Hellooooooo, Carmen Jorda

This just in from Firestone Indy Lights land ... Carmen Jorda of Spain.

Let's just say Carmen isn't afraid to work it for the cameras. Check her www.carmenjorda for evidence of a Danica-esque marketing approach.

pressdog.com loves the ladies, so here' the unGoogled news release from Walker Racing:

For Immediate Release

Walker Racing Tests Carmen Jorda At Sebring in Indy Lights Car

Indianapolis, IN (January 20, 2010)- Walker Racing dusted off its Indy Lights car and hit the track yesterday at Sebring International Raceway. The Indianapolis-based squad completed a very successful one-day test with newcomer, Spanish driver, Carmen Jorda.

The 21 year-old made her debut in America yesterday, as she tested the Walker Racing Indy Lights car for the first time. Jorda comes to the U.S.-based open-wheel category after spending the majority of her career in Europe. She started racing in 2000 in the Valencian Community Championship where she would work her way up the open-wheel ladder.

In 2007, Jorda claimed three podiums at Albacete, Magny Cours, and Jerez on her way to finish fourth in the Classified Spanish F3 Championship. She would continue competing in the Classified Spanish F3 Championship for 2008 before moving up to the European Open F3 and Le Mans Series for 2009.

Jorda quickly got acclimated to the car and enjoyed it right away. “I really liked it! At first I thought it would be harder for me to adjust, the car is bigger, I don't know why, but it does, so I thought it would be much more difficult, but really it wasn’t much difference from what I’m used to driving and I enjoyed it a lot," commented Jorda.

On hand to help was friend IndyCar driver, EJ Viso , who was able to offer a little bit of advice for Jorda’s first test. “He was good. he really (EJ) helped me a lot, so I am very happy he came,” said Jorda.

“It was great to be back at the track again, especially now that the 2010 season is officially underway. We still have a lot to do in getting things finalized for this season’s team line up. Yesterday was a good day for Carmen to come over and sample an Indy Lights car. Our plan is two have a two-car team and certainly we would like Carmen to be one of them. It was a good full day for Carmen and the weather was just right to get a full days test in. Carmen did really well considering she has never stepped into an Indy Lights car, so all in all, the team gave her what she needed and she was able to concentrate on just driving. Having EJ Viso on hand was very helpful to take time and come up from Miami to give Carmen some coaching tips. The next step is an oval test, probably Homestead," stated Derrick Walker, Walker Racing owner.

Walker Racing has kicked it into full gear as they prepare for the 2010 season. The team has been feverishly developing its Indy Lights program and working on projects away from racing. Walker Racing plans on running at least a two full season Indy Lights entries to debut on track for the first race of the season in St. Petersburg. For more updates on the team, please visit www.walkerracing.com.

Comments

[Roy Hobbson]

Oh, hey there, Carmen.

/wipes Cheeto dust off mouth
//sucks in gut

Welcome to the IndyCar blogdome. We're all pretty awesome here. And we're all kind of a big deal. Except Will McCarty.

[Trick Dickle]

Pretty soon, we will be all saying...

"Remember back in the old days, when there were actually more men racing Indy Cars then women".

This women's racing credentials, scream Milka Duno.

[Edward]

Trick, it's WOMAN, not WOMEN'S, which to me immediately discredits your statement entirely.

I say, give Carmen a chance, and yes, I am primarily saying that because she's hot. Frankly, anyone that can remove attention away from-well, you know-is a good thing. I am interested to see how she does. And remember, it's Derrick Walker's team, not yours, so your views clearly aren't shared by everyone.

[The Speedgeek]

Trick, she's headed for Indy LIGHTS, not IndyCar. There's your main difference. If she proves she's got the chops there, then we'll see about her getting in the big cars. Milka, on the other hand, skipped from Barber Dodge to playing a minor supporting role on a couple GrandAm teams before getting in the big cars, i.e. no oval experience whatsoever and questionable road racing skills. This is not an announcement that she's the new Ganassi #3, she's just looking like a mid-packer Lights driver. And really, did Pippa or Bia resonante at all before they tried out the Lights cars?

[Trick Dickle]

"I say, give Carmen a chance, and yes, I am primarily saying that because she's hot."

That is what goes for being "qualified" in today's Indy Car world.

Somehow, I don't think AJ, Bobby, Al and Gordy got into Indy Cars because of their "hotness" or how they "photograph".

She is here with Walker for one reason and one reason only....the check she is writing. Wouldn't matter if she looked like Aunt Jemima.

[The Speedgeek]

Trick, it is not 1972 anymore. I defy you to find me more than a handful of drivers in ANY open wheel series anywhere in the world outside of IndyCar or F1 that isn't there at least partly because of a checkbook. F1 has about 15 paid drivers. IndyCar has maybe 6. Lights has basically 0. Even the likes of JR Hildebrand and Rafa Matos probably only broke even for their championship seasons, due to AFS footing their bills. Sebastian Saavedra? Brought money. James Davison? Brought money. Cunningham, Hinchcliffe, Herrington? Brought money. It's the minor leagues. That's how it works. What happens if Derrick Walker tells Carmen to take her check and beat feet? What happens is that that car is probably parked for the year. Or, they find somebody else with a check.

This is how it works. If Bobby Santos or Brad Kuhn or Cole Whitt go out and find the sponsorship dollars, then they can have the ride and get in front of Chip's and Roger's eyeballs. Until then, they toil in the dirt until some NASCAR talent scout finds them. Good, bad or indifferent, this is auto racing in 2010.

[Trick Dickle]

"If Bobby Santos or Brad Kuhn or Cole Whitt go out and find the sponsorship dollars, then they can have the ride and get in front of Chip's and Roger's eyeballs. Until then, they toil in the dirt until some NASCAR talent scout finds them."

They are actually PROFESSIONAL race drivers, who get PAID to race, in their racing series.

And yes, NASCAR DOES scout out the American talent. Some even get hired down there. Hell of a concept, isn't it?

They get the Kasey Kahne's, Dave Blaney's and Ryan Newman's of the racing world and Indy Car gets the EJ Viso's, Milka Duno's and Carmen Jorda's (whoever the hell she is). The better talent gravitates towards NASCAR and Indy Car gets stuck with the leftovers. Been going on for a few decades now.

Which one is the healthy and successful racing genre again?

And yes, I understand Indy Lights is the "minor" leagues. I understand in lower-tier formula car racing, its all about pay drivers and the drivers hiring the owners. I get that. Its the formula car/club racing way of doing bidness not only in this country, but abroad as well. That is possibly why so many of those lower-tier series have gone belly-up over the years too.

Hopefully Miss Jorda turns out to be the next great superstar and shows she has some talent and leaves the seductive poses and cheese-ball photos for all the other wanna-be racers.

[Trick Dickle]

"What happens if Derrick Walker tells Carmen to take her check and beat feet?"

Maybe Mr. Walker should go out and actually find some money on his own for once. Granted, he hasn't successfully done that since the mid 90's (when he had Robby Gordon), but that's what most of the professional owners in other racing series do (if they actually care about ever succeeding in their given series).

Or he can just sit back and wait for another ride-buyer to call him up and hire him to run them.

[Leisa Dreps]

Ah! I admire this girl! She's just at the start of her career, yet she managed to show her potential to be great when she attained her first top-10 finish on April 2010. Way to go, girl! And please be extra careful on the tracks. Hehe.