choose F1 over the other leagues.
[/quote]

and yet the IRL is in charge of the UNpopular indy 500 and their "little cars"
:roll:

heck, if 'i' had a choice, i'd pick F1 over anything else




and i'd much rather NOT look at NASCAR

 

[91TTZ]

Originally posted by: apoppin

and yet the IRL is in charge of the UNpopular indy 500 and their "little cars"

I think the Indy 500 has become a seasonal tradition in the US. People that aren't really race fans will turn it on and drink beer, as part of their Memorial day festivities. I'd be interested to hear how many other IRL races they actually watch.

It's kind of like eating turkey on Thanksgiving. Lots of people don't even like turkey, and don't eat it any other day of the year. But on Thanksgiving, they make turkey. :disgust:

 

[trmiv]

Originally posted by: apoppin

Originally posted by: 91TTZ

Originally posted by: misterj
lol he has point, she does have an unfair advantage, but how is that different from the weight differences of all the men before? apparently when nascar started they wanted to leave that as an open variable. i think they should have accounted for it long ago, but what other racing league does this?

anywho, nascar is just not my cup of tea and i'll leave it at that.

Most other racing leagues, such as Formula 1, include the weight of the driver in the car's race weight. The rules of IRL are flawed and don't include that.

It's not about "oppressive male vs. empowered female", it's about the league's flawed rules.

they don't believe their rules are flawed - even though this argument has been presented to them for YEARS. . . only the "armchair experts" here
:roll:
:thumbsdown:

I'm not an "armchair" expert. I've been around race cars my entire life (both my grandfather and father were race car drivers), and I've driven race cars in various forms for 11 years. What I'm telling you is from actual experience with actual race cars on actual race tracks.

 

[apoppin]

Originally posted by: trmiv

Originally posted by: apoppin

Originally posted by: 91TTZ

Originally posted by: misterj
lol he has point, she does have an unfair advantage, but how is that different from the weight differences of all the men before? apparently when nascar started they wanted to leave that as an open variable. i think they should have accounted for it long ago, but what other racing league does this?

anywho, nascar is just not my cup of tea and i'll leave it at that.

Most other racing leagues, such as Formula 1, include the weight of the driver in the car's race weight. The rules of IRL are flawed and don't include that.

It's not about "oppressive male vs. empowered female", it's about the league's flawed rules.

they don't believe their rules are flawed - even though this argument has been presented to them for YEARS. . . only the "armchair experts" here
:roll:
:thumbsdown:

I'm not an "armchair" expert. I've been around race cars my entire life (both my grandfather and father were race car drivers), and I've driven race cars in various forms for 11 years. What I'm telling you is from actual experience with actual race cars on actual race tracks.

MOST of the racers that actually race in the indy 500 don't make such a big deal of it . . . just a few . . . and it it were THAT serious of a disadvantage, there'd be more racers actually boycotting the Indy 500.

you just have one POV not universally shared by professional racers.

 

[91TTZ]

Originally posted by: apoppin


you just have one POV not universally shared by professional racers.

No, but my POV is shared by all the intelligent, good-looking, successful, uh, nice, charming, uh good citizen, astute, freedom loving, knowledgeable racers.

 

[apoppin]

Originally posted by: 91TTZ

Originally posted by: apoppin


you just have one POV not universally shared by professional racers.

No, but my POV is shared by all the intelligent, good-looking, successful, uh, nice, charming, uh good citizen, astute, freedom loving, knowledgeable racers.

yep, you and trmiv
{and other racers built like Santa Claus}
:roll:



:laugh:

 

[91TTZ]

Originally posted by: apoppin



yep, you and trmiv
{and other racers built like Santa Claus}
:roll:

:laugh:

I'm built like Santa Claus?

Santa

 

[trmiv]

Originally posted by: apoppin

Originally posted by: trmiv

Originally posted by: apoppin

Originally posted by: 91TTZ

Originally posted by: misterj
lol he has point, she does have an unfair advantage, but how is that different from the weight differences of all the men before? apparently when nascar started they wanted to leave that as an open variable. i think they should have accounted for it long ago, but what other racing league does this?

anywho, nascar is just not my cup of tea and i'll leave it at that.

Most other racing leagues, such as Formula 1, include the weight of the driver in the car's race weight. The rules of IRL are flawed and don't include that.

It's not about "oppressive male vs. empowered female", it's about the league's flawed rules.

they don't believe their rules are flawed - even though this argument has been presented to them for YEARS. . . only the "armchair experts" here
:roll:
:thumbsdown:

I'm not an "armchair" expert. I've been around race cars my entire life (both my grandfather and father were race car drivers), and I've driven race cars in various forms for 11 years. What I'm telling you is from actual experience with actual race cars on actual race tracks.

MOST of the racers that actually race in the indy 500 don't make such a big deal of it . . . just a few . . . and it it were THAT serious of a disadvantage, there'd be more racers actually boycotting the Indy 500.

you just have one POV not universally shared by professional racers.

They know it's an advantage, they just aren't saying it. There's been a few articles where the drivers interviewed have said they believe it's an advantage, and I would bet that viewpoint is shared by most of them. You're acting like weighing the cars without the driver is the rule, not the exception. The fact is, pretty much every racing organization in the world factors the driver's weight into the total weight, the IRL is one of the few exceptions.

Look, if weight didn't make a big difference, they wouldn't even bother to weigh the cars to begin with. If it made no difference, the various racing series wouldn't have a "no tolerance" rule in regards to being under weight. In my series, and pretty much every other one out there, if you weigh even a half a pound under the minimum weight, you are DQ'd, period. Also if the weight didn't matter, teams wouldn't go to any lengths to run on light fuel loads during qualifying to make the cars as close the legal weight as possible.

yep, you and trmiv
{and other racers built like Santa Claus}

Hilarious. I'm just an averaged sized guy.

 

[dxkj]

Originally posted by: yellowfiero
CONCORD, N.C. ? Robby Gordon accused Danica Patrick of having an unfair advantage in the Indianapolis 500 and said Saturday he will not compete in the race again unless the field is equalized.

Gordon, a former open-wheel driver now in NASCAR, contends that Patrick is at an advantage over the rest of the competitors because she only weighs 100 pounds. Because all the cars weigh the same, Patrick's is lighter on the race track.

"The lighter the car, the faster it goes," Gordon said. "Do the math. Put her in the car at her weight, then put me or Tony Stewart in the car at 200 pounds and our car is at least 100 pounds heavier.

"I won't race against her until the IRL does something to take that advantage away."

The IndyCar Series does not consider the weight of the driver in its race specifications. The car has to weigh at least 1,525 pounds before the fuel and driver are added, and teams in Indy have estimated that Patrick will gain close to 1 mph in speed because of her small stature.http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/news/story?series=wc&id=2070899

This isnt horse racing.... are you telling me that if he weight 150 lbs, he would take another 50lbs weight to make it fair? I DOUBT IT.


Double standard

 

[apoppin]

Originally posted by: trmiv

Originally posted by: apoppin

Originally posted by: trmiv

Originally posted by: apoppin

Originally posted by: 91TTZ

Originally posted by: misterj
lol he has point, she does have an unfair advantage, but how is that different from the weight differences of all the men before? apparently when nascar started they wanted to leave that as an open variable. i think they should have accounted for it long ago, but what other racing league does this?

anywho, nascar is just not my cup of tea and i'll leave it at that.

Most other racing leagues, such as Formula 1, include the weight of the driver in the car's race weight. The rules of IRL are flawed and don't include that.

It's not about "oppressive male vs. empowered female", it's about the league's flawed rules.

they don't believe their rules are flawed - even though this argument has been presented to them for YEARS. . . only the "armchair experts" here
:roll:
:thumbsdown:

I'm not an "armchair" expert. I've been around race cars my entire life (both my grandfather and father were race car drivers), and I've driven race cars in various forms for 11 years. What I'm telling you is from actual experience with actual race cars on actual race tracks.

MOST of the racers that actually race in the indy 500 don't make such a big deal of it . . . just a few . . . and it it were THAT serious of a disadvantage, there'd be more racers actually boycotting the Indy 500.

you just have one POV not universally shared by professional racers.

They know it's an advantage, they just aren't saying it. There's been a few articles where the drivers interviewed have said they believe it's an advantage, and I would bet that viewpoint is shared by most of them. You're acting like weighing the cars without the driver is the rule, not the exception. The fact is, pretty much every racing organization in the world factors the driver's weight into the total weight, the IRL is one of the few exceptions.

Look, if weight didn't make a big difference, they wouldn't even bother to weigh the cars to begin with. If it made no difference, the various racing series wouldn't have a "no tolerance" rule in regards to being under weight. In my series, and pretty much every other one out there, if you weigh even a half a pound under the minimum weight, you are DQ'd, period. Also if the weight didn't matter, teams wouldn't go to any lengths to run on light fuel loads during qualifying to make the cars as close the legal weight as possible.

yep, you and trmiv
{and other racers built like Santa Claus}

Hilarious. I'm just an averaged sized guy.

Very last time . . . and i'm done with this subject [really tired of it as it been beaten beyond death]

i NEVER said it made NO difference or that there was NO advantage to "less weight" in an auto race. That is OBVIOUS.

What i AM saying [have been saying] . . . it that the difference is VERY small [compared to the MULTITUDE of OTHER factors in a LONG race around an oval track] . . . very very small . . .

that's all . . . not the "1 mph" advantage quoted.

our POVs aren't "so differnent" as it is a matter of "degrees"

edit: i wan't saying that you were "built like Santa" . . . rather HUMOURously saying "fatties" would definitely want the skinny girl's car loaded up with extra weight.