Louise Cook sponsorship

[Jag_Warrior]

Wait, you said you disagree with me right? So do you claim that motorsport is worsened by having female drivers competing?

If they are only there because of their gender, then yes, I would say that motorsports (and any other area of sport or business) is worsened.

Or, from what you've written, it looks like you're just saying you're not a fan of the few there are at the moment, or not happy with the fact that they are viewed as novelties rather than contenders failing or succeeding on a level playing field? Because that was kind of my point as well - we're actually in agreement. As for race and any other categories you can name, I don't think sex is more important than any other type of diversity, so we agree there too.

It sounds that we probably agree more than we disagree (if at all). I'm not a fan of many of the women who currently occupy seats in motorsports and play on their gender at every turn. Being primarily an F1 fan (and a former fan of CART), having otherwise respectable motorsports journalists and commentators claim that Danica would make a good addition to Formula One... "but only if she could get with a good team" (David Hobbs) - that causes my stomach to go into a twirl. Why in the world would a "good" Formula One team hire someone who has never won a road course race in her life and she's moving into her mid 30's??? Why? Well, of course, because she is a female (#1) and she has a high Q-rating in America (#2). My guess is David realizes the politically correct, gender hyper-sensitive times in which we live (where the word "misogyny" and the term "war on women" MUST BE used at least 37 times a day on American news outlets - I think Obama made that a law or something) and Davey felt that the easy thing to say would be in support of The Unaccomplished One getting a seat at Ferrari, Mercedes or McLaren. And see, I was thinking about buying a car from his dealership too. Sorry David, ya lost a sale.

I like and have liked Simona de Silvestro for a long time. And I was hoping she'd get a chance to race in GP2, prove her worth and talent and then maybe get a legit shot at F1. Why do I like her so much? She doesn't do bikini shots. She spends more time working with her engineers than she does planning photo shoots. She's just a racer - not a girl racer... a RACER! I was a big fan of Angelle Sampey/Seeling/Savoie. I met her at a drag race years ago and though she was dang easy on the eyes, she was a true championship racer and that's why I became a solid fan until she retired - now I don't watch drag racing anymore.

So in summary, I root for people who work for what they get. I don't root for people (male, female, Black, White, Jew, Gentile, etc.) who feel a sense of entitlement. I don't believe in mandated quotas. And just because the current political climate says that quotas are bad when it comes to race, but they are good when it comes to gender (European Union, hello!), my feelings just become that much more hardened in opposition.

If this Louise girl is the real deal, then the best of luck to her. I mean that. But if she's just another Susie Wolff or Danica (even worse), the sooner she goes away, the better, IMO.

[Formaldehyde]

I'll just leave this here. Feel free to draw your own conclusions on how this situation came to be and how could this complete humiliation be avoided.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNP8...youtu.be&t=30s

[litifeta]

Most of the complaints about this subject are egotistical rubbish. They are based on:

1. a female cannot beat a male. yes they can. Currently they are beating you, because you do not have the ticker to have a go. And do you seriously think that if you did have a go, you would be up to their quality. Do you seriously believe if you took up 400 metre running you could beat the local female champion. Seriously?
2. Aligning yourself as a male with champion males like Ogier. You are nothing like them. The only thing you have in common is your gender. You are NOT that type of man, you are not that good and never will be. Stop aligning yourself with champions and believing their is some superiority synergy simply through your gender.

[Franky]

litifeta, you seem to be missing their entire point. Women should not be promoted or kept in media attention purely because of their gender, which is the case with the examples some have posted. But they shouldn't get more attention than the people who finished ahead of her.

All I can remember of Louise Cook is that she was among the slowest in her WRC outings.

[Munkvy]

litifeta, you seem to be missing their entire point. Women should not be promoted or kept in media attention purely because of their gender, which is the case with the examples some have posted. But they shouldn't get more attention than the people who finished ahead of her.

All I can remember of Louise Cook is that she was among the slowest in her WRC outings.

To be fair, at least she is out there giving it a go. Which is more than can be said for most of us. I have only ever entered the NZ WRC rounds as part of the local event, as I can't afford an FIA spec car, and I don't want to spend my life chasing sponsors so that I can, so good on her for doing it, it's more than I am!

But in saying that, I do agree with the statement on her website about becoming world champion, that does seem a bit unrealistic given her level of skill shown so far?

[N.O.T]

most of the complaints about this subject are egotistical rubbish. They are based on:

1. A female cannot beat a male. Yes they can. Currently they are beating you, because you do not have the ticker to have a go. And do you seriously think that if you did have a go, you would be up to their quality. Do you seriously believe if you took up 400 metre running you could beat the local female champion. Seriously?
2. Aligning yourself as a male with champion males like ogier. You are nothing like them. The only thing you have in common is your gender. You are not that type of man, you are not that good and never will be. Stop aligning yourself with champions and believing their is some superiority synergy simply through your gender.

lol...

[Jag_Warrior]

Most of the complaints about this subject are egotistical rubbish. They are based on:

1. a female cannot beat a male. yes they can. Currently they are beating you, because you do not have the ticker to have a go. And do you seriously think that if you did have a go, you would be up to their quality. Do you seriously believe if you took up 400 metre running you could beat the local female champion. Seriously?
2. Aligning yourself as a male with champion males like Ogier. You are nothing like them. The only thing you have in common is your gender. You are NOT that type of man, you are not that good and never will be. Stop aligning yourself with champions and believing their is some superiority synergy simply through your gender.

I don't see how my questions and criticisms of this particular girl have any thing to do with what you're claiming here. But still, are we saying that anyone who is doing something that we cannot or have chosen not to do is immune from criticism? Does this new "rule" also apply to men, or is it just another convenient way to shield sub-par performing females from criticism? It's been often used by the DanicaManiacs in the U.S.: "well... well... well... yeah, so what if Danica has never won a road race! I bet she's still a whole bunch faster than you, pal!!!"

Well, I admit that is (and should be) true - given that I'm not and have never been a professional auto racer. But in relative terms, in our chosen fields, I am more accomplished in my field than Danica is in hers. I've actually had to accomplish things and build a solid track record to get where I am. I have not been able to pose in a swimsuit (although back in my weightlifting days, I wonder if Playgirl would have given me a ring? ) to get a contract or a pay check. I take people seriously who actually accomplish things. Those that rely on their gender (race, religion, etc.) and expect to get a pat on the back simply because of their genitalia or who want to ride the current PC/feminist wave, I have no use for them. Again, Angelle Sampey, I greatly respect. She's the real deal: a champion and a winner. Danica, Susie Wolff and (the more I hear about her) this Louise Cook person are not winners and they seem to seek to be seen as special simply because of their gender.

In summary, if the only people these women are faster than are guys on message boards who have never raced a car, why in the hell are they even out there to begin with?!

[MrJan]

I'll just leave this here. Feel free to draw your own conclusions on how this situation came to be and how could this complete humiliation be avoided.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNP81MoaKmo&feature=youtu.be&t=30s

Ha! That's hilarious. I like how at about 1:35 the commentator is like "THe men have ridden this course, so they know what it's like when it's wet. The ladies have not ridden the course when it's this wet". Shit! It looks like the women have ridden bikes before.

The track is clearly horrible though, even the men's event that year looks pretty rough.

Back to the point of the thread. I think that the reason that Louise Cook gets a bit of hassle from fans is that she's portrayed (not necessarily by herself) as some sort of woman beating men at their own game, when it's clear to anyone close to the support that she isn't going to be "the first female world champion".

Is the exposure a good return on the investment? I think that a few years ago maybe, when the motoring press were still slightly interested. But £100 for an advert 50mm x 30mm on the roof of a car that runs in a class of <5 and will be a long way down the field? I don't see what there is to gain from that.