Paddock wisdom estimates that 1 pound of weight is worth about a tenth of a second on a street course, where rapid acceleration and deceleration negate the kind of momentum that makes oval racing so fluid.
Danica Patrick, the series’ smallest driver at a reported 5-2, 100 pounds, criticized the weight rule for obvious reasons. Under the plan, drivers are split into five categories of undisclosed weight.
The three lightest classes are assigned ballast, up to 35 pounds, behind the seat; one class remains unaffected, and the last has weight removed.
Patrick’s main objection was that nothing was done to alleviate smaller drivers’ strength deficit, but the new variable-rate steering assist, which makes the wheel easier to turn the further it goes, should address that. Tampa Bay
IRL decided to divide drivers into weight classes, with the lightest being forced to carry ballast and the heaviest allowed to build their cars slightly lighter.
With drivers ranging from the petite Danika Patrick (100 lbs.) to 193-pound Justin Wilson, IRL had to devise a rule that would not penalize a driver while, at the same time, not giving an advantage to a driver.
The series’ lightest driver, Danica Patrick, is upset at the new rule. In her opinion she is being unfairly singled out noting that there are no weight or height regulations in football or basketball. “In so many other sports, athletes don’t get penalized for being too strong, or too tall or too fast … and that greater strength or size is a benefit in those sports,” she told. Epoch Times
Patrick is the smallest driver. Since she broke into the series in 2005 some drivers have argued she has unfair advantage because she weighs less—making the car lighter.
’’There’s no weight limit in football,’’ Patrick said. ``There’s no height limit in basketball. These are things that shouldn’t change. The rule has never been this way ever before.’‘ Miami Herald
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