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Caitlyn Jenner to head up women's racing team

39 replies

flyingbuttress43 · 09/02/2022 21:45

www.skysports.com/f1/news/30778/12536432/caitlyn-jenner-launches-jenner-racing-to-contest-in-third-season-of-w-series

I'm a Formula 1 fan and have distinctly mixed feelings about Caitlyn Jenner starting up Jenner Racing, becoming team principal and entering a team in the W series. The W series is an all female series providing an opening for more women to enter open wheeled racing and eventually a pathway through to Formula 1.

Jenner was previously a professional motor racer in the 80s after their time as a (male) Olympic decathalete so has some qualifications in the sport, though as a driver, not a principal.

But, for a series that is purely concentrated on getting females into formula motor racing - it includes female engineers, mechanics etc. and the CEO of the series is female - I confess to being irritated that even in this female sport we find a trans woman knuckling their way in.

W series features as support races in 8 of the upcoming 23 F1 race weekends this year, including Silverstone: it's covered by Channel 4 and is attracting increasing numbers of motor sport fans.

But guess whose face is going to get plenty of that publicity in 2022? Yet another inroad from trans women into female sport. Jenner is not driving and, to be fair, is on record as stating trans women should not compete against females in sports such as athletics, but does Jenner really have to knuckle their way into an area where the sport is a shop window for women racers to make their way in what is still overwhelmingly a man's world?

Maybe one could argue that they are supporting female racers and increasing their profile, but it still annoys the hell out of me.

OP posts:
jellyfrizz · 10/02/2022 09:35

@Crimesean

I think it's great, actually - Caitlyn has come out in support of women's sport being for biological females. There's nothing wrong with her heading the team - she's putting a ton of money into it, and is only having female drivers. Good on her.
I agree with this being a good thing - if it is going to be a female team.

Excuse my ignorance here but is there anything physically that prevents women from being as good as men at F1? (I know there are plenty of cultural disincentives).

I’m wondering if this is a way of finding a way to have a women’s team where it could be argued that trans women don’t have a physical advantage and so should be allowed to take part at some point in the future.

jellyfrizz · 10/02/2022 09:06

Do you realise how hurtful that sort of comment can be to biological women who have large hands? An unnecessary comment I think.

I have never heard a biological woman being upset at having large hands. It’s very useful in netball.

vivariumvivariumsvivaria · 10/02/2022 08:55

@blingblangbling - no, I think that's a bit of a reach.

I'm willing to bet that no female person has hands as big as CJs unless they have a pituitary gland disorder.

Crimesean · 10/02/2022 08:26

I think it's great, actually - Caitlyn has come out in support of women's sport being for biological females. There's nothing wrong with her heading the team - she's putting a ton of money into it, and is only having female drivers. Good on her.

CrappyXmasMarket · 10/02/2022 08:26

I don't see the problem with this - Caitlin isn't taking places away from women, she is supporting a women's team which I think is pretty admirable. Obviously we don't yet know who is going to be driving for the team, so there is that reservation, but I think Caitlin has a good record on supporting sport for women to remain sex based. So far anyway.

lucillelarusso · 10/02/2022 08:22

Jenner killed someone driving. They should not be in anyway involved in motorsports. www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat-34408467

blingblangbling · 10/02/2022 08:21

@vivariumvivariumsvivaria

Big knuckles, too.
Do you realise how hurtful that sort of comment can be to biological women who have large hands? An unnecessary comment I think.
namitynamechange · 10/02/2022 08:19

Yes, I think this is fine - its putting money INTO women's sport. Like if a man sponsored a woman's football team for example - there wouldn't (and shouldn't) be an issue anymore than there would be if it was the other way round e.g. Delia Smith co-owning Norwich.

Goatsaregreat · 10/02/2022 08:08

I heard an interview with Caitlin about this yesterday and she was very clear that women's sport must remain for biological women.

TeenPlusCat · 10/02/2022 07:18

Assuming anyone can own a team, I think is is OK, and even possibly positive.
I hadn't even heard of the women's series before you posted here. If CJ or any other random 'celebrity' owning a team brings it more publicity, that is good for the sport, isn't it?

VelvetChairGirl · 10/02/2022 07:10

Is it for supporting women tho? anyone can own a team.

vivariumvivariumsvivaria · 10/02/2022 03:20

Big knuckles, too.

Barbarantia · 10/02/2022 00:02

I'm seeing this through the eyes of my daughter. honestly when I was a kid, I swear I thought you needed to have a penis to get anywhere in life because without one you got nowhere. Welp. My daughter is going to think the same when she sees this going on. Males muscling in on things and getting away with it.

TabithaHazel · 09/02/2022 21:55

Is she planning to include only biological women or those who have surgically and chemically transitioned or is it going to basically open to any man in a frock?