The True Brilliance of the Female Indy Drivers

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by user Alex Holowczak

Okay, this has been posted before, but I think this video plays a key role in how important the attractiveness of the female Indy500 drivers. Throughout the history of motor sport, and even today, there is huge danger involved with the sport. Indy has had more fatal accidents than any other race circuit over the years.

Whilst today, the better formulae like ChampCars, Indycars, and Formula One have made incredible improvements in saftety, one day, something like the events in the video below will happen again.

The true brilliance is not the appeal of Patrick, Duno and Fisher. It is their bravery to take part in a sport where their life at the end is not assured. This is the characteristic of those drivers, and indeed the rest of the Indy grid, that should be admired most.

Sorry this is Formula One not Indy, but these are much more readily available than the Indy500 equivalents, although they are out there. Either way, you get the idea.

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DNLLegend

926 days ago

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Well done.

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Anonymous Fanatic #1

926 days ago

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Anna Kournikova - F1 race driver.

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Anonymous Fanatic #2

926 days ago

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A lot of hero worship lately for sporting participants that cirlce a track. First Barbaro, now Danica Patrick.

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Alex HolowczakHall of Famer

925 days ago

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Well, none of us do what either of those people do. Firstly, because we're not a horse, secondly because they're better at going around in circles in machines worth several millions of dollars than anyone else. So they deserve our respect in that sense.

JuTMSY4Legend

925 days ago

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A lots been made about the "athletics" in racing...its an interesting argument but I think, to Alex's point, that not only are they good at that (which still doesn't define it as a sport), but that very few of us (any?) have ever tried professional racing...

I've been told that there are endurance requirements, etc for Nascar...I don't know, but I trust their judgement and I'll let it pass

If you really wanna give Alex some crap, ask him if Snooker is a sport (because somehow games that could be played in a bar don't strike me as a sport...just my opinion...)

JuTMSY4Legend

925 days ago

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and by endurance requirements, i mean it requires some athletics and/or endurance

Alex HolowczakHall of Famer

925 days ago

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Watch the snooker vids then. It qualifies as a sport because it is physically fatiguing to play up to 93 frames in a week. Especially given each frame takes 20 or so minutes. That takes its toll on you. Snooker players get worse as they get older.

Alex HolowczakHall of Famer

925 days ago

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To prove that point JuTMSY4, you've helped me compile the top 32 rankings in the snooker section (for which I am eternally grateful) over the last 32 years. If you look at the player that has been the mainstay of those years, all but three of them feature Steve Davis. Here's his ranking history, which can now be found on his profile:

Year	1979
Rank	18

Year	1980	1981	1982	1983	1984	1985	1986	1987	1988	1989
Rank	13	2	4	1	1	1	1	1	1	1

Year	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999
Rank	2	2	4	4	2	2	10	13	14	15

Year	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007
Rank	17	21	25	11	13	15	11	15

As he got older, his ranking has gone down, apart from a welcome resurgence lately. Notice how he took a few years to get to the top in his mid 20s, then he slowly dropped down as he reached 35-40 (late 90s). His recent climb up the rankings has been phenominal - he has relaxed now and plays for fun. It coincided with his role as a TV pundit, that caused the rise from his career low ranking of 25 back to 11. Albeit, he is provisionally out of the top 16 for the 2008 rankings, but he still has one year to get back into it. What else can his decline be credited to, other than getting old?

Anonymous Fanatic #3

925 days ago

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Just because an activity is expensive and life threatening, does not qualify that particular event's participants as athletes.

Alex HolowczakHall of Famer

925 days ago

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I didn't say it did. I'm on about snooker here. But it is a sport because it is physically fatiguing to drive for long periods on the road. If you drove on the highway for three hours or more, you'd get tired, and either stop at a service station (if they're anything like motorways in this countries), or you'd have a longer kip when you get home.

JuTMSY4Legend

925 days ago

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Yeah, We have "rest stops" here alex...but if you're far out just gas stations/service stations in general. And i've seen you mention "kip" twice now...is that like a nap?

Alex HolowczakHall of Famer

925 days ago

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Yep, that's exactly what it is! Well summised! America and Britain, two countries divided by a common language.

JuTMSY4Legend

925 days ago

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You know, last time I was in London and Ireland, I swear I had to ask people to restate what they said at least 50% of the time... What the hell happened...

Alex HolowczakHall of Famer

925 days ago

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If you were in Ireland, chances are they were speaking Gaelic. In my experience, if you go to Wales, the Welsh speak Welsh not English just to annoy you. Similarly the Irish speak Gaelic. Half of the time you get the impression it isn't a real language, they just make noises to annoy us. And to be fair, it was our language, you're the one (plural) that changed it all, what with your lack of "u"s in words like favourite and colour... Not our fault.

JuTMSY4Legend

925 days ago

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It sounded like english...and it was the girl...I felt like a moron when i kept saying "excuse me?" and "pardon me?" Still...I think they were ok with me, namely because I'm not irish...

Alex HolowczakHall of Famer

925 days ago

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I think it's regional dialects. If you speak to someone from a town down the road of me called Dudley, it would sound entirely different to talking to someone from Yorkshire. I imagine Ireland is the same. And I suppose it happens in the US, Texas people sound different to everywhere else.

JuTMSY4Legend

925 days ago

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Yeah, but I understand southerners because they speak slow...

Yet the US is the same, but on a larger scale...

Lousiana is the most difficult - No idea what the Cajuns say...

False ProphetAll-Star

925 days ago

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I can't friggen leave Minny without being made fun of for having an accent. I had no problem in Ireland when I was there a few years ago. The people I can't understand are people speaking English with a Spanish accent

Alex HolowczakHall of Famer

925 days ago

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We hate that too.

JuTMSY4Legend

925 days ago

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Its not so bad...try living in any American Coastal (or relatively Coastal) city...you get used to it...

Taytay 24All-American

925 days ago

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FP, that's because your accent IS funny. As an American living in Australia, I am constantly asked by kids (I'm a teacher) to say things. For example, they giggle at my 'aluminum'--they say al-you-MIN-ee-um. I keep reminding them that to my ears, I talk normal, and they all sound funny.

JuTMSY4Legend

925 days ago

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Oh and I think alex's point is that he's comparing just about any other "sport" to Snooker, the athletic prowess disappears with age. Such as a lack of endurance (or lessening), precision/skills and even, to some extent, mental ability (focusing and special talents...i.e. baseball players and their eyes, the ability to see pitches coming at you at 100mph...that's like 200 KPH for you alex)

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Alex HolowczakHall of Famer

925 days ago

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Well. It's actually 160kph... And secondly Britain sticks to mph. We use it on roads and suchlike. The speed limit on normal roads is 30mph, e.g., but in Europe it's 50kph. And that is my point. It compares to others in the effect of getting old.

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