Caitlyn Jenner to head up women's racing team

[flyingbuttress43]

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.

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?

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.

Big knuckles, too.

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

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?

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

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.

@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.

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

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.

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.

@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.

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.

@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 I think that the high G force load drivers are exposed to favours male physiology. Also things like strength to weight ratios but as shown by Rachael Blackmore in horse racing that doesn't mean it's not possible for women to compete with men.

@jellyfrizz

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.

And piano!

Yes, I wondered that - these days the cars are so technically advanced that having a smaller, lighter driver gives you a competitive advantage. Hamilton is 5'7" or 5'8" , and the shortest male driver is 5'2".

@IvyTwines

Yes, I wondered that - these days the cars are so technically advanced that having a smaller, lighter driver gives you a competitive advantage. Hamilton is 5'7" or 5'8" , and the shortest male driver is 5'2".

Small is definitely good in racing but as women have higher fat ratios and a different muscle structure (who knew it wasn't just about wearing lipstick and liking pink?) A 5'5" 8 stone woman isn't likely to have the same strength as a 5'5" 8 stone man. Things like neck muscles are under intense stress during racing.

I was surprised to discover how much physical strength F1 racing requires. And while I think the financial backing of motorsport (and many other sports) has bigger ethical issues than Caitlyn Jenner, who at least talks the right talk about transwomen in women's sports, I'd prefer it if she appointed a woman as the public face and hands-on manager of the team. It only takes the involvement of a few males to change the character of an "all women" sport completely.

Anyone can own a motorsports team, probably the other W series teams are owned by men.

Also male and female drivers can compete equally in motorsports. There have been 3 female F1 drivers in the past.

W series exists to promote women in the sport and hopes to promote some of their drivers into F1.

This is completely different to swimming and running where biology matters.

There have been 3 female F1 drivers in the past.

There have been five actually, but none in the last 45 years. There are M/F physiology differences that may favour males, the differences in male and female bodies don't just impact running and swimming.

I'm actually quite into this.
I see so many trans women campaigning on trans issues, but it is IME rarer to see them supporting women.
It appears that the series has previously been centrally run and now has allocated drivers to teams with strategic partners including Puma and other big brands (which will not all be run by women), presumably to bring in more money and promote growth. Jenner is I think acting as a partner, so is effectively providing a platform for women in the series rather than taking something from a woman.

I'm not sure I trust Caitlyn's definition of "woman".

[quote Runningupthecurtains]@jellyfrizz I think that the high G force load drivers are exposed to favours male physiology. Also things like strength to weight ratios but as shown by Rachael Blackmore in horse racing that doesn't mean it's not possible for women to compete with men.[/quote]
Women actually have a significant advantage in horse racing because they can build strength without becoming too heavy. It’s just the entrenched sexism of the sport that’s held women jockeys back historically.

There is also a trans woman in formula woman or whatever it's called. Discovered last week as this guy also had an article in the WI magazine
Ffs