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Really!!!! 30-100 starts that means that a driver would have to be in Indy Lights between 2 and 10 years before starting in Indycar.Quote:
Originally Posted by call_me_andrew
2006 all the real oval drivers had left? You ask the real oval drivers as you call them about driving The Mile at Milwaukee. There have not been real oval drivers in Indycar for about 30 years. To be a real oval driver you needed to come up through Sprint Cars into Indycars not gokarts to Indycars.
The fact that the driver does not have any significant oval experience does not preclude them from doing well.... She may struggle on ovals she may not - racing history is littered with examples of both..... I suspect she would do just fine - but I also suspect this is more fan conjecture than a real chance for her to come to Indycar with a "real" team that could actually allow her to be in the realm of competitive..... Personally, I think it is only news if she lands a decent ride - otherwise she is a field filler that happens to be a woman and it is hard to get excited about any field fillers.....
Field fillers are what makes the grid 33 positions. Nothing wrong with "field fillers". If you take them away, you're back to 10-12 starters. Anybody want that? Didn't think so.
true, didn't mean that field fillers are bad - just that it is hard to get excited about them individually unless you have a strong affinity for someone.....Quote:
Originally Posted by beachgirl
Where did I say anything about his first race? I said he's coped on ovals, which is demonstrably true. He came from a non-oval background, he has wins on ovals, therefore coming from a non-oval background isn't necessarily a hindrance to a driver looking to enter the series, which is what the post I quoted seemed to be suggesting.Quote:
Originally Posted by Phoenixent
I think the 2008 season says everything that needs to be said about road-racers coming into IndyCar with little-to-no oval experience. They did just fine on them. I don't have specific numbers in front of me, but I remember quite a few ex-CC drivers getting top 10 and maybe even top-5 finishes. And since then, they have been highly competitive on the roads/streets, resulting in good Championship finishes. With even less ovals on the schedule now than 2008, I really think the "road racer" stigma is pretty much meaningless. The real question is whether Kat is still good on the roads/streets and can adapt to the IndyCar. And actually, the only real question is whether she can bring money. Does anyone think she will do worse than some of the KV guys? Apparently you can crash every week for a good team, as long as you bring a paycheck. Or you can be a 4-time championship winner, and get a part-time ride with a bottom tier team. Not a whole lot of middle ground.
The thing about ovals is that a struggling driver is a danger to everyone else on the track.Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris R
I'm not saying she needs to go to Indy Lights for 10 years. She can get seat time in NASCAR modifieds or USAC.
Oh please. This is a ridiculous comment, and "argument".Quote:
Originally Posted by call_me_andrew
I'm not sure that I understand the basis for suggesting that Katherine Legge would need to "prove herself" before racing in the IRL on ovals. She's already raced on an oval, a rather challenging one, I might add. And as was said here, she did rather well. And to say that the CCWS field at that time wasn't all that strong... well, without putting too sharp a point on it, but the field now isn't exactly comprised of Rick Mears, A.J. Foyt, Mario Andretti and the Unser brothers.
I'm not comparing Katherine to anyone, but neither Zanardi nor Montoya had any oval experience before strapping into MUCH higher horsepower equipment than what Katherine would be getting into. And as best I recall, they did better than average on ovals. So if she can secure a decent ride, with a decent team and engineer, my guess is she'll do just fine.
True, this series needs more good racers, but it also needs more "personalities" like a drowning man needs air (yeah, I've read about the recent Versus ratings... even though I've seen no reason to comment on them). Here's the likely reality: Jimmie Johnson ain't coming. Dale, Jr. ain't coming. Jeff Gordon ain't coming. Juan Montoya ain't coming. Hell, even Kimi Raikkonen and Nelson Piquet, Jr. ain't coming. So if you want to see a person who would at least bring a bit of positive press and attention to this series, wouldn't it be better to welcome Katherine Legge with open arms, rather than nitpick why she shouldn't be allowed to take part?
jm2c
That's an easy one. Racing forums (and internet forums in general it seems) are populated with many posters who seem to have simple goals - complain about everything, cause controversy, and try to make themselves look knowledgeable. The topic doesn't matter. Borderline trolls, but since they stay "on topic" they usually just come across as "Debbie Downers". Most don't have a clue about the subject.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jag_Warrior
I think Kat would do just fine on ovals. She has proven herself to be adaptable and capable in a number of series, often on second and third tier teams. I hope she at least gets an opportunity in Indy car