DRIVEN TO DRIVE

Danica Patrick

Danica Patrick suddenly became popular a few short years ago and no one is denying that this popularity hasn’t been good for the sport.  But once all the hoopla is put to one side, there is something refreshing about Danica Patrick.

It’s not just the fact that she’s a woman in a male dominated racing series or that she attracts a lot of attention.  It’s more to do with how she represents herself.  Patrick interviews well and tells it like it is.  It’s also refreshing to watch this young lady race.

But having said that, Patrick didn’t look particular happy this weekend. The “Streets of Toronto” do not look like the wide open expanse of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, nor do they resemble the rolling countryside of Watkins Glen.  From a driver’s point of view, Toronto is nothing but a narrow trough of Tarmac and concrete topped on either side with chain-linked fencing. This was probably not one of Patrick’s favourite venues, but nevertheless, she did what she had to do and she did it well.  She stayed out of trouble and drove consistently the way she always seems to do – a way that brings home consistent results.

At the end of the day Patrick had to have been pleased with her performance, having fought her way up through the ranks from 18th on the grid to fourth place before slipping back a couple of notches to finish in sixth position. Not bad when you consider she was about a second of the pace in qualifying and the track is narrow with little to no room for error.

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