OUR LATEST ISSUE
Patrick makes historical win
Ladies take the lead when Danica Patrick made history last Sunday.
"I think Danica's pretty aggressive in our cars. I mean, you know especially if you catch her at the right time of the month, she might be trading plenty of paint out there."
Danica Patrick made history last Sunday when she became the first woman ever to win an Indy Car race at the Indy Japan 300.
Patrick, 26, took second place behind Helio Castroneves when leader Scott Dixon was forced to pit for fuel with five laps remaining.
On lap 198 of 200 she passed Castroneves to take the lead and ultimately finished 5.8594 seconds ahead of him for her first-ever IRL victory.
"It was a long time coming — finally," said Patrick, who drives for Andretti Green Racing.
"I was managing to save fuel and keep the speed up and, when I saw Helio, I knew he was the one to beat."
"With five laps to go, I was saving fuel," Castroneves said. "When Danica passed me, I realized she was the leader.
"She did a great job, passed me fair and square. That shows you how competitive our series is."
Dixon took the lead from Castroneves on the 93rd lap, but he settled for third.
"We led for a lot of laps but came up short," Dixon said. "But congratulations to Danica for her first victory."
Patrick, who started from the third row, made her final pit stop with 52 laps remaining.
However as a female driver Patrick did face a lot of bumps along the road. Some have drawn comparisons between her and Anna Kournikova, the tennis player known for looks rather than her talent.
"I'm not going to lie," she said. "I was getting frustrated. I believed in myself. It was just a matter of when it was going to happen. I've been asked so many times when I'm going to win my first race — finally no more of those questions."
In 2005 Patrick’s debut year, she took fourth place in Indianapolis. She was even named Rookie of the Year for her 2005 IndyCar Series without ever having a win. With this came the backlash and sexist remarks.
Bernie Ecclestone, Formula 1's CEO, told Patrick that "women [drivers] should be dressed in white like all the other domestic appliances."
Indy Racing League driver Robby Gordon, said he would refuse to race with her because of her weight advantage: "Right off the bat, a guy my size is spotting her 105 pounds"; "That's the reason she's so much faster."
Nascar driver Ed Carpenter referred to her ‘time of the month’ saying: "I think Danica's pretty aggressive in our cars. I mean, you know especially if you catch her at the right time of the month, she might be trading plenty of paint out there." He later said it was just a joke.
Despite it all Patrick kept going and as of April 20 she’s now among the likes of other female race car pioneers Maria Teresa de Filippis, Michèle Mouton, Janet Guthrie and Jutta Kleinschmidt.
"I knew there was a good reason for coming to Japan," she said. "I want to thank my team, the fans and everyone who supported me."
The Indy Japan 300 was supposed to be held on Saturday was pushed to Sunday because of rainy conditions.
