Robby Gordon says Patrick has an unfair advantage (Indy 500)

Sports Illustrated ^ | 5/28/05 | Various

[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."

[Lee'sGhost]

Hey, this is NOT DU! There is no call for using a highly regarded area of the female anatomy to describe a putz like Gordon. Please don't do that any more.

[MJY1288]

I was referring to a feline, take your mind out of the gutter

[Kangaroo Court]

A few years back NASCAR changed their rules to make the driver's weight a factor. Michael Waltrip was the big whiner at the time, saying that Jeff Gordon and Mark Martin had a huge advantage because they were smaller. Today, the smaller drivers have to add weight to their cars. And Waltrip (outside of restrictor plate races) has upped his win total to, let me think, oh yeah, NONE.

[ET(end tyranny)]

http://www.danicaracing.com/highlights.shtml

Finished third in the 2004 Toyota Atlantic
Championship, the highest finish by a female driver in the series history. Posted ten top-five results and three podium finishes in 12 starts. She finished second in Round 4 at Portland and claimed third place results in Round 2 at Monterrey, Mexico and Round 6 at Cleveland.

Became the first female driver to lead an
open-wheel championship when she took the points lead of the Toyota Atlantic Championship after Round 4 of the 2004 season.

Captured the pole position for Round 5 of the 2004 Atlantic Championship. She is the first female to capture the pole position for an Atlantic race.

She became the first female to claim a podium finish in the 30-year history of the Atlantic Series with her third place finish in the 2003 season opener at Monterrey, Mexico.

Finished second at the Formula Ford Festival in England, the highest ever finish for an American in the event.

Won the 2002 Long Beach Grand Prix Pro/
Celebrity event in the pro division, topping
four-time Trans Am champion Tommy Kendall and IRL driver Sarah Fisher.

Three time national karting champion and ten time Great Lakes/Midwest regional karting champion.

[Lee'sGhost]

Uh, yeah, right.

[ET(end tyranny)]

http://www.danicaracing.com/highlights.shtml


2004 - Toyota Atlantic Championship

* Patrick finished third in the Toyota Atlantic Championship posting 269 points and ten top-five results in 12 races in the Argent Mortgage Toyota/Swift
* She was the only driver in Atlantic’s this season to complete every lap
* She became the first female driver to win a pole position in Toyota Atlantic when she collected her first Atlantic pole position for Round 5 at Portland
* She collected three podium results in 2004 finishing on the podium (3rd) at Monterrey, Mexico, second at Portland (Round 4) and third at Cleveland
* At Denver (Round 10) she captured the Argent Fast Lap Award for posting the fastest race lap en route to a fourth place finish
* In October she has tested Rahal Letterman Racing’s IndyCar’s at Homestead Speedway and at Kentucky Speedway.


2003 - Toyota Atlantic Championship

* Patrick piloted the Argent Mortgage Company Toyota/Swift to a sixth place finish in the Toyota Atlantic Championship.
* She claimed a pair of podium results and five top-five results in her rookie campaign
* She became the first female to post a podium (topthree) result in the 30-year history of the Atlantic series with a third place finish at Monterrey, Mexico (3/23/03)
* Posted top-five results at Cleveland, Trois Rivieres and Denver
* She posted a season best second place finish at Miami in the season finale
* Ran a single ALMS race for the Britsh Prodrive team in late June at Raod Atlanta.



2002 - Barber Dodge Pro Series

* Patrick signed a multi-year driving contract with Team Rahal.
* She was tabbed as the team's driver for a Toyota Atlantic entry in 2003.
* As preparation for her full-season effort in 2003 she ran a limited Barber-Dodge Pro Series schedule of five races.
* She made her debut at Toronto, qualifying eleventh and finishing seventh (7/7/02).
* Collected her highest finish of the Barber-Dodge Pro Series with a fourth place finish at Vancouver (7/28/02).
* Tested a Busch Grand National car with PPC Racing in June.
* Captured the pole for the 2002 Long Beach Grand Prix Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race and won the pro division, topping former Trans Am champion Tommy Kendall and IRL driver Sarah Fisher.



2001

* Won the Gorsline Scholarship Award for the top upcoming road racing driver.
* Recognized as the top female open-wheel driver with international experience.
* Competed in the England, driving in the British Zetek Formula Ford Championship.
* Returned to the USA searching for a top open-wheel ride.
* Had successful test runs in USAC Midget, Toyota Atlantic and ALMS cars.



2000

* Finished second at the Formula Ford Festival in England, the highest ever finish for an American in the event.
* Drove for Andy Welch in the British Zetek Formula Ford Championship in England and for Haywood Racing in the European Formula Ford Series.
* Served as the lead test driver for Haywood Racing and Mygale Factory Team.



1999

* Finished ninth in the Formula Vauxhall Championship in England, her first full season in the UK.



1998

* Made her debut in England at age 16 in the Formula Vauxhall Winter Series.
* Ran a limited karting schedule while she attended the Formula Ford racing school in Canada.



1997

* In her final full season of karting she captured the World Karting Association (WKA) Grand National championship, HPV class.
* Won the WKA Grand National championship in Yamaha Lite class. . .Won the WKA Summer National championship in Yamaha Lite class.
* Finished tenth in the Elk Constructors championship in
Formula A.



1996

* Established herself as a rising star in the karting ranks by winning 39 of 49 feature races (79.6%).
* At the age of 14 she won the WKA Manufacturers Cup National Points title in the Yamaha Junior and Restricted Junior class.
* She was the runner-up in WKA Manufacturers Cup National Points title (HPV 100 Junior) and the WKA Grand National Championship (Yamaha Restricted Junior).
* In addition, she captured five WKA Great Lakes Sprint Series and WKA Midwest Spring Series titles.
* She won the IKF Division 7 event in Willow Springs, California (Yamaha Junior) and finished second in the IKF Grand Nationals in the Yamaha Junior group.



1995

* Won the WKA Great Lakes Sprint Series title (Yamaha Restricted Junior and US 820 Jr.)
* Placed second in the WKA Manufacturers Cup National Points titles in the same categories.



1994

* At the age of 12 she captured her first national points championship in the WKA Manufacturers Cup in the Yamaha Sportsman class.
* She collected the WKA Grand National Championship in the Yamaha class.
* She won the WKA Great Lakes Sprint Series in the Yamaha Sportsman and US820 Sportsman classes.



1993

* In her second season of karting she finished second in the WKA Midwest Sprint Series in both the Yamaha and US820 classes.
* She finished fourth in the WKA Manufacturers Cup national points in the Yamaha Sportsman class.


1992

* She began karting at the age of 10 when her sister Brooke wanted to begin racing. Brook abandon the sport after a few months but Danica was hooked.
* She was lapped six laps into her first event but finished the season second in the points championship out of 20 drivers.

[MJY1288]

Well! you were far more descriptive than I, there is no doubt about what you were referring too :-)

[jws3sticks]

Here she is with David L., her co-sponsor.

She can drive my car, any time!

[MikefromOhio]

you forgot DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA

[TomB]

bump for more pics

[djf]

Unless she wins, her 15 minutes will be over soon, and by about Tuesday, she'll be a footnote.

Don't take this the wrong way, like I said, she deserves a shot. But she didn't invent the race, for cryin out loud.

[MikefromOhio]

I know she didnt, but this should illustrate how far the Indy 500 has fallen in recent years.....

[The Coopster]

Robby, is that you?

[The Coopster]

[TomB]

YOU DA MAN!

Heh.

I did lose some respect for her when I watched her on qualifying day. She screwed up her first lap and probably would have had pole if not for that. When Rahal decided not to run her again, she didn't take it well. She really seemed put out.

Hey Danica, the guy gives you your first Indy ride, don't pout.

[djf]

Lol!

Nope.

But if Robby has such a problem he needs to whine about the weight, he can always go to the doc and gets his nads removed.

He's not using 'em anyways.

[The Coopster]

But if Robby has such a problem he needs to whine about the weight, he can always go to the doc and gets his nads removed.

He's not using 'em anyways.

Dude, you owe me a new keyboard.....mine is now filled with coffee.

[Half Vast Conspiracy]

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

Yeah, I don't like that Shaq is a foot taller than me either.

[deport]

[The Coopster]