If there is one undeniable fact, it’s that the presence of Danica Patrick in the IndyCar series has probably been the only positive thing that has allowed the series, which is, let’s face it, limping badly, to stay on the radar of the North American, and even international, media.
When you say Michael Schumacher or Fernando Alonso, you immediately think of Formula 1. Michael Phelps is associated with swimming. Tiger Woods with golf (now, now, be nice!), Roger Federer with tennis, and Valentino Rossi with motorcycle racing.
However, when I think of Danica Patrick, I can’t help but conjure images of bikinis and all those juicy pics of her the media, even the most respected in the field, publish each year and to which the main party concerned voluntarily submits to.
With just a single victory over 81 starts, two seasons of which were spent with one of the best teams out there, it’s impossible to claim that she has outrageously dominated her sport, unlike the other athletes mentioned above.
The feeling is being shared by more and more fans who aren’t afraid anymore of saying, on every available forum, that the media coverage Danica is receiving is frankly disproportionate to her talent.
Whatever her detractors say, to her credit she managed to carve out a place for herself in a particularly competitive arena. And you can’t fault her for her strong, dominant personality either, cruelly lacking in most of her male colleagues.
The expected – and hoped for – arrival of Simona De Silvestro in IndyCar could well mix things up. Many see her as the most talented woman to ever make the leap to IRL.
In 2009, De Silvestro virtually dominated the entire Atlantic season. Ok, I admit, the series is but a shadow of its former self, but for lack of a packed grid, Simona often got the better of undeniably talented drivers like Hildebrand, Summerton, Edwards, and Bomarito, to name a few.
HVM Racing invited her for some testing behind the wheel of a Dallara-Honda IndyCar in December, and Simona literally blew everyone away with her speed, her skill, and her precise technical reports.
After three short laps she was already clocking lap times equivalent to, or even better than, those Graham Rahal, Hideki Mutoh and EJ Viso had put in a few days before.
The arrival of the young Swiss driver would be a true boon for the sport, as not only would Danica Patrick have a real rival on the track – sorry for all those Milka Duno fans! – but, ultimately, racing performance could once again become the measure by which female athletes are judged, and not the size of their bikini they wear…
When you say Michael Schumacher or Fernando Alonso, you immediately think of Formula 1. Michael Phelps is associated with swimming. Tiger Woods with golf (now, now, be nice!), Roger Federer with tennis, and Valentino Rossi with motorcycle racing.
However, when I think of Danica Patrick, I can’t help but conjure images of bikinis and all those juicy pics of her the media, even the most respected in the field, publish each year and to which the main party concerned voluntarily submits to.
With just a single victory over 81 starts, two seasons of which were spent with one of the best teams out there, it’s impossible to claim that she has outrageously dominated her sport, unlike the other athletes mentioned above.
The feeling is being shared by more and more fans who aren’t afraid anymore of saying, on every available forum, that the media coverage Danica is receiving is frankly disproportionate to her talent.
Whatever her detractors say, to her credit she managed to carve out a place for herself in a particularly competitive arena. And you can’t fault her for her strong, dominant personality either, cruelly lacking in most of her male colleagues.
The expected – and hoped for – arrival of Simona De Silvestro in IndyCar could well mix things up. Many see her as the most talented woman to ever make the leap to IRL.
In 2009, De Silvestro virtually dominated the entire Atlantic season. Ok, I admit, the series is but a shadow of its former self, but for lack of a packed grid, Simona often got the better of undeniably talented drivers like Hildebrand, Summerton, Edwards, and Bomarito, to name a few.
HVM Racing invited her for some testing behind the wheel of a Dallara-Honda IndyCar in December, and Simona literally blew everyone away with her speed, her skill, and her precise technical reports.
After three short laps she was already clocking lap times equivalent to, or even better than, those Graham Rahal, Hideki Mutoh and EJ Viso had put in a few days before.
The arrival of the young Swiss driver would be a true boon for the sport, as not only would Danica Patrick have a real rival on the track – sorry for all those Milka Duno fans! – but, ultimately, racing performance could once again become the measure by which female athletes are judged, and not the size of their bikini they wear…