In a message dated 9/28/00 12:17:41 PM Pacific Daylight Time,
free2000@quixnet.net writes:
<< I think the difference is you can't just show up at their events, pay your
entry fee and drive. And what about the women's racing series that many of
our better ladies are currently in? Somebody obviously felt there was a
need for a "special" series just for women. Hopefully, these ladies will
eventually move into the "open" series and continue to open that up. >>
Being one of those ladies who made it onto the Global team, I was surprised
to hear that many of these ladies did not run or try out even for the Lyn St.
James series. What was offered to us and what really was was two different
things and mainly it was a matter of money, sponsors and not based on talent
as at first indicated that it was going to be. Shauna Marnius ran her first
event with TC Klein having his suspicions what it was about. And as you may
know she has not done another one. The reputation that this series has
gotten in the pitts with many of the higher up racing teams in other series
is that it is a "powder puff" series, etc...and it has gotten the flack same
as on here, that this was created because these women could not race with the
men. I was hoping it would be a way for future sponsorship and get the
respect that some of these women deserve. But it hasn't. Instead Shauna
took what happened and invested her money in running a series that she gets
the true respect that she deserves from onlookers, but more importantly, her
peers and competitiors. Had I been able to come up with the 30K pluss to run
some of these events...after listening to these teams, reading the articles
on what the series has become, I would have taken it and invested in running
something like World Challenge, Motorola cup etc...I have spent less than
half of the entry fee of ONE women's global GT race and managed to get all
regionals out of the way, and now have my national license. and along the
way gotten 2 wins at the 24 Hours at Morosso and 12 Hours of Summit Point
both on ITC teams...I feel like the opportunities and respect that these
races have brought for me vs. having done one of these special women's races
is so much more rewarding and means more.
If you want to read some women's feelings regarding classes for women and
opportunities, women and men racing together...check out last month's
Grassroots Motorsports edition with the Women in Racing article.
Just some insight on all this Ladies class issue and women in racing...
Autocross is considered the stepping stone into other avenues of racing and
as you move up the level of comptetiton, the Ladies classes fade away.
Jean Kinser
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