I'm going to weigh in with my opinions here (if anybody really cares):
I have absolutely no problems with the Ladies classes in "amateur" Solo2.
'Amateur" Solo2 is supposed to be all about having fun, and if it's more _fun_
to have an "L" class, then so be it. I can understand that for husband/wife,
boyfriend/girlfriend teams, being able to run the same car at different times
so that the competing spouse can get the undivided attention of the supporting
spouse is incredibly convenient, and probably essential, to get the most
enjoyment out of the sport.
I can also understand (although I think it's sad, and wish that it were
otherwise) that some women don't wish to compete against the big bad mean men
for whatever reason. Oh well. It's what they want, and it doesn't hurt us guys
at all, so why not? Who are we to stand in the way of someone else's enjoyment
of the sport?
However, once you start moving up out of the purely-for-fun amateur world, and
start moving into a more professional mode, then I start having a little more
problems with the idea of different treatment for different genders - for
example, "P class" ProSolo (not National Series ProSolo, I see that as amatuer
racing in a different format that just happens to be in a format labelled "pro",
and so the for-fun argument applies)
How is it fair that (in theory) someone with the same car as I have gets to run
it in a (potentially) smaller and softer class, and makes more money for it -
based on their gender? If it were racially based, or sexual preference based, or
religion based ("I race in C Prepared Buddist. It's a small class...") we'd all
be up in arms about it - but gender is OK? How is that?
My feeling is that IF you are going to call yourself "professional" then nobody
should be getting any preferential or exclusionary treatment. Get in there and
race with the rest of them.
If there were some sort of genetic advantage to being of one sex or another
(like pro Basketball, or Pro Football, or Pro Hockey) it'd be different. But as
far as I can tell, once you get serious about it, there's no perfomance
differentiating genetic difference between women and men. We're all supposed to
be equal, we should be treated as such.
Nomex is on.
DG
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