I think that the glamour models / grid girls etc must feel quite pressurised sometimes, to remain looking the way they do. It can't be good for you when you see other girls looking similar, or maybe better (as you may perceive it). Likewise, it must make you constantly aware of your body shape and image. I wonder what body image many of the girls have? It would have been interesting if Maria, during her dissertation, got the grid-girls to complete her questionairre regarding that topic
I personally am not bothered about the presence of the grid girls / promo girls at bike meets and race meets. I don't take much notice of them, but when I do i tend to see how other people are taking notice of them. Many people also dont seem to care, but there are a few that leer and stuff. I guess for the marketing firms trying to get rid of red bull etc, if the girls help shift a few items then its worth it
As for girls in racing - what happened to katja poensgen? she won the world supermoto series, and was in 250cc gp's for a bit, but i guess a crap bike ment she faded from the limelight
And for culture and ethnicity....well, there is Sofuoglu, who is a Muslim Turk. Apprently, in his country, he became a sort of hero overnight once he won the world supersport championship, but he also has said that if you are not sucessfull, people dont want to know. Maybe this is true of some other eastern cultures and perhaps why those cultures dont find themselves more involved in the sport?
I've noticed quite alot at bike meets (boxhill, ace cafe, bury hill) that the vast vast majority of people who turn up are white, middle aged, english males. At the ace cafe you tend to get more of other ethnicities, but only then black english people, not any other ethnicities.
Odd that.