Open Wheel — 24 July 2010


Courtesy of ESPN

EDMONTON, Alberta — On the first few laps of the first practice Friday, with fresh tires and almost no other drivers around her, IndyCar racer Milka Duno lost control of her car, smashed into the tire barrier and shredded her rear wing.

It gave fellow drivers more reasons to call for the Venezuelan racer to be expelled for a driving style they say is dangerous.

“She’s obviously not up to speed,” Danica Patrick said before Duno’s crash during practice for Sunday’s Honda Indy Edmonton.

Patrick said the problem is not so much Duno’s speed as the fact she doesn’t follow accepted practice and move over when she’s a lap down to let faster drivers get by.

“I’m not against having some different speeds up there, but she’s not as gracious about her position as maybe somebody else might be,” Patrick said.

Duno spun out again in the second practice session and finished last. Qualifying is scheduled for Saturday.

The 38-year-old driver for Dale Coyne Racing has been pulled by track officials from two races this year, including last week in Toronto, for driving so slowly she was deemed a hazard.

She has failed to crack the top 20 in any race this season, and was knocked out by contact in Brazil and Kansas. Now in her fourth year of the series, Duno has never finished higher than 14th. She is currently ranked 25th, 275 points behind leader Will Power with the lowest total among the full-time drivers.

IndyCar officials are expected to review Duno’s performance after the season and can remove her if warranted.

Series CEO Randy Bernard said last week it’s critical that all drivers meet a certain standard.

Duno is believed to bring in a critical amount of sponsorship revenue to the Dale Coyne operation, which is low-budget compared with series giants like Target Chip Ganassi and Penske. However, her erratic driving has led to flare-ups with competitors, including one with Patrick two years ago, and most recently with Ryan Hunter-Reay during qualifying at Watkins Glen, N.Y., three weeks ago.

Hunter-Reay, in a clip on YouTube, is seen confronting Duno in the pits, saying she wouldn’t allow him to pass during qualifying, costing him precious seconds.

“Wake up, man. Wake up,” Hunter-Reay is heard gently scolding her. “You just cost me a [qualifying] session. If you’re going to drive that slow you’ve got to [use] your mirrors. You have to.”

On Friday, Hunter-Reay said the showdown was the result of a year of frustration.

[News Source]

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  • rock manypears

    I would rather see Milka Duno push a grocery cart than Danica
    ride at 180 mph.