Are you serious? Better double up on the caffeine and get your facts in order. getting more and more like Anna Kournikova everyday. Except Anna is more pleasing to the eye and ears.Quote:
Originally Posted by downtowndeco
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Are you serious? Better double up on the caffeine and get your facts in order. getting more and more like Anna Kournikova everyday. Except Anna is more pleasing to the eye and ears.Quote:
Originally Posted by downtowndeco
She really doesn't do anything for me. Remember, I'm primarily a road racing fan. In other words, I prefer women just like my racing: with plenty of curves. :s mokin:Quote:
Originally Posted by weeflyonthewall
I didn't like Michael Schumacher at all (by the end, I couldn't stand him). But I always had to admit that he was a great racer, so I respected him for his talents. I just don't see anything special about Danica that relates to auto racing. If some are caught up in her cult of personality, that's cool. But she'll win a champonship (in whatever series) about the time that Duhbya Bush learns to say "nuclear" instead of "nukyuler" = some things just ain't never gonna happen. :dozey:
Quote:
Originally Posted by downtowndeco
I've posted the reality of her career in statistics enough times that you can look into it on your own. Or, for matter of comparison, what if we reverse that question and ask somebody to post some type of statistics showing positive credentials for her. I've requested numerous times for somebody, anybody, to back their claims of her immense talents with 1 positive professional statistic from her career. That is a career including the lowest forms of professional racing all the way through Indycar and guess what? Nobody has ever been able to figure out a way to obscure her lack of stats to back up any reason why she ever had a shot at the IRL to begin with.
FACT: She got her shot because of her looks and Argent was putting up the bucks at RLR. She stayed competitive at RLR while they were 1 of what 2 or 3 teams with a MASSIVELY dominate Honda engine at the time and she STILL couldn't win. What that proved to be is dangerous because just her being moderately competitive on tracks she had a weight advantage at led people that have no idea what they're talking about the think...WOW she's good.
Well look now, she's tooled around mid-pack for 3 years at AGR. A team that before she came was dominant even with the spec engine. That team has deteriorated to level 2 and largely because she is 1 of 3 drivers on a 4 car team that has absolutely no talent or skill and therefore unable to help develope or set-up a car. TK is a 1 man show over there and there is little doubt the other 3 are holding him back...by a large margin.
So, if you want to ask me to prove my statisical facts, all you have to do is look at...well, anything. She won 1 race on a lucky fuel gamble. That's great and it counts..good job! But what happened all season long? She led a grand total of 2 or 3 laps. Her pattern this year, last, the year before that, etc. all the way back to her Atlantic days is that she isn't fast enough to be competitive. She make 0 (that's zero, notta, no) passes on track oval or road course and works her way up with attrition and strategy (which is a credit to her team not her). For this, she is an amazing driver at staying out of trouble and finishing races...which is easy to do when you aren't competitive.
I think I've made my point. If you disagree then just show me all her trophies, win %, championships, records, oh yeah and I'd like to see 1 driver (teammate or competitor) that would give her any credit.
This is all known to be FACT!
I like Danica, not just because Im friends with her either but she is an awesome driver. Here are some facts Turn 3.
2008
● Finished sixth in IndyCar Series standings for Andretti Green Racing.
● Became first female to win a major closed-course auto race in April at Twin Ring Motegi.
● Recorded 10 top-10 finishes and led two races
2007
● Finished seventh in IndyCar Series standings in first season with Andretti Green Racing.
● Recorded four top-five finishes and 11 top-10 finishes with a best finish of second at Belle Isle.
● Runner-up finish at Belle Isle matched best finish by a female driver in the IndyCar Series (Sarah Fisher, Homestead-Miami 2001).
● Qualified on the front row at Mid-Ohio and Infineon.
2006
● Recorded two top-five and eight top-10 finishes with best finish of fourth (Nashville and Milwaukee).
● Started 10th and finished eighth in Indianapolis 500.
2005
Won Bombardier Rookie of the Year Award after finishing 12th in IndyCar Series standings for Rahal Letterman Racing.
● Recorded two top-five and seven top-10 finishes with best finish of fourth (Motegi and Indianapolis).
● Earned three pole positions (Kansas, Kentucky, Chicagoland) to tie Tomas Scheckter's rookie record for pole positions in a season.
● Started fourth and finished fourth at 89th Indianapolis 500 and earned Chase Rookie of the Year honors. The highest starting and finishing position for a woman driver in the event's history. Led 19 laps, the first woman to lead at Indianapolis.
She won a race, finished 6th in a top car, was beaten by Kanaan, and finished in the first half of the grid 10 times in a top car.Quote:
Originally Posted by DanicaFan
I don't see how they support the opinion that she is an 'awesome' driver.
The first time I saw her race she was just embarrassing to the series. Losing several tenths to the leaders in every single corner, and then exploding at the marshalls while she was a lap down.
An 'awesome' driver is never that inept.
Wasn't that the year Tony George let her have power steering exclusively? :p :Quote:
Originally Posted by DanicaFan
To you guys, she cant do anything right. Im done arguing about it. I know she is the best and thats all I have to say about it. :D
If 'she' was a 'he' called Daniel would you still think she, um, he was the best? Just askin' ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by DanicaFan
Here are a few more facts. (all stats from indycar.com)Quote:
Originally Posted by DanicaFan
Average # Drivers
2005 - 22
2006 - 19
2007 - 18
2008 - 26
Road Course qualifying - average starting position
2005 - 15.3 (bottom 1/3)
2006 - 13.6 (bottom 1/3)
2007 - 8.2 (the year AGR was one of the "big 3") (Middle of field)
2008 - 15.8 (after merger - larger fields) (bottom 40%)
Her experience prior to 2005 was almost exclusively road courses. In 2007, she had two 2nd place road course starts, Mid Ohio and Infineon (remember the special steering and weight controversies?). Her other 3 starts averaged 12.3.
Oval Qualifying
2005 - 6.07 (3 poles, lowest 21)
2006 - 12.9 (Highest - 2 10th - Panoz wasn't as competitive as Dallara)
2007 - 9.5 (Highest 4, lowest 17)
2008 - 6.4 (Highest - 2, lowest 26)
Short ovals Qualifying
Milwaukee
2005 - 6
2007 - 17
2008 - 13
Richmond
2005 - 21
2006 - 14
2007- 8
2008 -14
What does this mean? Most experts concede that driver skill has more impact on road course speed that on ovals. She qualifies in the bottom 1/3 - 1/2 of all road courses. Where the car is a major factor and speed is mainly a matter of holding the throttle down and hanging on, she qualifies in the top 1/2. On short ovals where driver talent comes into play more, she is back mostly in the bottom 1/3. Her qualifying results are also very erratic. After 4 years in the IRL, she should be improving. She isn't. She shows NO potential of having a breakout year. Most top teams (and AGR IS/WAS a top team) would find a replacement for a driver with those results and not improving.
Awesome driver? Hardly. Take the quality of the car out of the equations, and she is consistently in the bottom 1/2 of the field.
So, how did she end up 6th in points in 2008? Of all of the drivers starting all 17 races, Helio finished all 16, Dixon 16, and Wheldon, TK, and DP 15. Marco finished the season 7th in points with only 10 finishes.
Now, just to show how silly statistics can be, here is a good one.
Total points divided by the number of races where they were running at the finish - 2008.
DP -25.2 (between 7th and 8th)
Marty Roth - 27.7 (about 6th place) (yup, that is really how it comes out)
So why do fans have issues with Danica?
1. The hype suggests she is a contender to win at every race - the results suggest she is at best a mid pack driver as far as speed.
2. She is very erratic as far as speed
3. Many of her best finishes were obtained by great team strategy, not great driving.
4. Her arrogant attitude would barely be tolerable in a champion, but as a mid pack driver, she hasn't earned the right to lecture other drivers on racing etiquette and behavior, especially in light of her own foot stomping, hand waving tirades.
5. Her supporters see a celebrity, a model, and an icon of teenage adulation. Many race fans see her as a pouting, childish, notorious twit.
6. Almost every other IRL driver races outside of the IRL, such as in sports cars, and do well. Danica's meager efforts outside of the IRL have been less than impressive.
If is wasn't for her perceived marketing value, she likely wouldn't have a ride with a top team. When (not if) her marketing value drops, she may find it hard to stay in the IRL, or any other series.
You may know she is the best, but the results don't support it.Quote:
Originally Posted by DanicaFan
The 2005 Rookie of the Year award has always made me smile, too. It's not hard to be Rookie of the Year when no other rookie was running the full series that year. There's been competition for it in all the years since.
It's kind of like the Motegi win - she got it fair and square, no asterisks. But if it were me (and I did race professionally), I'd always know inside I really didn't earn it competitively, and I'd want to go out and win again. I'm absolutely sure she wants to win again, she just won't do what it takes to win again.