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Alexamateo
23rd March 2007, 17:46
Well, Looks like Milka Duno is in for 10 races for SAMAX, her Grand Am team, with Citgo Sponsorship.


Milka to run 10 races
HOMESTEAD, Fla. – The speed, sound and even the smell of Indy cars practicing for the Indianapolis 500 captivated Milka Duno during her initial visit to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Not much has changed in seven years, albeit the smell of the IndyCar Series cars will be different with the use of 100 fuel-grade ethanol this season. Duno knew then she wanted someday to compete in "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing," and the Miami resident hasn't wavered. Finally, she'll have the opportunity.

SAMAX Motorsport owner Peter Baron and CITGO Petroleum Corp. president and CEO Felix Rodriguez announced that Duno would drive the No. 23 CITGO Racing/SAMAX Motorsport Dallara/Honda/Firestone in 10 IndyCar Series events this season – including the 500-Mile Race.

After testing and passing her rookie test in early April, Duno will launch her long-time aspirations April 29 at Kansas Speedway. She'll also compete at Texas Motor Speedway (June 9), Iowa Speedway (June 24), Watkins Glen International (July 8), Nashville Superspeedway (July 14), Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (July 22), Michigan International Speedway (Aug. 5), Kentucky Speedway (Aug. 11) and the season finale at Chicagoland Speedway (Sept. 9).

"The blurry speed of the cars and the intoxicating sound they made as they went around the track – reverberating off the huge grandstands – inspired a passion in me to one day become a part of it," said Duno of that visit to the Speedway while competing at nearby Putnam Park in the Barber Dodge series. "(I wanted to be) a part of the history; a part of the competition."

The Venezuela native will be part of both. When Duno, Danica Patrick and Sarah Fisher take the green flag at the 1.5-mile Kansas Speedway oval, it will mark the first time in major open-wheel racing history that three females have competed in a race. Think they'll get some attention in May?

"It is a special moment for me, just something I've been dreaming about for a long time," said Duno, who will continue to compete in the Rolex Grand-Am Series Daytona Prototype for SAMAX Motorsport with CITGO sponsorship. "It's difficult to explain how I feel because I have so many emotions -- a little nervous, a little anxiety, very excited. It's a big step for me. It's going to be very tough because it's a very competitive championship and I'll be racing ovals and everything will be new for me.

"But I'm trying to learn whatever I need to learn. I have a good team behind me, which makes me comfortable and so good for me. As I was thinking about this decision, I wanted it to be with a good team and people I know."
IndyCar Series Merchandise

Her SAMAX IndyCar Series team will be a mix of personnel from her Grand-Am team and veterans in Indy car racing, including Steve Challis as the lead engineer and John Cummiskey as the team manager. Cummiskey has three Indianapolis 500 victories.

"I feel we have done a tremendous job creating a team with the perfect mix of 'Indy talent' and team members that have worked with Milka from the beginning," Baron said. "Milka is already at home with the team, which is the foundation from where all the growth and success begins."

"In her first race of the 2007 Grand-Am season, Duno teamed with Darren Manning, Patrick Carpentier and Ryan Daziel for a runner-up finish in the Rolex 24 At Daytona -- the highest finish ever by a female in the event's 45-year history.

She has sought the counsel and technical insight of Manning, driver of the No. 14 ABC Supply Co. car for A.J. Foyt Racing, and Carpentier, a former IndyCar Series competitor, among others.

"A long time ago, even when people didn't know it was my dream to drive in this series, I was asking many things of the drivers," she said. "I was asking Darren, Patrick, Dario Franchitti and Dan Wheldon about the racing and how they do things because I need to learn so much. I wanted to go to this level, and that was the first step.

"I want to have good preparation. I have all the determination and all my concentration will be on learning to do the best I can."

Duno, third in the Grand-Am driver standings, began competing in the series in 2004. She was the first woman to win a major international sports car race in North America (with Andy Wallace at the Grand Prix of Miami at Homestead-Miami Speedway). She followed with her second overall victory at Homestead seven months later. She has posted three wins, seven podium appearances, 10 top-five finishes and 26 top-10 finishes.

"We know this effort, with a new sponsor, driver and team will not be easy, but we are thrilled to have this opportunity and will work our hardest to give Milka the necessary tools to succeed on track," Baron said.
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ChicagocrewIRL
23rd March 2007, 20:03
I'm really hoping that was just a demonstrator Dallara they had at the announcement ceremony. Looks like a really really really old Dallara.

Haddock
23rd March 2007, 23:04
Oh dear, she is going to be so far out of her depth it is quite frankly frightening.

IRL cars are not toys for amateurs with a budget, and frankly she could get herself, or someone else seriously injured or killed. This isn't bloody sportscar racing.

(and this is not a sexist dig - Duno is simply not on the same level as any of the rest of the IRL field

LINCE
24th March 2007, 00:11
This should be a joke she isn´t a good or even a mediocre driver she is really bad she has won rolex series races because of the teammates driving the las 85% of the race. So I find incredible that she gets allowed to race and also that the IRL is making news out of this.
Maybe she will prove me wrong but I think that she is going to be last

OWFan19
24th March 2007, 05:22
I would have liked to have seen her in IPS first. I am almost tired of seeing people with no proven ability get rides. But at least its another piece of eye candy with a sponsor. Cant hurt at the moment, I see some attention coming her way soon.

Komahawk
24th March 2007, 09:45
I agree with Haddock. Carcount is one thing, and it's cool to have a hottie in the car, and she makes the series more of an international league. But she has little to no experience in these type of cars. I hate to say that, but I don't want to see a repetition of last year's Miami incident.

Don't think she's worse than Roth tough.

Haddock
24th March 2007, 11:56
I agree with Haddock. Carcount is one thing, and it's cool to have a hottie in the car, and she makes the series more of an international league. But she has little to no experience in these type of cars. I hate to say that, but I don't want to see a repetition of last year's Miami incident.

Don't think she's worse than Roth tough.

I don't know much about Roth, but what I do know is that she is considerably less competent a race driver than Paul Dana was....and I still wonder whether he should really have been allowed to race.

Like I say, I've nothing against women in racing cars, and I think Fisher and Patrick are decent, able racing drivers (although Fisher was a bit of a liability in her early days) but Duno would struggle against many clubman drivers and is only in the sport at all because her husband is a senior exec at Citgo

ChicagocrewIRL
24th March 2007, 16:39
I think this means Milka gets Rookie of the Year by default ??

HiWayStar
24th March 2007, 19:59
I don't know much about Roth, but what I do know is that she is considerably less competent a race driver than Paul Dana was....and I still wonder whether he should really have been allowed to race.

Like I say, I've nothing against women in racing cars, and I think Fisher and Patrick are decent, able racing drivers (although Fisher was a bit of a liability in her early days) but Duno would struggle against many clubman drivers and is only in the sport at all because her husband is a senior exec at Citgo

Being able to bring $$$ to a team speaks volumes. And frequently less talented individuals get the ride due to the $$$ they bring.

I agree that Milka's in over her head. This will become apparent once she starts competing. Let's just hope she realizes this & drops down to IPS, or less, before she gets hurt.

DavePI2
24th March 2007, 20:44
Well this should make the MidOhio race more interesting anyway. If she races at Michigan it could be really interesting. I am going to both races as well as the 500 so I am looking forward to this year more then ever now

David

ZzZzZz
24th March 2007, 22:59
Brian Barnhart: "By the time she enters her first race event and races, she'll have thousands of miles under her belt. It's not like she announced today that she'll be racing next week in St. Pete. I think they have five scheduled test sessions. We'll do plenty of testing on track with her including start and restart practice and pit stop practice. We'll even consider putting other cars out there with her to replicate traffic and give her an opportunity to get accustomed to running in dirty air. By the time she enters her first event, she'll have plenty of experience in terms of testing experience under the belt."

Looks like special treatment to me. But also maybe all this tesing will allay you guys' fears.

Personally, I don't think she'll be out there making constant dumb mistakes. She'll just run her pace, and we'll see where that is. She has plent of experience being passed by the faster P1 cars in ALMS.

Joke of the day: TG is apparently allying the IRL with Citgo because he is tired of his series being labeled as bush league. Hugo Chavez has assured him they will now be anti-Bush league...

Alexamateo
25th March 2007, 00:20
Joke of the day: TG is apparently allying the IRL with Citgo because he is tired of his series being labeled as bush league. Hugo Chavez has assured him they will now be anti-Bush league...

This need's to be in RaceFanStan's "groaner" joke thread in Chit Chat! :eek: :p : :)

Komahawk
25th March 2007, 14:43
I don't know much about Roth, but what I do know is that she is considerably less competent a race driver than Paul Dana was....and I still wonder whether he should really have been allowed to race.




Don't wanna cook it up, but a IPS championship runner-up is definitely ready to run the ICS. Only one year ago he must've had a blackout or something, and it wasn't forgiven.

ChicagocrewIRL
27th March 2007, 04:12
Nice full page ad in the USA Today. Sponsored by CITGO of course. Hugo is going after the testosterone of the nation.

CITGO is one IndyCar sponsor I will NEVER patronize. I try very hard to do my business and send business to all the IndyCar sponsors, but CITGO, you are S.O.L. for this IndyCar fan. I'm glad 7-11 is in the process of ejecting the CITGO brand from their gas stations.

Will she get Rookie of the Year by default ???

grungex
27th March 2007, 05:01
Yes.

DRC
27th March 2007, 14:10
http://www.speedtv.com/commentary/36275/

ChicagocrewIRL
27th March 2007, 15:02
" Hopefully, Dunno will scare herself so badly in her first test at Texas that she'll come to her senses, realize she's out of her depth and give the car to Carpentier." Robin Miller

I love Robin Miller !!! That's the only good thing I can see coming out of this is that Patrick Carpentier gets back in the league.

Otherwise Milka should be in IPS. But as this weekend's past accidents demonstrate, IPS is no walk in the park either. Please don't kill anyone Milka. I wish you well. But please don't.

Okeefe
27th March 2007, 16:37
I really like the fact that she put education before racing, and the fact that she is racing at mid-life age - but I don't think she should be racing an IRL car on high speed ovals simply for the exposure she can bring. I think she should have done IPS first, gained experience and seat time and by same cut the level of risk presented to herself and to others.
She could have brought that same exposure more safely in IPS.
This is a real turn off to me for the series letting inexperience race close in those cars at those speeds.

Hoss Ghoul
28th March 2007, 23:27
Could be some real negative press coming the IRL's way if this ends up badly. Milka is not qualified to be racing in the IRL.

COD
29th March 2007, 15:36
http://www.speedtv.com/commentary/36275/

Has she stolen the helmet in that picture from Mika Häkkinen and added and L into the name?

Compare to this http://www.f1tip.ch/f1/grafik/mika9.jpg

Easy Drifter
29th March 2007, 19:18
She does have to pass a test just to run.
Then she needs to pass the Indy rookie test to run the 500.
Hopefully she won't.
However TG wants a 3rd female, the eye candy and another sponsored car.
Best case scenario: she fails test(s) and compenent driver is hired.
Worst case: She passes both.
Maybe she will scare herself sh--l--s and bail out.
Drivers' strike anyone? :grenade:

CARTDM15
31st March 2007, 05:54
I never watch Grand-Am.Is Milka bad as every one says?

ChicagocrewIRL
31st March 2007, 07:46
I never watch Grand-Am.Is Milka bad as every one says?

I don't think it's really a question of whether she is a bad driver. I'm sure she is a competent driver in her class of cars.

Put her in an open wheel car on a superspeedway at 220 mph going 3 wide through the corners ? That's a whole different story.

She needs more experience pack racing on ovals at lower speeds. She got a relatively late start in competitive driving at the age of 20 but she has shown herself to be very intelligent earning 4 masters degrees in engineering. In order to race in the IndyCar series she just needs more experience. This sport can kill.

beachgirl
1st April 2007, 16:12
I've just got a really, really bad feeling about this whole deal. It just seems from the news conference and other actual quotes that neither Milka, or her team, truly understand the seriousness of what they're about to do. And that is definitely not a good thing - for them or for any of the other teams and drivers.

Jag_Warrior
1st April 2007, 17:21
I never watch Grand-Am.Is Milka bad as every one says?

She's not a real "hot shoe", but I don't think she's not as bad as some say. She hasn't been racing THAT long (relative to her age), and she has raced many different formulas over that short period of time (roughly ten years +/-). Milka tends to do a series for a year or two, then she moves on to another series. I think she does these things to test herself and put another checkmark on her racing resume of life. I mean, we're talking about someone who has multiple advanced degrees. She's raced at Le Mans. She's raced at Daytona. Now she wants to race at Indy.

The upside (for the series) is that Milka is a very fan friendly person and she's pretty popular in the Hispanic market. Men tend to like her for a couple of rather obvious reasons. But when you meet her, she is nice, charming and friendly toward women and children as well. She is obviously enjoying her life and she conveys that feeling to those who meet her. Compare that to certain others in the world of racing (*cough cough* Michael Andretti), who act like they're doing a fan a MAJOR favor just by acknowledging their existence and scribbling on a piece of paper.

But no, I don't think Milka has what it takes to be competitive in the IRL. But I think she can build her skills to the point that she won't be a hazard. In ALMS and Grand Am, I think she learned how to hold her line and stay out of the way when the sharp end of the grid was passing through. But IMO, her talent level is better suited for ALMS GT2 or Grand Am. She'll probably do some IRL races for a year or so (doing Indy is all she probably wants for her "checksheet"), and then she'll go back to sports cars.

indycool
1st April 2007, 17:22
It sounds like Barnhart is going to put her through the most rigorous rookie drill anyone's ever had, probably because of reservations some have, so it doesn't look like he'll "weenie" on whatever decision he needs to make. Time will tell.

Through the years, some who have aspired to run these things and get in 'em too early, or with too little talent, realize it for themselves. Scott Mayer wanted to, and tried, but when he got to Indy and started the rookie test, he realized he didn't belong. Sarah McCune tested one at Kentucky and said she wasn't ready then. Later, she ran a Pro Series car to a pole, choosing that route. Others have made the same decision when to retire.

If Duno does well, she does well. If she says, "oh, bleep," she does. And if Barnhart says, "oh, bleep," she's out.

FormerFF
4th April 2007, 04:55
Over the years, I've observed that Milka tends to know her limits and doesn't exceed them. So. I have my doubts that she tries to qualify at Indy. Some of the other tracks I suspect she can find her way around, but Indy is a whole 'nother ballgame.

Hoss Ghoul
4th April 2007, 07:17
She'd make for a media dream sitting on the bump at Indy though...imagine all the interviews, and "concerned look" close-ups they'd have of that pretty face.