There's a bit of a to-do these days about getting women into F1, and motorsport in general. While fandom isn't a problem - women are turning on to F1 and other forms of motorsport in droves - there's not as much female talent on any grid as the rough 50-50 population split might presume.
Some people think that women should be given a helping hand into motorsport, while others think that to do so screams of affirmative action.
I don't quite know where I stand - I think there should be more women represented in all forms of motorsport, but I think that those places should be earned. I'd much rather see a talented woman fighting at the front in a decent car than some one not fit for GP3 shoveled into a seat at the back of the grid just to make up the numbers.
Think of the racism Lewis Hamilton faced in the early part of his career, when some called him the token black man. Hamilton was able to use his astounding talent to silence the critics, and we'd all be better off if a female F1 driver were able to do the same. Because there will be critics - this is a sport in which everyone's performances go under the microscope.
Because a seat in top-level motorsport - be it F1, NASCAR, MotoGP, WRC, whatever - should be earned, not gifted, and because there's a lot of female talent out there in the junior categories, I think there's a strong argument for saying that support for female drivers should be concentrated on the young.
While girls fare well against boys in karts and some of the junior series, there is a significant dropout rate once the racing gets expensive. Maybe competitions aimed at weeding out the best female drivers and giving them financial support through the early years (much like Vijay Mallya's Search For One in a Billion) is the answer.
But there's always the argument that to do such a thing would injure the boys as much as it helps the girls. After all, sponsorship is pretty hard to come by these days, no matter who you are.
Maybe the answer lies in centralising sponsorship for the junior categories and ensuring it goes to the most deserving, not the best connected.
There's a lot to consider, and I'm probably not the right person to do it.
So what brought all this on, you ask? The FIA's announcement that "Following the successful inaugural year of partnership between Volkswagen Motorsport and the FIA’s Women in Motorsport Commission, the search for a new female talent to compete in the 2012 Volkswagen Scirocco R-Cup has begun."
[Note:] Hope this doesn't come across as me slagging off the Scirocco R-Cup for their efforts, as that wasn't my intention. At least they're doing something.
The press release has been copied in full below the jump:
Some people think that women should be given a helping hand into motorsport, while others think that to do so screams of affirmative action.
I don't quite know where I stand - I think there should be more women represented in all forms of motorsport, but I think that those places should be earned. I'd much rather see a talented woman fighting at the front in a decent car than some one not fit for GP3 shoveled into a seat at the back of the grid just to make up the numbers.
Think of the racism Lewis Hamilton faced in the early part of his career, when some called him the token black man. Hamilton was able to use his astounding talent to silence the critics, and we'd all be better off if a female F1 driver were able to do the same. Because there will be critics - this is a sport in which everyone's performances go under the microscope.
Because a seat in top-level motorsport - be it F1, NASCAR, MotoGP, WRC, whatever - should be earned, not gifted, and because there's a lot of female talent out there in the junior categories, I think there's a strong argument for saying that support for female drivers should be concentrated on the young.
While girls fare well against boys in karts and some of the junior series, there is a significant dropout rate once the racing gets expensive. Maybe competitions aimed at weeding out the best female drivers and giving them financial support through the early years (much like Vijay Mallya's Search For One in a Billion) is the answer.
But there's always the argument that to do such a thing would injure the boys as much as it helps the girls. After all, sponsorship is pretty hard to come by these days, no matter who you are.
Maybe the answer lies in centralising sponsorship for the junior categories and ensuring it goes to the most deserving, not the best connected.
There's a lot to consider, and I'm probably not the right person to do it.
So what brought all this on, you ask? The FIA's announcement that "Following the successful inaugural year of partnership between Volkswagen Motorsport and the FIA’s Women in Motorsport Commission, the search for a new female talent to compete in the 2012 Volkswagen Scirocco R-Cup has begun."
[Note:] Hope this doesn't come across as me slagging off the Scirocco R-Cup for their efforts, as that wasn't my intention. At least they're doing something.
The press release has been copied in full below the jump:
Following the successful inaugural year of partnership between Volkswagen Motorsport and the FIA’s Women in Motorsport Commission, the search for a new female talent to compete in the 2012 Volkswagen Scirocco R-Cup has begun.
In keeping with its philosophy of supporting aspiring young drivers, Volkswagen Motorsport will assess the ability of a group of talented female racers - nominated by their ASNs and the Women in Motorsport Commission - on 10 November at the Oschersleben circuit in Germany. The assessment will include theoretical lessons, a media course, guided driving with instructors and timed laps.
Kris Nissen, Volkswagen Motorsport Director, said: “The promotion of young talent in motor sport has a high priority at Volkswagen and female racers should not continue to be exceptions from our point of view. Going into the third year now, the Scirocco R-Cup is considered the epitome of touring car schools and offers participants to prepare themselves for professional motor sport on higher levels. With our last season’s candidate Maiken Rasmussen we made very good experiences, she did some very good races and she is a very intelligent young woman – on and off track. So we are delighted to be able to support the FIA in its talent initiative also for 2012.”
The drivers nominated to compete in the evaluation process are:
Mikaela Ahlin Kottulinsky, Age 18, Sweden
Andrea Bate, Age 22, South Africa
Sarah Bovy, Age 22, Belgium
Andrina Gugger, Age 20, Switzerland
Vittoria Piria, Age 17, Italy
Louise Richardson, Age 18, United Kingdom
Priscilla Speelman, Age 22, Netherlands
Kristina Vorndran, Age 17, USA
Christina Nielsen, Age 19, Denmark
Michelle Gatting, Age 17, Denmark
Sarah Moore, Age 17, United Kingdom
At the end of the process, one talented young woman may be selected to contest the Scirocco R-Cup, in either the Junior Cup or Pro Cup. The youngster will be pitted against a mixed grid of racers not only from the Junior and Pro Cups, but also the Legend category, which includes stars from the worlds of Formula One, Indy Car, rallying and DTM.
Throughout the season, the driver will receive guidance and advice from members of the Women in Motorsport Commission – most notably from karting and Formula 3 champion Cathy Muller – as well as the team at Volkswagen Motorsport.
The Volkswagen Scirocco R-Cup is the first single-make cup with natural gas technology, producing 80 per cent less CO2 emissions. The 2012 series takes in 10 European rounds.
In keeping with its philosophy of supporting aspiring young drivers, Volkswagen Motorsport will assess the ability of a group of talented female racers - nominated by their ASNs and the Women in Motorsport Commission - on 10 November at the Oschersleben circuit in Germany. The assessment will include theoretical lessons, a media course, guided driving with instructors and timed laps.
Kris Nissen, Volkswagen Motorsport Director, said: “The promotion of young talent in motor sport has a high priority at Volkswagen and female racers should not continue to be exceptions from our point of view. Going into the third year now, the Scirocco R-Cup is considered the epitome of touring car schools and offers participants to prepare themselves for professional motor sport on higher levels. With our last season’s candidate Maiken Rasmussen we made very good experiences, she did some very good races and she is a very intelligent young woman – on and off track. So we are delighted to be able to support the FIA in its talent initiative also for 2012.”
The drivers nominated to compete in the evaluation process are:
Mikaela Ahlin Kottulinsky, Age 18, Sweden
Andrea Bate, Age 22, South Africa
Sarah Bovy, Age 22, Belgium
Andrina Gugger, Age 20, Switzerland
Vittoria Piria, Age 17, Italy
Louise Richardson, Age 18, United Kingdom
Priscilla Speelman, Age 22, Netherlands
Kristina Vorndran, Age 17, USA
Christina Nielsen, Age 19, Denmark
Michelle Gatting, Age 17, Denmark
Sarah Moore, Age 17, United Kingdom
At the end of the process, one talented young woman may be selected to contest the Scirocco R-Cup, in either the Junior Cup or Pro Cup. The youngster will be pitted against a mixed grid of racers not only from the Junior and Pro Cups, but also the Legend category, which includes stars from the worlds of Formula One, Indy Car, rallying and DTM.
Throughout the season, the driver will receive guidance and advice from members of the Women in Motorsport Commission – most notably from karting and Formula 3 champion Cathy Muller – as well as the team at Volkswagen Motorsport.
The Volkswagen Scirocco R-Cup is the first single-make cup with natural gas technology, producing 80 per cent less CO2 emissions. The 2012 series takes in 10 European rounds.
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