Posted on 04/24/2008 10:43:23 AM PDT by PercivalWalks
Danica Patrick became the first female winner in IndyCar history recently, winning the Indy Japan 300 by 6 seconds.
Some women's advocates and Patrick herself are complaining about a new rule which feminists claim is "aimed at the women in Indy." The rule says that lighter drivers have to carry ten more pounds on them.
Race car driver Robby Gordon has a different perspective, saying that Patrick is at an unfair advantage over the rest of the competitors because she only weighs 100 pounds. Because all the cars weigh the same, Patricks is lighter on the race track. He says:
The lighter the car, the faster it goes. 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 know nothing about auto racing beyond what I learn from watching old Speed Racer cartoons with my daughter, but Dan H., a reader, does. He writes:
"Auto racing is about accelerating and decelerating weight in a straight line and an arc (corner). It takes a calculated amount of fuel (power) to accomplish this feat with the largest variable by several orders of magnitude the amount of weight that is being thrown around. Ever hear of 'Power-to-Weight Ratio?' In heavily equalized cars weighing 1500 pounds, a 100lb driver vs. a 165lb driver is a rigged race. Robbie Gordon is dead right: Forget It!
"With nearly the sole exception of Tony Georges Indy Racing League, all of the major series, and quite a few of the club racers, recognize this and either weigh the car and driver together or separately and make adjustments. The IRL introduced a laughable adjustment just this year.
"While racing officials do not concern themselves with the drivers height, muscle mass, shoe size, eye color, gender, carbon footprint, or about a hundred other personal characteristics, they very much want to balance the weight across the drivers then let 'em race. In auto racing, the drivers weight looms as large as horsepower, tire width, vehicle height, spoilers, and more.
"People demanding that Danicas huge weight (speed) advantage be ignored have never fielded a $45,000,000 race team. She weighs 75 pounds less than the average male driver in a sport where the teams pay $500,000 to get 2 pounds out of the weight of a manifold.
"She is a mid-pack performer at best that finishes higher up because of her incredibly advantageous weight. Bolt 20 pounds in the chassis beside each shoulder and her gender-provided weight bias disappears...and so does her up front finishes."
From what Dan H. says, it sounds a little like the Boston Marathon where a woman "won" the race because the female runners started the race 29 minutes before the men. If they spend $500,000 to decrease a car's weight by two pounds, a 75 pound difference seems staggering, and the 10 pound balancing that Patrick and feminists are complaining about seems pretty minor.
On the other hand, I wonder if Patrick's strength disadvantage also means something. Let's say, for example, that they equalized the weights, as they apparently do in most of the races. Would it then be unfair to Patrick because she is effectively forced to carry "dead weight," while the male drivers' extra weight is at least in the form of muscle that helps them drive the cars?
On another level, even to compete and be a "mid-pack performer" as a professional race car driver, as Patrick has done, seems like quite an achievement.
[Note: If you or someone you love is faced with a divorce or needs help with child custody, child support, false accusations, Parental Alienation, or other family law or criminal law matters, ask Glenn for help by clicking here.]
Glenn Sacks, www.GlennSacks.com
Sure,
But why are they whining now? She’s been around for years. How about the Chicks that run top-fuel...never heard a gripe then either.
And if were going to balasst Danica, then everyone under a certain weight get’s balast..not just some arbitray 10lbs. Bring them all up to the FAA standard 170lbs or some SAE standard. No problemo. But then we’ll hear griping about where the balast goes. She will still have an advantage in that the weight can be anywhere they need it to be to balance the car...their fat butts have to be in the seat.
So before this all drivers have weighed the same? Haven’t some drivers been larger than others before this race?
I think a wambulance is in order.
Get in better shape and drop some weight. Boy, what a wuss.
Do women tennis stars play against the men, and win?
Marathon runners, skiers, soccer, female boxers, weight lifters?
So is it whining by the men? Your statement should be reversed and directed at the women. IF YOU CANT PLAY BY THE SAME RULES AS THE MEN. GO BAKE COOKIES!
Actually this is obsolete info.
Starting in 2008 the Indy Racing League has incorporated ballast to equalize car weights depending on the driver category.
Now there is another part of the technical equation where her slight stature allows better airbox pressure (more power) due to better ram air (less helmet obstruction of the airbox entry).
I read that story in junior high. It had a huge effect on my life outlook. I wish more kids would read it. But most of their teachers probably wouldn’t understand its meaning.
I told my wife, I read FreeRepublic for the articles.
Or that less weight gave her less traction.
Now, that she’s win a race,will she still show her assets?
Re: “On one hand,
On the other hand,”
Do a Google image search . . .both hands would want to be all over that !!!
She’s nice.....
you shouldn’t lie to your wife like that :)
Ah, a Harrison Bergeron fan.
Waaah!
Maybe she should pick on someone her own size...
Having seen her many times in person at the track, it’s kind of one of those celebrity deals. They tend to look a lot in better in pics with makeup and photoshop polishing.
Of course it can. But it is just plain unsporty and lame for a man to complain about losing to a woman. Men lose in sports to women, it happens, but whining about it... only a girly-man does that.
Damn! What a bunch of cry babies.
Glad I’m a CONFIDENT heterosexual.
Rex: “I thought it was just a heterosexual.”
Bob: “No, it’s a confident heterosexual”
Why would they do that if "all the cars weigh the same" at the start of each race?
No doubt. She used to host the Power Block on Spike TV before Courtney Hansen. A definite step in the wrong direction in this viewer’s opinion.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.