TOKYO (AFP) — Danica Patrick believes the "right attitude" allowed her to become the first woman to win an IndyCar race in the male-dominated world of motor racing.
"I grew up with never really using guys as a reference, using drivers as a reference, and if I wasn't fast enough, I wasn't fast enough," the 26-year-old American said after her historic win at the Indy Japan 300 on Sunday.
"That was the most important thing.
"I didn't think, oh, I'm the best girl out here today. I grew up with the right attitude to translate into a more competitive world. I thank my family for that."
It has taken Patrick 50 races to reach the top of an IndyCar podium since her debut on the premier US open-wheel tour in 2005.
"Finally. This is a long time coming," said the Wisconsin native after a tearful pit lane celebration with her husband and former physical therapist Paul Hospenthal and her parents at the Twin Ring Motegi north of Tokyo.
"I've been asked so many times when I'm going to win my first race, and finally, no more of those questions."
Patrick outsmarted male drivers in what she called a "fuel strategy race" over 200 laps at the 1.52-mile (2.5-kilometre) oval.
With six laps remaining, New Zealander Scott Dixon had a 3.6-second lead but had to enter the pits for fuel on lap 195, followed by Briton Dan Wheldon and Tony Kanaan of Brazil.
That left the door open for Patrick and another Brazilian, Helio Castroneves, whose last pit stop came on lap 148. She overtook Castroneves on lap 198.
"I know I was on the same strategy as Helio and when I passed him for the lead, I couldn't believe it. This is fabulous," said Patrick, who beat Castroneves by 5.9 seconds with an average speed of 164.3 mph (264.3 kph).
Patrick, who started go-karting at age 10 at home and returned to the United States in 2002 ater four years of developmental formula racing in Europe, has joined an elite club of world-beating female drivers.
Michele Mouton of France, now 56, became the first and so far only woman to win a World Rally Championship round -- in San Remo in 1981. She went on to finish a close second overall in the 1982 series after three wins.
In 2001, Jutta Kleinschmidt, now 45, became the first woman to win the Paris-Dakar Rally.
Several women have competed in the high-profile world of Formula One since the early days of the 58-year-old championships. But their best result was Italian Lella Lombardi's sixth place at the 1975 Spanish Grand Prix.
"I just hoped and believed when I was young that it would happen and if I had the right opportunity that it could," Patrick said about her first IndyCar victory, the first by a woman in a top-tier event in the 100 years of US open-wheel racing.
"I just needed the right people to believe in me and give me that chance with a good team and good teammates."
The 2005 IndyCar rookie of the year moved to Andretti Green Racing, a team owned by former US racing great Michael Andretti, in 2007. She finished second at Detroit last September before finishing the season seventh overall.
"I'm thrilled for her that the monkey is finally off of her back," Andretti told Indycar.com. "We have all believed in her and she proved that she is a winner. Frankly, I think this is the first of many."
Patrick's relatively light weight, 45kg (100 pounds), has been seen by many as an advantage in the series where car weight is strictly regulated.
Asked if there was a disadvantage in racing for her as a woman, Patrick said: "Well, I think that the disadvantage to overcome was just that I hadn't won."
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