W Series: 40 Drivers Express Interest in Season 2

[dumdidum]

For any german speaking or maybe google translator users, here is Sophia Flörsch opinion on the W Series:
https://www.spiegel.de/sport/sonst/...sch-kritisiert-w-series-scharf-a-1281895.html

 

[Bonehead]

Regarding women drivers, there is a lady named Sarah Montgomery who races in the MX5 Cup series in the United States. I have met her several times, and she is not only in fourth position of the extremely competitive National Championship, she is also a sweet person with a massive desire to win. I root her on every race, and so do most of the other drivers (all male) that are in that series racing against her. Jack

 

[RufGTI]

Bringing more females into racing is a great idea but the concept of the W Series seems so haphazard. Giving the selected drivers a place to present themselves is a nice idea, but why just one race per weekend? The timing schedule at DTM would have clearly allowed more and having five weekend with two races shouldn't be more expensive than six with one each.

As for the drivers, the top girls clearly made a good impression, but overall the quality of the field wasn't great. It's not good when there are three drivers with four or more podium finishes out of six races in a spec singly-operated F3 series.

 

[falster]

Regarding women drivers, there is a lady named Sarah Montgomery who races in the MX5 Cup series in the United States. I have met her several times, and she is not only in fourth position of the extremely competitive National Championship, she is also a sweet person with a massive desire to win. I root her on every race, and so do most of the other drivers (all male) that are in that series racing against her. Jack

the way i see it, thats great, good for her

but what is it we are meant to take away from this?

You like her because shes female?
You like her because shes a good driver?
Youre bringing this up because of her gender?
Shes more driven to win because shes a woman?

I get what youre saying, and all power to her, but why should her gender be of any issue whatsoever? Surely shes just a great and accomplished driver who has potential to do well?

this is what im trying to say, why on earth should gender have anything to do with it?

oh and "cedhead" bore off you petulant little fool "waaah waaahh im going to out of context single out and dislike EVERYTHING you type days and days after.....waaaah" you've got no posts, no messages, no ratings, no picture and you've been a member here since 2010.. begone troll

 

[FeltHat]

power

 

[NtsParadize]

What a joke

 

[Martin Vindis]

Feels weird that, in times where equality seems to be the number one subject on the worlds mind, they would divide genders like this.
I understand why they do it for soccer and other sports, but motorsports that we actually can enjoy together?

Anyway, I'm happy for anyone enjoying this, drivers, mechanics, teams, spectators.

 

[muzikant]

A lot of woman are good racers.. Sabine Schmitz.. Claudia Hurtgen. Very welcome a young generation of girl power

 

[RasmusP]

It's a bit funny that basically everyone agrees that a W series shouldn't be necessary as we live in a world of equal rights etc.
Then you look into statistics and see that the equal rights and treatment might be well settled in our heads but absolutely not in the facts and numbers that are spectated in our lives.
Sallaries and careers are still far away from being truly equal.

Now the question is what to do about it. Fight it at the root of it or do some treatment on the surface.
I'd say advertising Motorsport for females in schools, Karting clubs, towards parents or for grown up women via TV advertising etc would be the "better" way of doing it but money and some people decided that running a female only series would be the better way.

There's the question of whether or not men and women do favor different jobs because they simply want to or because society pushed them into it.
Fact is that there are not many women in motorsports and as a result, not many girls get into motorsports either.

Is this good, is it bad? Whatever!
But in my opinion a little w series experiment to give this whole thing a little push doesn't hurt.
Maybe more initiatives for younger girls comes from it so we'll see more female racing drivers in the future.

And to be honest from my experience basically all girls in motorsports get some special treatment for being female. They are not really viewed as "equal".
More people root for them because they are a rarity, they are always pictured like the rare and strong warrior-woman, conquering the field of men.
And this shows that there isn't a truly equal situation yet...

 

[Terry Rock]

Bringing more females into racing is a great idea but the concept of the W Series seems so haphazard. Giving the selected drivers a place to present themselves is a nice idea, but why just one race per weekend? The timing schedule at DTM would have clearly allowed more and having five weekend with two races shouldn't be more expensive than six with one each.

As for the drivers, the top girls clearly made a good impression, but overall the quality of the field wasn't great. It's not good when there are three drivers with four or more podium finishes out of six races in a spec singly-operated F3 series.

I'd say that is about on par with the current F1 season, if you factor in the number of races versus drivers.

 

[R1Joel]

For real?

The audience for this is objectively bigger than for Formula E. You do know how many women there are in this world compared to the ecolobobo-brigade right?

Please provide a source that this series is somehow bigger than Formula E before saying "objectively". Because I very, very much doubt it.

 

[Cheesenium]

It must be slow news day for RD to cover this.

This series has no purpose to begin with, like the rest of gender dividing efforts like those job vacancy to “balance up” a lot of the high paying, high stress careers. We should all be working together, not dividing ourselves by the gender. People should be selected based on their merits and interest, not frivolous criteria like gender.

If these people wants to compete for seat time, why not F3 or other traditional series? I bet with you if F3 turned into male only, you’ll get a huge backlash from all these people.

Or the other question, why is motorsports so male centric? Is there really a need to fix it due the current absurd policital climate?

 

[Deleted member 113561]

As long as women are not driving for wins in Formula 1, they can't be taken as seriously as men.

See, women are not primarily designed for performance, but for reproduction and they are damn awesome at it, but this comes with trade-offs. They are less performant then men (this is a biological fact).
Do never forget the biological differences between men and women, incl. performance and interests.

Now if separating men and women makes sense in motorsport, is a different question.

The audience for this is objectively bigger than for Formula E. You do know how many women there are in this world compared to the ecolobobo-brigade right?

50%, but how many women are interested in this sport, far less for sure - would be interesting to see some numbers on that though.

 

[Durge Driven]

Nice one, however who is this intented audience of this series.

If they paraded before every session dressed as Grid Girls you all be watching

 

[Sim Strata]

Grid girls were always cringe tbh. But equally that does not reduce this trope cringe any.

 

[RufGTI]

I'd say that is about on par with the current F1 season, if you factor in the number of races versus drivers.

This may be true, but as I said, the vehicles used in the W-Series are identical and are all operated by the same team (Motopark). Thus the influence of the car/team on the result of a driver is not present in principle, it depends only on her personal abilities. That's quite the opposite of Formula 1.

 

[Ruy Horta]

DISCLAIMER: I did not want to comment in the original thread, but as it has progressed I thought I’d might as well throw in my 2c.

Still regard Formula W as a counterproductive concept.

In a sport where men and women can compete as equals there is no need for separation, but instead stimulation to JOIN and COMPETE in the actual sport. The only difference between watching Formula ... and Formula W, is that the latter is exclusive to women. So what makes watching a race car (or competing in one) with only women more interesting than doing the same with a race car that anyone regardless of sex can be driving?

As so often in society something that on first glance appears to be one thing is actually the opposite - this is about segregation, or in a positive tone creating a separate group identity - women racers. Nothing new, always has been a part of the feminist movement, but imo it is actually not about inclusion but exclusion.

Ultimately - as a middle aged man - having Formula W suggests that women cannot compete with men, hence they need to compete without men to have success. Sad message to women racers.

The reason why is not so altruistic, but commercial as the more potential than Formula E suggests.

If you believe motorsports predominantly attracts men, Formula E attracts men who like racing, are interested in high tech and environmental protection - they generally prefer silent green cars over high octane and extremely loud combustion engines that pollute the air. That’s a relatively small group.

Now compare this with women, that huge untapped potential of half the global population. Clearly this is not about equality IN motorsports, but creating new business opportunities by getting women interested in WATCHING motorsports. It is 90% marketing opportunity, 5% women racers & 5% emancipation.

So in short you need winning women racers to get more women viewers and with new women viewers comes “huge” marketing potential.

Of course I made up those numbers.

Long 2c.
PS. I have a daughter, she’s free to aspire to anything she’d like - as long as I can afford it.

 

[Marcus-EMR]

Racing on free to air TV, how can that be a bad thing? Hope its that way next year too.

bsmoth: It was on Channel 4 in the UK, I VPN in to UK TV from the USA
https://www.channel4.com/programmes/w-series-motor-racing/on-demand/69990-006
(I though NBC had the rights in the US)

I watched the German Grandprix on ESPN or ESPN2 Channel in the USA. It's with the Channel 4 commentary. They broadcast all races if i'm correct.

 

[Terry Rock]

I think Paul title for this article 'cements' the basis for this series.
"40 Drivers Express Interest in Season 2"
That ...to me anyway, suggest added interest through the exposure brought about by Season 1.
Racing at the professional level is a 'cut-throat', results-based business.
The W-series aims to allow young girls to develop into full fledged racers, without guys coming in and taking over everything.
Good for them, if over time they produce and promote girls into other series.
I have absolutely 'zero' problems with that.
Then again...I'm a secure guy.
My ego doesn't get bruised very easily.

 

[Fat-Alfie]

This won't 'fix' the problem of women in motor sport. All W-Series is doing is giving 'a leg up', or 'an advantage' to women who already have an advantage (otherwise they wouldn't be in motorsport). This won't be a quick fix, if indeed, it needs fixing. I think the organisers/campaigners would have been better off spending the $1.5 million prize money on funding some young girls in karting, starting the ball rolling at grass roots, not trying to placate the tiny minority that are already doing the sport the love.

I do wonder if the campaigners for equality in motorsport have actually stopped to wonder if there should be equality? Do as many women want to race cars as men do? Maybe the current situation is in fact the natural equilibrium. Not everything in life should, or needs to be, equal. I see the people who empty my dustbin every week - all men. Where are the campaigners clamouring for equality in refuse collection? Both my daughters were taught in the UK state education system and up to the age of 9 they had been taught by one male teacher, in a combined 10 years' education. I think it is a simple fact that men do not yearn to teach in pre- and early-years education - it's not sexism or discrimination.

In the UK, the A-Level exam results show that for the first time, more girls than boys took and passed science exams. So, is there now a need to push boys in science, because they are falling behind? More girls than boys take exams in childcare and child development - sexism? Holding boys back? No, I don't think so.

This sudden desire for sexual equality has gone mad. Life will never be equal, because people are just people - we are different, with different ambitions, different interests. I wish people would stop trying to artificially 'make things fair'.