 Racing
- Is it a Dirty Business?
by Nika
of racerchicks.com
When news of
Deborah Renshaw’s incident at the Fairground
Speedway, the motorsport world was outraged.
To think that she was treated unfairly because
of her gender was incomprehensible in this day
and age.... or was it. Recently another
racerchick Angel Green contacted us about some
incidents she has been involved in as a result
of her gender and the backlash from Renshaw’s
circumstance.
Angel Green alleges* that as early as last
year during her second race, she felt she was
being singled out. Rules were changed that
affected her prize money and rules were
interpreted in not her favor while interpreted
differently for her competitors. Recently the
situation came to a head when her race car was
spun out onto the grass by a male competitor.
Was this just another racing incident? Was it
just the facts of the sport? Maybe the first
few times – but after a while things start to
smell bad. My mother always said – if it
smells like crap and looks like crap – chances
are, it probably is crap.
Racing is not always rational or impartial.
How many times has a seasoned driver been
taken out a fellow competitor’s mistake. But
there is a difference. When something is
malicious and unsportsmanlike it has to be
called, verified and punished. NASCAR who’s
had to deal with its’ image being slightly
“wrestling-like” has recently fined drivers
for bad behavior. Now points are being taken
away as punishment for infractions from
conduct to cheating.
Angel’s frustration was increased by the
track’s refusal to keep the playing field
fair. In her eyes they are now extending their
folly to her fellow team members. I truly hope
that gender has nothing to do with it and it
may be a personality conflict – but in the
real world I can see that women racers still
have a struggle to gain respect as racers. So
far she has received both support and contempt
for her speaking her mind and I commend her
for it keeping a positive attitude for racing
in general. It takes not just the drivers, but
the fans, officials, sponsors and sanctioning
bodies together to ensure fairness.
Just as in equestrian sports (men and women
compete equally) superior equipment and skill
are the basis for success. Fair competition is
what we strive for every time we strap
ourselves into that car. Whether or not you
believe there is still a gender bias in
motorsport is one thing – but if you do, don’t
get angry – just pity the driver who wins
dirty….because it really isn’t a win at all.
* at the time of
posting this story we could not confirm or
deny any incidents from track officials
For
comments, feedback and just plain greetings,
feel free to e-mail me at nika@racerchicks.com
or AOL IM "racernika"
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