Women have been making inroads in sports car racing for decades, and finally, a female driver has won a major full-season North

Posted in IYH Forums by jokergreen0220 at 08:14, Feb 11 2020

Women have been making inroads in sports car racing for decades, and finally, a female driver has won a major full-season North American championship.Christina Nielsen did it this past weekend at Road Atlanta, where she and co-driver Alessandro Balzan captured the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar GT Daytona (GTD) title in the No. 63 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari. The pair entered the season-ending Petite LeMans with a 32-point lead, and Nielsen, a 24-year-old from Denmark, clinched her share of the title when she completed her mandatory three-hour drive time.Since IMSAs birth in 1969, several women have competed in and won races in the series, and Melanie Snow won the abridged, five-race American Le Mans Series GT Challenge (GTC) title in 1969. Other women who have won North America road racing titles in lesser series than Nielsens include Amy Ruman in the SCCA Trans Am Series in 2015 and Margie Smith-Haas in the SCCA Pro American Cities Racing League in 1994.Nielsens title is the first over a full season in a major series. The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and its four professional classes represent the premier form of sports car racing in North America.One of two women who competed full-time in IMSA this year, along with DeltaWing Prototype driver Katherine Legge, Nielsen won two races this season: the historic Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring in March and the Sahlens Six Hours of The Glen in July. On Monday, she spoke with espnW about her historic racing accomplishment.You missed the title by two points last year, while driving for The Racers Group (TRG). How much of a focus was it for you?to get it done?this year with Scuderia Corsa?Christina Nielsen: Lets just say we finished last season on the third of October, and it was on my mind the fourth of October. I wanted to go and have another shot at it. In 2015, honestly, I wasnt thinking about the championship. It was my third full season, and I just wanted to see what we could do, and then, suddenly, with a couple of rounds left, we were leading. This year, I knew we were going to be one of the contenders.Your Twitter feed is full of congratulatory posts. What has the reaction been like?CN: The fans have really been great. I really feel like people over here are positive and supportive. Secondly, this has been an amazing paddock to be part of. Like, [competitor] Andy Lally brought me a pair of Ferrari socks. It was a silly thing, but the fact he thought of me, like, Oh, Im going to give these to Christina as a little congrats for the championship meant a lot. And Andrew Davis, whom Ive been racing all year. I often qualified around the same spot as Andrew, so we started together a lot. Weve always had good, clean racing. And he messaged me and said, Congrats, and well done all season, and its been a pleasure to race you -- always hard but fair. It was a great bunch of guys to be surrounded by.What does this title mean for how far women have come in sports car racing?CNIm not always crazy about how much attention there is about the fact Im a female, even though -- Im not going to lie -- I do also use it because it allows me to get publicity for our sponsors and the people we work with. I do want to spread the message and say, Hey, women can compete with men on an equal level. We can compete with them and against them, and we can do well in a male-dominated world. Im not trying to get more females into racing in the sense of [recruiting] them because its either in your DNA or it isnt. But I do hope that if there are girls who want to do it, they can look at me and say, If she can do it, I can do it.Sebring was a great win. Was that your biggest accomplishment this season, prior to capturing the championship?CN: Yeah, I would say so. I was in the car when a thunderstorm hit, so I was the one out there when they kept saying, You need to come in and change tires, and Im like, No, Im fine. Im fine. But March seems so long ago. I really like some of these last races weve had because in March I still didnt know the guys as well, and as the season went by, I got to know them better, and everything meant more because I became very close to them and cared a lot for them. Wins are amazing, but we had seven podium [top-three] finishes. There are so many good memories to take away.You stepped it up with fitness this year. How and why?CN: I really worked hard the last couple of months because if they said to me over the radio, Christina, can you do three hours? I wanted to be like, Yup, you got it, boss. Ive been swimming a lot lately. I like it because I dont have the best knees, and it allows you to work with the same muscle groups that you use in the car. We recently started using the stairs in Santa Monica. I live in L.A., and its opened my mind to a lot of new ways to work out because there are so many possibilities with outdoor activities. I also work with a trainer at the gym in the building I live in. We work both the small muscle groups -- like the fingers and wrists -- and the larger muscle groups.Whats next for you? What are your racing aspirations?CNI think, as with most drivers, the dream, the goal, would be to get a factory contract one day. Im aiming for something like [IMSA] GT Le Mans. I think theres a pretty good chance Ill stick with Scuderia Corsa next year. Were working out some details, working hard to close the budget gap. I was very happy with them this year. Theyve done a great job, and theyre great people to hang out with. [Co-drivers] Jeff Segal and Alessandro Balzan are just not only good behind the wheel but also good people with good hearts. And so is our team owner, Giacomo Mattioli. I would like to be back in IMSA. I really like racing over here. Air Force 1 Low Homme Pas Cher . "Four now," Carl Gunnarsson told the Leaf Report proudly following a 5-2 victory over New York on Tuesday night, the clubs fifth straight at home. Site Nike Air Force 1 Pas Cher . -- Jakob Silfverberg is making himself right at home with the Anaheim Ducks, scoring four goals in his first four games. http://www.siteairforce1pascher.fr/air-force-1-07-soldes.html . Neymar curled home a free kick from just outside the area to put the 2014 World Cup host ahead in the 44th minute. Three minutes after the break, a simple through pass from Paulinho freed Oscar and the Chelsea star rounded goalkeeper Jung Sung-ryong to extend Brazils lead. Air Force 1 Low Femme Pas Cher . Cuban testified Thursday that he was upset when the companys CEO told him news that would reduce the value of his shares, for which hed paid $7.5 million. But he said he did nothing improper when he sold those shares over the next two days. Air Force 1 Shell Pas Cher . LOUIS -- Heading into the final stretch of the season, the issues for the Chicago Bears banged-up defence only seem to be getting worse. Max Whitlock won the bronze medal in the mens all-around gymnastics final at the Rio Olympic Park on Wednesday, adding to two earlier bronzes for Great Britain.Reigning champion Kohei Uchimura claimed a dramatic gold medal with a stunning final performance on the parallel bars to overhaul Ukraines Oleg Verniaiev, who took silver.Whitlock thrillingly fought off Chinas Chaopin Lin and Nikolai Kuksenkov of Russia to clinch his third Olympic bronze medal, after placing third in pommel and team in London.Earlier, Sally Conway held her nerve to become one of Britains most unlikely medallists in Rio.The 29-year-old judoka, based in Edinburgh, had never won a medal at world or European level prior to arriving in Brazil but chose the perfect time to make her big breakthrough.Conway beat Bernadette Graf of Austria in a tense bronze-medal contest in the -70kg category, securing victory with a single throw midway through the contest.Conway, who was knocked out at the last-16 stage in the same category at London 2012, raised her hands above her head in delight at the end.ddddddddddddShe said: Its amazing. Im so happy. I cant even put it into words.Britains third bronze medallist Steven Scott revealed the key role played by London 2012 mens double trap winner Peter Wilson in helping to put him on the Rio medal podium.Sussex-based Scott, 31, beat his Great Britain teammate Tim Kneale 30-28 in the double trap bronze medal match at Deodoro, with Fehaid Aldeehani winning and becoming the first athlete competing under the International Olympic Committee flag to capture gold.I was a bit cheeky after London, Scott explained. I said Pete, if you are thinking about retiring, pretty please ask [coach] Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum if he will work with me.He knew about me and the odd win here and there, and he said yes. I would be delighted. Without doubt, it was one of the biggest things towards this medal. ' ' '