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Danica Patrick can
make her mark this year. All she needs is the right
opportunity. The 19-year-old racing driver from Roscoe, Ill.,
has followed her dreams of being the nation's next female star
athlete.
 After winning
three Grand National go-kart championships before age 16, the
petite brunette made the unlikely leap into the highly
competitive European racing circuit. And within two years, she
had stunned the critical British racing community.
In 2000, the
18-year-old finished second in the world-renowned Formula Ford
Festival, an event that has produced Formula One World
Champions like Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Damon Hill.
Patrick had competed against and defeated more experienced
drivers with much more financial support.
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About
Danica |
BORN: March 25,
1982
HOMETOWN: Roscoe, Illinois
HEIGHT: 5" 1" Weight: 100
FAMILY: Parents, T.J. and Bev Sister, Brooke
EYES: Brown HAIR: Brown |
Now the personable
driver returns to her home country with the same
determination, seeking a path that can lead her to the top of
the racing ladder, Championship Indy cars.
Already in her
return to the United States, Danica has tested impressively in
a variety of racing machines including the small midget oval
cars, the powerful sports cars and the technically advanced
Formula Atlantic open-wheelers.
"I've come back to
race in the United States after learning a lot about racing in
England," said Patrick, who hopes to compete in several racing
divisions in 2002. "I would have liked to stay in Europe and
compete on the Formula Three series but I didn't have the
finances to get a competitive ride. It isn't worth racing over
there if you don't have the best machinery. And that takes a
lot of money.
I think I have the
abilities to compete there though." Patrick also believes she
has the abilities to advance in the United States too. Now
it's just a matter of the proper opportunity to catapult the
attractive teenager into the racing limelight.
"I've had some
good test runs over the winter and I think I have proven
myself in several different kinds of cars," said Patrick. "I
just hope the usual things like me being a woman don't get in
the way for me. I've shown I can beat anybody with the proper
equipment. I just need the chance." Patrick has been one of
the brightest young stars in motorsports since she began
racing go-karts at age 10. But now at 19, Danica is ready for
that next step, a major auto racing series.
"I have the racing
background and experience to move up to the next levels of the
sport," said Patrick. "I haven't raced in the United States
for the past few years so my face and name haven't been in
front of a lot of team owners. But people like Bobby Rahal and
the Ford people have kept up with my career and they are
helping me get my foot into some doors. Now, I just want to
get through those doors and into the driver's seat. I believe
I can do the job." If she gets that chance, don't be surprised
to see another star female on the track and on the winner's
podium.
Ready to step
into racing limelight
Danica Patrick is
ready to become this country's next woman sports star. But
unlike the Williams Sisters in tennis, Lisa Leslie in
basketball and Mia Hamm in soccer, the feisty 19-year-old from
Illinois wants to make her mark in a male-dominated sport -
auto racing.
 Patrick, at
five-foot-one and 100 pounds, doesn't possess the size that
most female athletes would be associated with sports. But one
handshake from the personable brunette and no one doubts her
strength and determination behind the wheel of a racing
machine.
Fighting in a
man's sport can be a difficult chore but Patrick knows she
must battle all of the stereotypes outside of her racing
vehicle.
However, inside
the car, Danica believes everything is equal for a man and a
woman.
"You get some
people with silly opinions," she explains. "But they are just
playing mind-games and trying to psych you out. Basically,
when you've been in the sport for the length of time I have
you learn not to take everything so seriously and just get on
with what you have to do as a driver." Following the likes of
women drivers like Shirley Muldowney, Janet Guthrie and Lyn
St. James, Patrick does have an advantage. She started racing
well before the most famous female racers.
Jumping into the
fast lane of motorsports at age 10, Patrick learned that
racing wasn't easy.
 "In my first race
in go-karts, I was lapped within six laps by the competition,"
she said. "I knew I would have to concentrate, improve and be
determined. But racing is something I wanted to do once I
drove that kart for the first time." And that determination
and drive hasn't changed.
By age 12, Patrick
had won her first Grand National championship in karting and
went on to win two more titles and ten regional crowns before
making the switch from go-karts to formula cars.
"My family is 110%
supportive of what I do," said Patrick, whose parents, T.J. and Bev, also
raced prior to Danica's involvement. "They would be crushed as
I would if I didn't make it as a racing driver." And Patrick's
family decided that the jump from karts to cars also meant a
move to England.
"If you want to be
the best lawyer, you go to Harvard," said Bev Patrick,
Danica's mother. "If you want to be the best driver, you go to
England."
"If you want to be
the best lawyer, you go to Harvard," said Bev Patrick,
Danica's mother. "If you want to be the best driver, you go to
England." So after gaining her GED in high school, Danica, at
age 16, moved to England to pursue her racing craft. No young
American driver had ever produced solid performances in the
tough British formula car ranks.
But a young
American woman? The odds were stacked against Danica from the
start.
However, this
little dynamo wasn't about to give up.
"Running my first
lap in England was such a thrill," said Patrick. "Because I
knew it was a big step and the beginning of my future." After
a brief run in the Formula Vauxhall Winter Series in 1998,
Patrick came back to compete for a full season in 1999 and
placed ninth in the final point standings, a major
accomplishment for a young British male driver. But for a
young American girl, Danica's performance opened many eyes
throughout the European racing community.
And Patrick knew
her chances to advance in formula racing were the same as the
next young male driver.
"It's nothing
different for me than for a guy," she explains. "You need
talent, luck, commitment, perseverance and a lot of money."
 It
sounds like any other young athlete. But Danica immediately
proved that she had the talent.
In 2000, she moved
from the Formula Vauxhall series to the highly-competitive
British Zetek Formula Ford Series, widely-known as one of the
toughest racing series in the world.
"I knew if I was
going to reach goals like Formula One or CART Champ Cars I
needed to race in British Formula Ford," she said. "The series
has some of the best wheel-to-wheel racing in the world. I
knew I would improve my skills by racing in that series."
Patrick had a
steep learning curve in her first Formula Ford races but
driving for Andy Welch Racing assisting her training.
"It was a good
year and it taught me a lot," she says. "We didn't have the
results we wanted but the final race made up for it." In the
biggest race of the year, the Formula Ford Festival, Patrick
turned in one of the most memorable performances in the
event's long history.
Starting ninth and
the only woman in the 28-driver lineup on the famed Brands
Hatch road course near London, Danica sliced her way to the
front of the field and missed victory by just half of a
second.
Her second place
finish was the highest by a female in the Festival's history
and matched the best score ever by an American driver. Only
Indy 500 winner and CART champion Danny Sullivan had equaled
Patrick's runner-up finish back in 1974.
"A lot of people
said it was the surprise result of the event," explained
Patrick. "But I almost expected it after making a lot of
progress during the year and driving so well over that
weekend. I think it was a bit of a relief rather than
anything." Now Patrick is seeking another opportunity to show
her talent and determination back in her home country in 2001.
Her goal is to race in the tough Toyota Atlantic series before
moving into Champ Cars.
Patrick recently
won the Gorsline Scholarship Award for the top upcoming young
driver in road racing in the United States.
"You've got to
take every opportunity when it comes along," she admits, "and
never turn anything down." So Patrick is back in the U.S. and
ready to show her stuff on the track.
"In a sport of
speed, driving to win depends on a series of split-second
choices," she says. "After racing in Europe, I received a lot
of experience that can help me get to the top of the sport. I
just need the chance to show my abilities."
A women in the
fast lane
Danica Patrick
isn't the basic 19-year-old woman.
 The Roscoe, Ill.,
teenager has experienced more in her young life than the
average woman would in a lifetime.
The attractive
5-foot-1, 100-pounder battles in a man's world with amazing
success and shows the determination to become one of the
nation's brightest sports stars.
Patrick is one of the nation's best young auto racers.
She is a woman
taking on men in wheel-to-wheel competition at speeds over 170
miles per hour and winning.
This personable
lady doesn't back away from the male-dominated racing sport.
In fact, she thrives at the competition.
"Racing gives me a
sense of accomplishment," says Patrick, who began race
go-karts at age 10. "It demands the best from me. When I come
off the track, people are surprised. They don't think a girl
can do this (racing). I prove them wrong." For Danica, she has
proved them wrong on racing facilities around North America
and Europe.
At age 12, she
captured the Grand National karting championship and added
multiple titles at ages 14 and 15. Patrick won three national
point championships and ten regional crowns in her six years
of karting.
By age 16, Patrick
made a dramatic decision to move from karts to cars and also
relocate to England.
"If you want to be
the best lawyer, you go to Harvard," said Patrick. "If you
want to be the best race car driver, you go to England." No
young American had been successful as a teenager racing
against the likes of the tough British Formula ranks, let
alone a woman. But Danica changed all that.
"Being a girl
makes no difference and I don't want to be treated any
differently although it does give you a little more reason to
fight harder when you hear certain comments," Patrick said.
"In this sport you can never rule anything out. Most of the
guys treat me like one of them which is exactly how it should
be.
But I know it must
really get to them when they're beaten by a girl." And that
has been the case since her first racing season.
So she made the
big jump across the Atlantic and entered the Formula Vauxhall
Winter Series in 1998. The following year became the top woman
competitor with a ninth place finish in the series' final
points.
In 2000, Patrick
advanced to the most-competitive preliminary racing series in
the world, the Zetek Formula Ford Championship in England. She
also competed in the European Formula Ford Series and was a
test driver for Mygale factory team as part of Haywood Racing.
But this
aggressive young woman from the United States made a mark
later than season that is still being talked about in British
racing circles.
 The toughest competition in British road racing, the Formula
Ford Festival, had produced some of the legends of Formula One
racing over the years with the likes of Nigel Mansell, Alain
Prost and Damon Hill.
Patrick was the lone woman in the Formula Ford Festival
championship race after some scintillating drives in the
preliminary heat races and semi-finals.
Starting ninth in the 28-driver finale, Danica became the
first woman to finish on the Festival winner's podium with a
sensational runner-up placing on the legendary Brands Hatch
road circuit.
She made daring passes and took advantage of others' mistakes
to finish just half of a second from winner Anthony Davidson
and stunned the international media in attendance.
Patrick's second place matched the best finish ever by an
American driver in the European championship, set by former
Indy 500 winner and CART champion Danny Sullivan in 1974.
The remarkable finish for Patrick in such an influential event
gave Danica worldwide attention including letters and phone
calls from Formula One president Bernie Ecclestone, CART
interim president and three-time series champion Bobby Rahal
and McLaren Racing's Ron Dennis.
In the United States, Patrick was the first recipient of the
Kara Hendrick Racing Scholarship Award and participated in the
Lyn St. James Driver Development Program in Indianapolis.
 In addition, Danica's impressive on and off track performances
have created a number of media opportunities, both in motor
racing and outside of the sport. Media outlets such as ABC-TV,
MTV and Sports Illustrated have followed Patrick's endeavors
over the past few years and continue to watch her path towards
the top of the auto racing world.
Now, Patrick hopes to return to the United States and compete
in the top development series in road racing, Toyota Formula
Atlantic, in hopes of advancing to her goal of CART
Championship cars or even Formula One.
Career Highlights
2 0 0 1
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 Won Gorsline
Scholarship Award for top upcoming road racing driver
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Top woman
open-wheel driver at age 19 with international experience
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Competed in
England in the very-competitive Zetek Formula Ford
Championship
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After three years
in England, returns to U.S in search of a top open-wheel ride
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Has successful
test runs in USAC Midget, Formula Atlantic and Sports cars
2 0 0 0
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 Finished 2nd in
the Formula Ford Festival in England, highest American
finisher ever, tied Danny Sullivan's result in 1974; Top woman
finisher in race's history
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Drove for Haywood
Racing in Zetek Formula Ford Championship in England
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Competed in
Formula Ford European Series
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Lead test driver
for Mygale Factory Team, Haywood Racing
1 9 9 9
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Finished 9th in
the Formula Vauxhall Championship in England, her first full
season in the UK
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Top woman in the
Formula Vauxhall Championship
1 9 9 8
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At age 16,
competed in the England Formula Vauxhall Winter Series
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Drove in a limited
karting schedule, attended Formula Ford racing school
1 9 9 7
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Won WKA (World
Karting Association) Grand National championship, HPV class
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Won WKA Grand
National championship in Yamaha Lite class
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Won WKA Summer
National championship in Yamaha Lite class
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Finished 10th in
Elf Constructors Championship in Formula A
1 9 9 6
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Won WKA
Manufacturers Cup National Points title, Yamaha Junior
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Won WKA
Manufacturers Cup National Points title, Yamaha Restricted
Junior
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Runner-up for WKA
Manufacturers Cup National Points title, HPV 100 Junior
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Won WKA Great
Lakes Sprint Series title, Yamaha Junior
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Won WKA Great
Lakes Sprint Series title, Yamaha Restricted Junior
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Won WKA Midwest
Sprint Series title, Yamaha Junior
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Won WKA Midwest
Sprint Series title, Yamaha Restricted Junior
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Won WKA Midwest
Sprint Series title, HPV 100 Junior
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Won WKA Grand
National Championship, Yamaha Restricted Junior
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Won IKF Division 7
event, Willow Springs, Calif., Yamaha Junior
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2nd in IKF Grand
Nationals, Yamaha Junior
1 9 9 5
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Won North American
Championships, Yamaha Junior
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Won WKA Great
Lakes Sprint Series, Yamaha Restricted Junior
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Won WKA Great
Lakes Sprint Series, US 820 Junior
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2nd Place, WKA
Manufacturers Cup National Points, Yamaha Junior
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2nd Place, WKA
Manufacturers Cup National Points, Yamaha Restricted Junior
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2nd Place, WKA
Manufacturers Cup National Points, US 820 Junior
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2nd Place, WKA
Great Lakes Sprint Series, Yamaha Junior
1 9 9 4
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Won WKA Grand
National Championship, Yamaha Sportsman
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Won WKA
Manufacturers Cup National Points, Yamaha Sportsman
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2nd Place, WKA
Manufacturers Cup National Points, US 820 Junior
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Won WKA Great
Lakes Sprint Series, Yamaha Sportsman
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Won WKA Great
Lakes Sprint Series, US 820 Junior
1 9 9 3
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 2nd Place, WKA
Midwest Sprint Series, Yamaha Sportsman
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2nd Place, WKA
Midwest Sprint Series, US 820 Sportsman
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4th Place, WKA
Manufacturers Cup National Points, Yamaha Sportsman
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Won MRP Race
Series, US 820 Sportsman
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2nd Place, MRP
Race Series, Yamaha Sportsman
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Set two track
records in one day in MRP Race, Buchanan, Mich
1 9 9 2
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At age 10, began
racing go-karts at Sugar River Raceway, Broadhead, Wis
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In her first race,
she was lapped in six laps
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In the 22-race
series, finished second in the final points, out of 20 drivers
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Ricardo González
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