Indy 500 Report: Danica is HOT

[sunburnwilly]

Michael Schumacher reportedly earned 80 million a year from Ferrari

Schumacher's salary from Ferrari his last year there was 36 million , the other 44 came from endorsements . Still , can anyone here fathom getting paid 36 million a year to drive the absolute best piece of machinary to come out of the Ferrari factory ?

Anyone ?

[Islander]

Sure, driving Ferrari's greatest effort very fast on the track sounds like fun, but keep in mind that racing means driving faster than you want to, in order to stay ahead of the other guys. Racing is fun, but a lot of the time on the track is more exciting than you really want it to be. He earns that money.

[Islander]

It appears that Danica Patrick's 3rd place in the 500 makes her the top American finisher, since Helio Castroneves is Brazilian and Dan Wheldon is British. Pretty good for a girl.

[sunburnwilly]

Sure, driving Ferrari's greatest effort very fast on the track sounds like fun, but keep in mind that racing means driving faster than you want to, in order to stay ahead of the other guys. Racing is fun, but a lot of the time on the track is more exciting than you really want it to be. He earns that money.

Point taken for most drivers but it doesn't apply to Schumacher . Have you ever seen an interview with him where he complained about the action on the track being too fast or exciting ? Michael allways wanted to go faster and was allways pumped ! Heck look at the podium shots of him , he allways looked fresh where as the other 2 drivers were beat and sweating profusely .

[sunburnwilly]

Back on topic . Sure , Danica is a pretty girl but as far as hottness goes Ashley Force is on fire ! Sometimes litterally .

[Hifi jim]

You're just not getting it.  Danica is using an image of her face and body, because it works.  "Using her body" implies something quite different and I'm sure she worried that some viewers would have that attitude.  If male drivers could make money by taking their shirts off, don't you think they'd do it in an instant?  Male drivers aren't standing on some kind of moral higher ground, they just know they'd look foolish.  That's the way of the world today.

All the pinup shots in the world won't put Danica on the front row at any race.  She's had to earn her results the same way as any other driver:  by determination and skill, backed up by good equipment and a good team.

I get your point, but I think you're missing mine. If she never posed in Sports Illustrated, or some of the other photo shoots, if she never made the racy Go Daddy TV ads, she would not be a household name. That's not to take away from her driving ability or success, but it's the simple fact that more successful Indy drivers are simply not known as well as she. Dario is probably better known as Mr. Ashley Judd. Are they less marketable? Yes, a pretty face is very marketable, but a nice body even more so. That is the line she crossed. There are plenty of handsome and fit drivers in Indy and NASCAR, fortunately I don't those males posing shirtless for photo shoots or TV ads. In my eyes, she is a sellout looking to promote herself the best she can, and what better place than NASCAR? If she does land a spot in NASCAR, it will be because of her self promotion and not because of the racing experience that she lacks compared to all other NASCAR drivers. I think you're somehow under the impression that I'm opposed to females in racing. That's not the case. The many other female racers are almost unheard of because they do not market themselves the way Danica does. That's the only problem I have with her as a racer.

[Hifi jim]

Schumacher's salary from Ferrari his last year there was 36 million , the other 44 came from endorsements .

In 2004, it was reported that Schumacher received an 80 million dollar salary from Ferrari. No matter, as you say that is a ton of money for a very thrilling job.

[Hifi jim]

Back on topic . Sure , Danica is a pretty girl but as far as hottness goes Ashley Force is on fire ! Sometimes litterally .

 

Notice, both Milka and Ashley are in their race suits... not swim suits!

[sunburnwilly]

There are plenty of handsome and fit drivers in Indy and NASCAR, fortunately I don't those males posing shirtless for photo shoots or TV ads.

Carl Edwards does . GQ , Esquire , Vanity Fair , Health and Fitness , etc. etc.

[Hifi jim]

There are plenty of handsome and fit drivers in Indy and NASCAR, fortunately I don't those males posing shirtless for photo shoots or TV ads.

Carl Edwards does . GQ , Esquire , Vanity Fair , Health and Fitness , etc. etc.

As I said, fortunately I haven't seen those photos. [] I do remember him on the cover of Health and Fitness though, so I stand corrected. Carl, you sellout! []

[Travis In Austin]

Michael Schumacher reportedly earned 80 million a year from Ferrari

Schumacher's salary from Ferrari his last year there was 36 million , the other 44 came from endorsements . Still , can anyone here fathom getting paid 36 million a year to drive the absolute best piece of machinary to come out of the Ferrari factory ?

Anyone ?

Here is this year's current salaries, this is the base figure they make and does NOT include bonus, incentivies or endorsements.

1: Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari, US$51 million
2: Ralf Schumacher, Toyota, US$25 million.
3: Fernando Alonso, McLaren, US$22 million.
4: Jenson Button, Honda, US$18 million.
5: Rubens Barrichello, Honda, US$12 million.
6: Jarno Trulli, Toyota, US$10 million.
7: Felipe Massa, Ferrari, US$8 million.
8: Giancarlo Fisichella, Renault, US$7 million.
9: Mark Webber, Red Bull, US$5 million.
10. Takuma Sato, Super Aguri, US$4.5 million.

Travis

[Islander]

Yes, a pretty face is very marketable, but a nice body even more so. That is the line she crossed. There are plenty of handsome and fit drivers in Indy and NASCAR, fortunately I don't those males posing shirtless for photo shoots or TV ads. In my eyes, she is a sellout looking to promote herself the best she can, and what better place than NASCAR? If she does land a spot in NASCAR, it will be because of her self promotion and not because of the racing experience that she lacks compared to all other NASCAR drivers.

I think this is a line that exists in your opinion. I haven't seen the other pictures that have been referred to, but the ones shown in this post don't seem overly salacious. Most of the top racers promote themselves one way or another and this seems like an effective way for her to promote herself, although it seems to have offended a certain minority of race fans. Well, one fan in any case.

Is there a lot of money in NASCAR? I haven't been following any of Danica's discussions or interviews. One would think that a successful open-wheel racer would set her sights on the real thing, Formula 1.

[Islander]

After all those references to the GoDaddy ads, I looked them up to see what all the fuss was about. To me, they're silly and funny and probably just what the intended audience wants to see. The shower one is funny without being rude, but had me guessing a bit where it would go. Isn't that what a video or advertisement should do?

[Hifi jim]

I think this is a line that exists in your opinion.  I haven't seen the other pictures that have been referred to, but the ones shown in this post don't seem overly salacious.  Most of the top racers promote themselves one way or another and this seems like an effective way for her to promote herself, although it seems to have offended a certain minority of race fans.  Well, one fan in any case.

As I said earlier, it is only my opinion. It is however, the opinion of many in the racing community as well. It is certainly a way to promote herself, but again I take issue when she gets upset when reporters ask her about it. Either don't do it, or be prepared to talk about it.

Is there a lot of money in NASCAR?  I haven't been following any of Danica's discussions or interviews.  One would think that a successful open-wheel racer would set her sights on the real thing, Formula 1.

There is certainly a lot money to be made in NASCAR, and unlike F1 it is less dependent on the success of the driver and more on their marketability. Danica has tested for a Honda F1 team, but Honda pulled out of F1 racing soon after that experiment started. Not sure what you mean by the "real thing" though?

[sunburnwilly]

Here is this year's current salaries, this is the base figure they make and does NOT include bonus, incentivies or endorsements.

1: Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari, US$51 million
2: Ralf Schumacher, Toyota, US$25 million.
3: Fernando Alonso, McLaren, US$22 million.
4: Jenson Button, Honda, US$18 million.
5: Rubens Barrichello, Honda, US$12 million.
6: Jarno Trulli, Toyota, US$10 million.
7: Felipe Massa, Ferrari, US$8 million.
8: Giancarlo Fisichella, Renault, US$7 million.
9: Mark Webber, Red Bull, US$5 million.
10. Takuma Sato, Super Aguri, US$4.5 million.

Travis

That would be from 2 years ago . The driver line ups and teams have changed ; Ralph hasn't driven in 2 years and Honda and Super Aguri are no more . I've been searching the net for the 2009 season saleries with no luck .

[sunburnwilly]

Not sure what you mean by the "real thing" though?

Not to get inbetween you and Islanders discussion but since the topic is one that I am passionate about as well . F1 is the most technically advanced , prestigous and expensive auto racing in the world . That's not to say it is the best racing by any means . In F1 it is all about who has the right car at the right moment . Look at Jenson Button , who you ask ? He has won 5 out of the 6 races this year . Parity F1 is not .

[Travis In Austin]

Not sure what you mean by the "real thing" though?

Not to get inbetween you and Islanders discussion but since the topic is one that I am passionate about as well . F1 is the most technically advanced , prestigous and expensive auto racing in the world . That's not to say it is the best racing by any means . In F1 it is all about who has the right car at the right moment . Look at Jenson Button , who you ask ? He has won 5 out of the 6 races this year . Parity F1 is not .

I agree with you 100 percent on that. Did you see the interview with the president of F1 during the Monte Carlo GP? Said a bunch of changes are going to have to be made with the financial problems in auto industry. He said a number of changes are going to have to come, they are going to lose a couple of teams, but they are gaining a couple of new teams.

The thing about F1 is they also allow for major changes at certain points during the season,, which they are allowed to implement, called packages. The hope being that a constructor can't have such a huge advantage, but it really hasn't worked. Right now Ferrari is really hoping their new package is going to make enough improvement for them to start winning.

The Button story is incredible.

Travis

[Islander]

Not sure what you mean by the "real thing" though?

I just said that to tease you a bit if you are a NASCAR fan. NASCAR does provide very tight racing, as opposed to the parades that sometimes occur in F1, very high speed parades though they might be. However, F1 has the most advanced cars and possibly the best drivers, while the NASCAR machines are basically identical in terms of chassis and running gear (in the interest of safety, with the very high average speeds and frequent crashes), with only the engines and body styles varying between cars.

NASCAR uses street-based 5.9 litre V-8 engines, while F1 engines are 2.4 litre V-8s that produce about the same power, but spin up to around 18,000rpm and are built from scratch as racing engines. A number of the F1 features actually find their way to production cars, like engine management systems, but not much NASCAR tech makes it to the street.

Formula 1 sees far more innovations than probably any other type of car racing, has really big money in play, has world-class drivers and is popular all over the world, making it truly international, rather than a class that's very popular in one country.

[Hifi jim]

F1 is the most technically advanced , prestigous and expensive auto racing in the world . That's not to say it is the best racing by any means . In F1 it is all about who has the right car at the right moment .

F1 is definitely among the most technically advanced racing, but consider this: the engines produce about 780hp from a V-8 @ 2.4 liters, spinning at 19,000 rpms. A Sprint Cup car makes 850hp from a pushrod V-8 limited to 5.8 liters and spinning at 9,000 rpm. Which is more of a technological marvel? An F1 car can produce 5g's in a corner, but it weighs half as much as a Cup car and has twice as much tire, and much more aerodynamic downforce. Both race series have produced technical innovations that have been implemented in current production cars. Both series have spawned and even shared drivers of great recognition. F1 more prestigious? I think it may be generally accepted as such, but it may also depend on who you ask. Many American born racers see Sprint Cup racing as the pinnacle of car racing, simply because interest in open wheel racing in the US has steadily declined while NASCAR continues to grow. NASCAR holds 17 of the top 20 attended sporting events in the US. The rules of NASCAR vary little from year to year, and the cars are very similar in design and performance. This coupled with extensive TV coverage allows fans great insight. The cars certainly win the race, but the drivers part is larger than in F1, where as you say "it is all about who has the right car at the moment". Expensive? F1 no doubt is the most expensive racing in the world. Cup teams spend about 15-20 million a year, and F1 teams spend 10-20 TIMES that amount! Some F1 drivers earn more in salary than many Cup teams shell out in a season. I guess it comes down to individual preferences, and while I love all forms of auto racing (except drift racing), the accessibility of NASCAR here in the US is tough to beat. I remember when F1 races were shown on ABC in the late seventies and early eighties, but sadly those times have past, so have many of the circuits in North America. Further, I like the "limitations" of a pushrod engine and 4 barrel carb, with the 4 on the floor. What the engineers and teams can do within those parameters is what I find most astonishing. And of course, I wouldn't be a NASCAR fan if I didn't enjoy watching the drivers trade paint, and draft down the straightaways. Exciting for sure.

[Islander]

I guess it comes down to individual preferences, and while I love all forms of auto racing (except drift racing), the accessibility of NASCAR here in the US is tough to beat. I remember when F1 races were shown on ABC in the late seventies and early eighties, but sadly those times have past, so have many of the circuits in North America.

Drift "racing" is to real racing as free-style ski competition is to downhill racing. Sure, it's competitive and requires skill, but style comes before speed, so can it really be called "racing"?

Don't you get F1 on TV anymore? All the races are covered here, on Speed Channel or The Sports Network (TSN). We get all the MotoGP races, too.

I agree that NASCAR machines perform really well with their limitations, as you put it, but it's also fun to see what kind of racing less restrictive rules can provide.