Will at Is It May Yet? found a cool interactive thingy on the Wired site that indicates the kinds of training recommended for open-wheel drivers to keep in top physical condition. (Firewalking?) Check it out here, and be sure to note this this little exchange in the comments section.
Point: They have to be in good shape, but that doesn't make this an athletic sport. They are not making the car go fast, the engine is making the car go fast. The best driver, in the best shape, in the worst car will lose.
Counterpoint: That's like saying downhill skiing is not an athletic sport because gravity is doing all the work.
A Bad Way to Start the Month
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You were warned on Wednesday that this was coming. You just didn’t know
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6 hours ago
As a fomer downhill ski racer, i would disagree. DH skiing requires a lot more strength, power, and physical speed then car racing and these attributes are competitive advantages for participants. There is no way that a woman could compete with the men in a race even with equivalent technical skills, and intangibles such as guts and picking the right line etc... too small, too weak and not explosive enough.
In the last US nationals women and men skied the same course for the DH. Vonn, the world #1 women's skier would have come in 35th and 5seconds behind in the men's race, a huge margin, and even with the best US skiers not even competing, not to mention the austrians etc....