Motor racing has always been a man’s world but Danica Patrick is changing all that. She is the first woman to win a major international car race and i

---

Motor racing has always been a man’s world but Danica Patrick is changing all that. She is the first woman to win a major international car race and is now eyeing up Formula 1, says SANDRO MONETTI

Daily Express Weekend
04 May 2008

AFTER leaving the world’s fastest men in the dust, motor racing sensation Danica Patrick is set to become one of the highest earners in sport. Sponsors are falling over themselves to offer huge endorsement cheques to the first woman ever to win a major international car race.

The 26-year- old American driver and part-time model proved she could do so much more than look good behind the wheel when she won the latest race of the IndyCar championship in Japan last month.

Danica cried on the podium but will be laughing all the way to the bank as the multi-million-dollar deals pile up from advertisers who see her as an inspiration to women and a fantasy figure for men.

Danica earned $5million (£2.53million) from endorsements last year but she can multiply that many times over following her win in the Japan300 last month.

For Danica, it isn’t all about the money, though. She has worked hard to make her mark in what is still very much a man’s world and now her sights are set on Formula 1 – the ultimate arena.

“I feel like such a wimp for crying,” she says of her recent victory, “but this has been a long time coming.

“I’ve worked so hard for it. I hoped – and believed – when I was young this would happen and now it has I’m relieved, thankful and excited about the future.”

But while that future looks sure to include more success, fame and fortune, Danica is still battling the opposition of many male racers in the macho world of motor sport.

She may have broken lap records, hitting speeds of 227mph but many of her male colleagues are still unable to believe she can cut it. A sexist attitude still persists among rivals on the grid, including Ed Carpenter, who finished sixth behind her in the last race.

The US Indy Car veteran said: “Danica’s pretty aggressive in our cars,especially if you catch her at the right time of the month.”

TV pundits and racing correspondents have also dismissed Patrick.Former driver Richard Petty said: “It’s not a sport for women. It gives us and them a lot of publicity but as far as a woman being a real true racer, it’s tough.”

Such prejudice presumably makes success all the sweeter for Danica.Since first coming to public attention, when briefly leading the Indianapolis 500 race three years ago, Danica has been often compared with former tennis favourite Anna Kournikova – as a sexy star rather than a serious contender.

She posed for lads’ mags and her own glamour calendar, as well as beingvoted the world’s sexiest athlete in a Victoria’s Secret poll, but has now hit back at the idea she’s all sex appeal but no substance.

The win in Japan leaves her 14 points off the top of the Indy Car drivers’ championship and Danica now has her sights on becoming this season’s champ. After that, she is considering a move to Formula 1. It is clear Danica has a plan and has been working at it a long time.“When I was 10, I started winning go-kart races near my home in Wisconsin,” she says. “Then I moved to England at 16 to advance my racing career. If you want to be the best lawyer you go to Harvard, if you want to be the best car racer you go to England.”
...read more...

Tech Tags: Daily Express Weekend newspaper FEATURES