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There are very few Danica Patricks' going on..out there. Behind female racing is a man's business, and the way to get through I don't believe is concentrating on not challenging a man but by being the best race car driver you can be, and adding a bit of your elegance of your femininity. Sponsorship is very difficult, and many of the drivers I have associated, downplayed, and gave no credit to the Danica Patricks' out there. Which to me I thought funny until I found out the real reasons behind the scenes. I would have thought that they would have too, that they felt she open doors to more successful careers in racing. That adding your femininity and bit of glam every once in a while was a good thing! It was just the opposite, they said "they believed she made it more difficult because of her sexy displays; they were not thought as of serious by their male peers." I think I designed my collection for them to be strong, stated and yes feminine enough not to be intimating for them. Now, I am all about making points, but if your going for the bucks ladies, which keeps you in your car driving, which is what makes wins. Without sponsorship, and behind the wheel time your getting no where fast! Excuse the pun!
If, your going to compete you have to have wins which very few get an opportunity to do, even if they are great drivers. The sport is so expensive. It's one thing to have a dream, but it's another to create the atmosphere..to make those wins happen. That means financing! Racing is a expensive business over all, not just the driving time, but racing has been known to have it's prejudice in many different formats. Masculinity is not an attractive feature to get you sponsored say some of the fans, but a lot of them are afraid to show their femininity till much later in there careers, because they tell me "you just won't get the respect." I've spoken to a lot of people, men and women, with my time that I feel very honored being invited behind the track scenes. The public want to see a woman they can identify with, that's just plain ole' marketing. I truly believe that is a huge part of Danica's success. The line I created was in hope to assist the female racer in receiving that sponsorship from entities that you are not finding pasted all over their cars. Hoping to subtly assist her by promoting someone that is identifiable with the rest of the girls and women out there. A different Venue so to speak; that there is a reason why Macy's would carry the line, and sponsor you. Hoping to bridge this gap is a very difficult task, but as we are keeping our eye on the girl, she's keeping her eye on the track. I hope we all get a chance to capture the gold ring, and maybe RIBWear will be there to help them catch it.
