Dubai: Movie legend and car race fanatic Paul Newman once told me with a nod in the direction of a glamorous good looker: "Keep your eye on that girl — she's going places. And fast."
He was referring not to an actress or a model, though she has dabbled in both —but to a breathtaker called Danica Patrick.
Newman, though, wasn't offering an appreciation of her Hollywood curves. Instead, he was referring to her ability as a race car driver. One of the best in the United States among both men and women.
She is America's fastest ever lady racer with a third place in the fearsome Indy 500. Newman was absolutely right in his assessment and advice to me not long before he died in September 2008.
Aiming higher
Now she plans to go two places better than her third place by going flat out to take what would be a sensational win in the upcoming Indianpolis 500, set to blast off next Sunday.
Her fellow drivers would do well to respect Newman's opinion and regard daring Danica's ability as a serious threat to their machismo.
Not only has she celebrated on the podium at Indianapolis; she clinched an amazing victory when the Indy series went on tour to Japan in 2008 five months before Newman's demise.
So he did have the joy of seeing his forecast to me come good in the finest possible way.
I make no excuse for drawing attention to this lovely, brave and billiant racer as America, too, rejoices in her ability and her courage to keep on going to work at 250 miles an hour (400km an hour) despite a spate of terrifying crashes.
I have taken time out from Formula One this week to focus on this wonderwoman who could well have answered F1 kingpin Bernie Ecclestone's wish to have her in his Grand Prix series had Honda not withdrawn when they had offered her a trial and the embryonic USF1 outfit not run out of money and time to contest this season's campaign.
In the end the 28 year old from Arizona opted to chase glory in her homeland with the ultimate challenge, the Indy 500, top of her agenda.
"It is my favourite race of the year. I really like the ovals at Indy and Daytona. Slipsteaming and overtaking and the wheel-to-wheel stuff at more than 200 miles an hour is about as exciting as it gets," she said.
"Just because I'm a woman in a man's world, I get no favours. And I don't expect any. It's every guy for him or herself," she added.
"You have to be patient — and I am — pick your battles carefully and stay with it, fighting, right to the end. That's the way it is going to be for me in the Indy 500."
She holds back on the idea of a blast in F1 and says: "I think the environment in Formula One is a little less friendly than American racing and it takes itself very seriously."
"Here we are more open and informal and the drivers hang out together which they don't do in F1. And I have to confess I like having fun," she added.
The trappings of race fame and stunning looks and shape have made her a fortune, evidenced by the Lamborghini she drives, and given her cult status as an equal with no sex discrimination when the on-track action gets fired up.
Newman was absolutely correct...
