Posted on 05/28/2005 10:58:33 PM PDT by BurbankKarl
CONCORD, N.C. (AP) -- 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 Indy Racing League 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.
Although her rivals in Sunday's race have said she doesn't have a huge advantage, pole-sitter Tony Kanaan told reporters he would like the Indy Racing League to look into the issue.
"Right off the bat, a guy my size is spotting her 105 pounds," Gordon said. "That's the reason she's so much faster."
(Excerpt) Read more at sportsillustrated.cnn.com ...
Let him lose some weight.
spoil sport ping
Too bad the title were different....ha
Robby Gordon is a pussy, he has always been, and always will be a pussy. I hope she leaves him in her dust
I would do an INDY500 live thread...but it really didnt take off last year....
I agree on Robby Gordon....he doesnt know how to drive on an oval.
And here all along, I thought having a much heavier right foot was good.
Passing Gordon some cheese ................... to go along with his whine.
Personally, I'd like to see a well qualified woman win the race. Imagine how they would handle the Victory Kiss LOL.
IMHO... Robby Gordon is simply making excuses for his own doubt of how he will do in the race. He should have kept his mouth shut and focus on racing instead of excuses
That's right. I cannot stand his arrogance.
And what about skill, nerve, courage, luck, weather?
Robby Gordon is the poster boy for the Liberal Group think. He thinks because a girl driver weighs less then him, he expects the ruling class in INDY Racing to handicap her so he can level the playing field without having to put forth the effort to do what it takes to win. I hope she wins the race tomorrow
I forsee Weigh-In day for races in the future.
Well, I think people should be free to pursue whatever they want....but as many people have asked me this week....the way IRL is, she need to make it out of the first turn unscathed, then just keep low at least til the halfway point.
I was at that race when Robert Guerrero who set all the records crashed on the pace lap due to "cold tires"....err...driver error.
This is a joke, right?
What your mother must have done to you I can only imagine...
One report I heard on the radio is that Patrick would wear out the tires on her Mustang real quick. That is not good in Indy driving -- but that was when she was a teenager...
Fuel has to weigh alot more than the driver, so saving fuel will mean fewer pit stops.
Both tire wear and smart driving (to save fuel) are factors that make a top driver (in my opinion).
Incredible Ignorance bump
Maybe Robby will cause another intentional crash to express his disgust after getting beaten by a woman.
When a male racer does well, it is because he had the better car, the better crew, or was a superior driver. When a woman does well it is because she has an 'unfair advantage'.
There are people who make excuses, and people who don't need to. Robby makes excuses.
My guess is his mnother used to kick his ass at tiddly winks when he was six, and he still holds a grudge.
Throw a towel on Racer's head and you'd swear he was the Saudi Islamic scholar al-Qarni (not the new al-Qaeda appointee). He considers it a sin for women to drive.
sounds a lot like another Gordon...
Just shut the hell up and race there nancy boy.
Try to win a rece, not make excuses before hand.
Danica came from Formula Atlantic. Last time I checked the FCS section of the SCCA GCR (surely all racing experts know that THAT is) FA required a minimum weight WITH driver. Danica did very well when weight was NOT a factor. While Robby Gordon *IS* a whiner (and the sour grapes might have as much to do with with being jealous of Tom Kendall)
The praise in here is really backhanded. Just as with Affirmative Action, if Danica wins, people will be able to say "well, it's because she weighed less". That's a disservice to not only Danica's racing talent, but all small drivers who went before her. Jim Clark didn't need that advantage and neither does she. A truer "weight advantage" in racing is being able to put ballast closer to the CG of the car. The fact that anyone is making a big about this now, as opposed to when that Fisher brat showed up, says that there is alot more respect for Danicas driving talent.
As to all the variants of the "just shut up and drive" comments. RG couldn't do that as the Indy 500 start time was moved to create a scheduling conflict with the NASCAR race, thereby preventing any NASCAR regulars from entering.
I wonder if he wants to put asterisks beside all the drag racing victories of Shirley Muldowney?
I'd like to see Condi for President. S'OK with me.
I'd like to see Ms. Patrick drive a good competitive race, dicing it up with the good guys.
He is his own mother.
Or a serial killer.
kwitcher cryin', robby... just because you'n tony are on an all-u-can-eat diet doesn't mean danica has to follow suit ... tony actually use to be fairly thin until he left the irl and went rasslin' toe-to-toe with the boys down south
boo hoo hoo...
Robby Gordon has always been a jack@$$
someone needs to tell him to shut up and go cause some more wrecks in NASCAR....
you know what, I hope she wins, so I can laugh at you and your ignorance.
What an EXTREMELY trollish statement. What's the problem? Was DU slow or something?
Fox and Friends discussing this story right now. When those three think Robby Gordon has made a fool of himself, you know he's REALLY stepped in it!
I hope she wins. You should have seen the high-fashion ad she posed for in the Indianapolis paper yesterday! Quite the talk around Indy, let me tell you!
I truly don't understand this guys complaint. Haven't racers been competing for years even tho some weighed more than others? Has body weight ever been an issue in auto racing? Excuse my ignorance but I thought car racing was different from horse racing.
Crybaby indeed
Gordon is just whining. I bet he voted for John F. Kerry.
(Denny Crane: "Sometimes you can only look for answers from God and failing that... and Fox News".)
I want to be Bill Russell and 6'9" tall or short like Willie Shoemaker and ride to fame and fortune. The fact that she is 100 pounds lighter means she has less body mass i.e body strength which is his advantage. Get over it crybaby. /working class rant off
(Denny Crane: "Sometimes you can only look for answers from God and failing that... and Fox News".)
Maybe, but anyone who has gone on a road trip with women knows you stop more often for the chicks to pee than if the car is loaded with guys.
Well then let the market run it's course. In a few years, if Mr. Whiner is correct, the majority of drivers will be sleek, petit women and men the size of jockeys. Either that or let's create a Federal Department of Size Equilization for Racing Sports (aka FDSERS). Something like that shouldn't be too expensive.
She kinda looks like Jill Hennessy from "Law & Order" in that leather shot. I'd take her over a whiner anyday...
"Crash" Gordon isn't even RACING IN THE INDY today, so he should just shut his flappin' bumper draggin yap!
G
One of my best memories is listening to the 1968 race when I lived in Germany. I was SO homesick when "Back Home Again in Indiana" was sung!
If this was really an issue, Economic Darwinism would take over and auto racers would look like horse racing jockeys.
I hadn't thought of that......she's hot either way
Gordon is a whiner.
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