IndyCar – Firestone Indy Lights at Kansas
Restart of the Kansas Lottery 100.The first oval race of the year for the Indy Racing League, as you saw in earlier articles here at Openpaddock.net, was held at the Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, KS. Oval racing with high-speed open-wheel cars is unique to IndyCar racing, and the league has two levels of competition. First is the series with which everyone is familiar, the IndyCar Series (ICS). This is the series that contests the Indianapolis... [Read More...]
Rally – WRC Calendar
Lewis Hamilton was not the only topics of discussion at the WMSC meeting held yesterday. The WRC calendar has been reviewed and some new topics have come to light. The FIA released a statement that indicated the rally courses for Indonesia and Russia were incomplete and had not passed safety inspection. This is not the kind of news the WRC is looking for. The series is having enough problems already and this will be a true test for the ISC. The FIA stated... [Read More...]
F1 – Bernie Has an Idea
On the heels of the cost capping announcement from the FIA, a bright light bulb has appeared above Bernie Ecclestone’s head. He has thrown out the idea that the teams should pay back some of their 50% share of the commercial revenue to help circuits make their sanction fee payments to him. Bernie works for CVC capital partners who is the current commercial rights holder, having bought those rights from Bernie. When they purchased the rights,... [Read More...]
F1 – The Future of F1?
The WMSC took the opportunity of their McLaren meeting to put the final touches on their plans for 2010. The FIA also decided that there shall be cost capped teams and unlimited budget teams. Here is a summary of what they decided. Cost capped teams shall be limited to £40 million which is higher than the original amount of £30 million proposed by Max Mosley. They shall be allowed movable aero on the front and rear wings. No rev limit shall... [Read More...]
IndyCar – Newman Haas on Ovals
It was a concern going in to the weekend that Newman Haas Lanigan Racing would have trouble getting Robert Doornbos up to speed on ovals. However, it has been a noticeable trend that road course drivers have an easier time learning ovals than vice versa. On top of that, Doornbos is an accomplished driver with F1 and Champ Car experience. Shocked would be the word I would use to describe my reaction to Robert’s eventual P2 in qualifying at... [Read More...]
McLaren Dodge Punishment
Judgement has been rendered on the McLaren “lie-gate” and the team has gotten off relatively light for a scandal that was blown into massive proportions. The team was handed a suspended three race ban. Stipulations in the verdict indicate that if any further details come to light or if the team steps out of bounds once more this year then they will be banned from competition for three races. The FIA WMSC stated that due to the “culture”... [Read More...]
Kubica is Mad…Again
After this weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix, Robert Kubica is mad yet again at the team and their current development path. BMW finished worse of all the teams and finished last on track with Nakajima’s Williams behind them only due to mechanical failure. As we take a trip down memory lane we remember that last year Bobby K was spouting the same kind of rhetoric at his current employer. BMW stopped a potential title winning car and driver... [Read More...]
Monteiro Joins ORECA; Peugeot Lite
Portuguese Former F1 driver Tiago Monteiro has joined team ORECA for the 24 Hours of Le Mans this year. In a deal announced over the weekend, Monteiro will join the outfit that has Bruno Senna and Stephane Ortelli. Monteiro, formerly of the Midland and Spyker teams has raced at Le Mans before in a GT class car finishing 16th overall in a GT 2 car. In other Le Mans series news, the Peugeot team has trimmed its entry list for the endurance race at Spa.... [Read More...]
IndyCar – Kansas City Thoughts
As you are most likely aware by now, Scott Dixon pulled off the win on Sunday in the threatening Kansas City weather. The truck series race scheduled for Saturday night was rescheduled for Monday due to tornadic activity and the IndyCar feature looked like it might suffer the same fate with thunderstorms predicted for the entire day. On top of the uncertainty with the weather, there were high winds all day long making car setup an exercise in high... [Read More...]
F1 – Bahrain Wrap Up
The Bahrain Grand Prix has ended and with it we have a season first. Jenson Button has finally won under race pace. Many folks said the wanted to see Vettel win a race in the dry. I said forget that, I want Button to win at over 50 mph. That is exactly what happened. Brawn GP took victory with Jenson Button and took a further lead in both title races. Sebastian Vettel put on a stellar show and Jarno Trulli sat in the press room looking as though he... [Read More...]
