#693

Ana Carrasco and María Herrera with two fans / Aragón 2013

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Yes, this is gonna be a long post :3

These pictures are from a pre-race press conference in Alcañiz, held on Thursday, September 26 2013, for the Aragón Grand Prix.

Team Calvo KTM Moto3 rider Ana Carrasco (a fresh Moto3 rookie, and teammates with title-contender Maverick Viñales) was joined that weekend by Junior Team Estrella Galicia's María Herrera, who would be competing as a wildcard. Herrera had been third in the Spanish Championship and had her second victory of the season the prior weekend. It was the first time two women had competed in the lightweight class since the Spanish GP in 1994, when Daniela Tognoli and Tomoko Igata took part in a 125cc race in Spain.

^ Our two girls, Ana and María!

^ Here's a pic of Daniela (left) and Tomoko (right) on their bikes, for those curious

María and Ana were briefly interviewed by the press, with questions focusing on competing in the Moto3 class, how they feel about achieving such a great sporting stride as talented young women, and the obstacles facing women who enter the sport. Then, the premier-class riders at the table (Rossi, Márquez, Espargaró, Pedrosa and Lorenzo) were asked to weigh in with their thoughts. I've compiled the interesting quotes here, based on articles published at the time. However, I couldn't find the full transcript of the conference, so if anyone has that, or even the full video(!!), please send it my way <3

"Winning in the CEV right before coming to the World Championship is the best thing, and this weekend I'm using it to learn. I wanted to arrive at the World Championship having learned a lot in the CEV, and this year I'm at the front, so we'll see when I finally make it to the World Championship... I hope to be there someday. Well, we have some difficulties getting there, because if you're not fast, they don't trust you, but I have a good team that does." — María Herrera

The question that made them both laugh the most — and on which they agreed — was about how boys react when they're beaten.

"The truth is, it bothers them a little... It bothers them quite a lot. You can see it on their faces on the podium that they don't like it." — María Herrera, her words punctuated with laughter

^ Pic of María on the podium's top step during the CEV championship of May that same year, posing with a cheque for one year of free fuel ...She is accompanied by some less-than-pleased colleagues (...aka sore losers)

And then, Ana added:

"Yes, it bothers them even more because they think a woman is inferior, and it bothers them that someone they consider inferior to them beats them." — Ana Carrasco

Ana joked when asked if the fact that two girls are racing will soon cease to be news, and become more commonplace:

"I hope so. What we're doing here is opening a door so that in the future there will be more women in the World Championships. Anyway, [now] the most important thing is a relaxing cup with café con leche..."

^ Once again, thank you Mirco Lazzari, for all your hard work <3

MotoGP stars including Valentino Rossi, Marc Márquez, Aleix Espargaró, Dani Pedrosa and Jorge Lorenzo also sat at the press con table surrounding the girls. They welcomed the two competing Spanish riders and praised their presence on the Moto3 grid for the upcoming weekend in Aragón.

After the questions, the group of riders posed for the cameras. One of the Spanish sports blogs described it in a very cute way: 'Rookie Carrasco timidly made her way sideways to stand next to her idol Valentino Rossi, while María Herrera exchanged smiles with her fellow Repsol sponsor, Marc Márquez'.

And, so of course, we get to famed image numero uno:

According to one article, Ana didn't mind sharing the conversation she and María had with Marc after they'd finished posing with him. Márquez was the rookie and MotoGP title leader at the time, and they seemed to have a comfortable level of banter as María knew his brother Álex pretty well (...for context, Álex was also an Estrella Galicia rider and teammates with Álex Rins, who was also apparently quite close with María).

"I felt so many things being with these riders. I'd been trying all year to get Pablo Nieto to introduce me to Rossi, and [now,] I did it myself. Meeting the best in the world is important to me, and I hope to be in their shoes someday. I'm left with what Marc Márquez told us. If I may say? He said he blushes when he's with two girls..." — Ana Carrasco

^ Marc cheesing it for the camera after exhibiting insane levels of greed, hehe...

"This is good news, I was at home last Sunday watching the Spanish Championship race, and I saw María win... Already, she had won a race, but you never know if it was just a one-time. But then she won again [last weekend] at Navarra. This will be important for motorcycle racing and MotoGP, because it's like a man's world, but a girl can be fast too." — Marc Márquez

Meanwhile, Rossi believes the rivalry between Carrasco and Herrera will spur them both to achieve better results, as is often the case with male riders:

"I think it is good for our sport, because it is mainly a men's sport, but also in the past, four or five girls were very, very fast. It is especially interesting to understand and follow María after she won two races in the Spanish Championship, where the level is good." "And for sure, it is also a great motivation for Ana to try to arrive in front of María this weekend! But it will be hard for the girls, because all the boys don't want to arrive behind them, so they will have extra motivation also! But they are both fast, so they can have a good weekend." — Valentino Rossi

^ Rossi ofc still being rivalry-pilled here. Melancholic sigh...

"I think it is a really good thing for the sport to have two girls. It is not normal, and maybe next year it can happen [full-time]. My mechanic, Tuanito, worked with Ana and tells me she's really brave, and also, in the Spanish Championship [last year] she did a really good season. Now in the world championship, it is more difficult, so she needs a little bit more time. And María — she has won two CEV races. Everybody says she is really strong. Winning races in the Spanish Championship is very difficult. So both have a really promising career ahead of them." — Jorge Lorenzo

^ Believe me, this was the clearest resolution I could find... also, Ana!!

"[They are both] very brave in such a male-dominated sport; they compete against men and demonstrate their skills. I'm curious to see them on Sunday." — Dani Pedrosa

"It's good because it's not just two girls racing, but because they are fast. María has won races in the Spanish Championship this year, and Ana has finished just five or six seconds from the points in recent grand prix races. They will both be really motivated to beat the other, and so we will see if they can arrive in the points on Sunday." — Aleix Espargaró

"I'm happy to see girls racing motorcycles. The only girl racer I remember was a German in 250GP, Katja Poensgen [2001, 2003], who scored points — maybe this is the only thing where Germany is better than Spain in racing at this moment!" — Stefan Bradl

+ more under the cut :3

Something I have noticed, in dealing with other 6s / self-observation.

All core 6s are somewhat pugnacious, which means instantly ready and willing to argue about anything with anyone, at any point. To hair-split, nitpick, find fault in your reasoning, point out where you were wrong, and be “gotcha!” about it. But their gut fix will make them more or less forceful about it.

6 → 9: argumentative, corrective, pugnacious only as it doesn’t risk separation from the other person and/or escalate to an uncomfortable level. This 6 will push people until they push back, then over-correct or back off from the argument, or be apologetic just to stop the other person from escalating further. Lots of anxious internal reactivity and dread about what could happen next / if there will be any retaliation or further escalations (waiting for them to answer your e-mail, and fearing the worst). Much of the time, this 6 wants to leap on something or be argumentative or point out it’s stupid, only to write up something and then hesitate to share it, as they think through the possible consequences (will this upset them, create a blowback on me, cause me to become a target, etc).

6 → 1: firm in their convictions, becomes “too sure” to avoid being wrong, doubles down on moral arguments and moral superiority in language when challenged. Believes they are right, and need to convince you or change your thinking, so they keep at it, responding, hammering down, arguing from a position of “this feels right, so it is.” They are not as conflict-avoidant as the 6-9. May get uncomfortable with differences of opinions or if people get upset, but justify their point of view by “at least now they know the truth.” Lots of emphasis on “people who do bad things are not trustworthy, and/or are evil.”

6 → 8: double reactivity means there’s nothing dialing back the escalating. Gets bigger, louder, more insistent, more angry in an argument, won’t back down, won’t give ground, is “more 8 than the 8” (a real 8 knows who has the power in any argument and when to give ground; a 6-8 keeps going because they need to convince the other person). Can be very raw, direct, unfiltered, “this is the truth about this/how I feel/deal with it,” but as core 6s, they still don’t like separation or people to be mad at them that they care about, so they will try damage control “after the fact.” Sometimes will over-correct on things that feel less threatening (“I am sorry about this but not that thing that I still believe is true”) to re-establish a connection. Their bluntness and truth-telling can be the thing that causes escalations in other people, and then the 8 fix has no choice but to stand its ground, until the 6 core decides to do damage control.

The heart fix also has something to do with it; the 2 fix will add more positivity to any of these combos; 3 will add an assertive energy and emphasis on being competent; 4 adds more explosive reactivity.

6→ 9 → 3: justifies being in harmony with others as the smart thing to do, avoidance of attack, and in “looking like the mature participant in this fight.” Trends neutral, can under-react to avoid over-reacting. Lots of anger and immediate reactions that get handed off to the 9 fix to de-escalate, because the 3 tells the 6 it will look bad to have a fit about this. It is all justified as being the “smart” thing to do, and in not showing people their soft underbelly; if they know they can upset you, you might be targeted. Can justify not going after its goals by “it won’t matter anyway, so you need to be satisfied with scraps,” but the 3 will keep improving regardless.

6 → 9 → 2: justifies being in harmony with others as the kind and loving thing to do. Trends positive. 6-2 is very warm and approachable, always ready to help, of course I’ll come right away. Some 2ish pride, but 6 doesn’t want to intrude and will dial back 2, because they don’t want to upset anyone by overstepping their boundaries (the 9 influence).

6 → 9 → 4: feels in disharmony with itself, if it is too calm and unemotional (9) because that is not the truth of what it thinks and feels (4). Trends negative. 6-4 can ruminate and dwell on their pain, constantly bringing it up and inferring that others have not suffered as much as they have, and their problems are not fixable (the 9-4 influence); in truth, the 6 is fearful of failure and doesn’t want to risk a solution failing, because the expect it will; the 9 does not want to challenge itself or leave its comfort zone; the 4 doesn’t want to be fixed or see a need to fix itself.

6 → 1 → 3: is “right” to avoid being wrong, doubles down on moral absolutes and certainties, with a lot of additional self-confidence that comes from 1-3. Trends negative, unless the 3 fix doesn’t like that, and sees it as a bad look to carry around.

6 → 1 → 2: is “right” and confident of knowing what is best for others in any given situation, can be relational and very helpful, generous, and kind, but also have a rigidity that comes from at all times being beholden to their own inner “should.” Trends negative/positive/neutral, if negative it is for the good and protection of others; if positive, it is because you catch more flies with honey.

6 → 1 → 4: double frustration, prickly, picky, nothing is ever right or good enough, but 6 is still in charge and wants to connect on some level to people and things that do not “repulse” them. Mostly concerned with their own standards and upholding them / not making compromises. Trends negative, thanks to 6 being negative by itself, 1 always looking for what is wrong or bad to fix it, and 4 being convinced nothing is as it could be (deep).

6 → 8 → 3: double aggression and self-confidence, does not care about rules or think they apply to them, can double down on an argument and not give up ground, want to be liked (double attachment), but struggle to adapt the self to others since 8 does not want to. Clash between “I don’t have to listen to you” 8 fix and 6-3 “but I do, tho.” The 3 will tone down some of the reactivity, but isn’t fast enough to stop it altogether; it will image-manage after the fact.

6 → 8 → 2: double super-ego, lots of should thinking, shame centered around overdoing 8 reactivity and anger (a good person would not upset others or attack them, so when I do so it is justified), 6-2 “but I am here to look after my family/people” thinking, teddy bear energy – bark is worse than its bite, big blow-ups but then some reactive drama to try and elicit sympathy (“I was only trying to help” ; “do you really think I am such a TERRIBLE person?”). Can be warm and comforting, but this usually happens after the 6-8 tells you off for being stupid.

6 → 8 → 4: Triple reactivity, no reason to de-escalate, frustration, rejection, nobody tells me who I am or to calm down, you are all ignoring what is wrong, unlovely, bad, inhumane, or hideous in this situation. Can lock into the desire for vengeance (8 seeks it, 4 welcomes the fire that comes with it, an emotion to embrace that others are too weak to use as a motivator). 8-4 counters some of the 6 focus, and makes it more comfortable with going against core super-ego demands (“I should think of me!”).

The position of each fix under the 6 will either increase or decrease certain of these traits; the 6-3 will be consciously aware of needing to image manage and not fail; the 6-2 will be more aggressive in moving toward people to help; the 6-4 will escalate and move inward, ruminating on its pains, and expressing its shame and frustration.

ETA: Forgot to mention, the wing on the 6 also matters. With 7, you have additional assertive energy, but also less conviction of being right; more of a desire to mess with people for amusement, and to back off when the argument is “boring.” With 5, there is more certainty in being right, and less room for allowing the other person to be right; less self-questioning, but also a point of them reaching the idea that “this person is an idiot, don’t waste your breath on them anymore.”

Numbers sleep beneath the world,

small gods in robes of law.

One is the seed,

two is the mirror,

three is the door ajar.

The universe counts in spirals,

in petals, tides, and stars,

and every hidden pattern

is a spell the mind can parse.

Mathematics is the old magic:

silent, exact, divine.

A language made of lightning,

a cosmos drawn in signs.

~•~

Today's KAITO module of the day is: