MRTI – WinterFest Round 1: NOLA Motorsports Park

It seems the racing world was dominated by NASCAR news surrounding driver drama and the Daytona 500, but it wasn’t the only racing going on. February 19-20 saw all three series that comprise the Mazda Road to Indy at NOLA Motorsports Park for Cooper Tires WinterFest.  USF2000 and Pro Mazda had three races each, while Indy Lights was able to get some needed test sessions with the new IL-15. WinterFest is unique in that the races accumulate points that don’t transfer to the series’ regular seasons and a WinterFest champion…

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MRTI – Championship Battles Tighten After MidOhio

The Mid-Ohio IndyCar weekend is a special one to many of us here at OpenPaddock.net. Ok, two of us: Mr. Whitesell and myself. While we do enjoy the IndyCar action throughout the weekend, one of the true joys of the event is the variety and quantity of racing one gets to enjoy. The Mazda Road to Indy was fully represented with Indy Lights and Pro Mazda holding double-headers and USF2000 holding a triple-header. The multiple points-paying races meant that the championship standings could change dramatically, and there were indeed some…

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IndyCar – The MidOhio IndyCar and MRTI Weekend in Photos

Wow. That took a while! I bought some larger cards and felt like I needed to fill them all. Ugh. I finally sorted through and edited all the open-wheel photos and have them posted below. I also have a ton of sports car photos that I’ve sorted, but haven’t finished editing. I’ll have those later along with recaps of the Mazda Road to Indy races and championships and of the Pirelli World Challenge races. You’ve heard Mr. Whitesell and I mention this on the podcast, and I’ll say it here…

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Pro Mazda – Can Pigot Get His Groove Back at Houston?

The first four races of the 2014 Pro Mazda Championship, two at St. Pete and two at Barber, saw Juncos Racing’s Spencer Pigot dominate the rest of the field. In those first four races, Spencer won two poles, and in all four races set the fastest race lap, lead the most laps, and was first to take the checkers. That all changed when the Pro Mazda Championship came to Indianapolis for the inaugural Grand Prix of Indianapolis. It all went wrong for Spencer on the exit of Turn 1 on…

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IndyCar – Road to Indy Well Represented in 500 Field

The Mazda Road to Indy has been a very successful program since it’s inception. We’ve certainly done our best to document that here at OpenPaddock.net and to follow the progress of many of the drivers that have come through the Road to Indy, but admittedly, we’re fans and a bit biased. There is objective evidence of the program’s success, and it can be seen in the list of the 33 drivers who will contest the 98th running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race. Although the formal program has only been…

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IndyCar – Relive the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg in Photos

Two of our top photographers, Brian McKay of TenPesos.com and Tom Turk of PiraticalPhotography.com, were down in Florida for the season opening races for the Verizon IndyCar Series, Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires, the Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires, the Cooper Tires USF2000 National Championship Powered by Mazda, and the SCCA Pro Racing Pirelli World Challenge. Yes, it was a busy weekend and a crowded race track! Brian and Tom did incredible work, and you can enjoy the fantastic racing action all over again through their photos.…

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Inside the Helmet – Shelby Blackstock, A Multidisciplinary Racer

Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadShelby Blackstock joins us to talk about his unique start (and late) start into the world of motorsport, how he moved up through the ranks, and how he now does double-duty as both an open-wheel racer in the Indy Lights Series Presented by Cooper Tires as well as the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge. Be sure to connect with Shelby and Andretti Autosport to keep track of their progress through the 2014 racing season. Shelby Blackstock: Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ShelbyBlackstock Twitter: @Shelbilly Website: http://shelbyblackstock.com/ Andretti Autosport:…

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Inside the Helmet – Matthew Brabham Looks Back as 2013 and Ahead to 2014.

Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadYour 2013 Pro Mazda Champion Matthew Brabham joins us to talk about his dominating season in Pro Mazda, how he’s adapted to the Indy Lights platform in pre-season testing, and his expectations for the 2014 Indy Lights season. Be sure to connect with Matthew Brabham and Andretti Autosport to keep track of their progress through the 2014 racing season. Matthew Brabham: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Matthew-Brabham/197733736993240 Twitter: @MattyBrabs Website: http://matthewbrabham.com/ Andretti Autosport: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AndrettiAutosport Twitter: @FollowAndretti Website: http://www.andrettiautosport.com/

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Pro Mazda – Juncos Completes Its 2014 Quartet with Spencer Pigot and Kyle Kaiser

Juncos Racing returns to a four-car outfit for the 2014 Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires after signing Spencer Pigot and Kyle Kaiser. This will be both Spencer’s and Kyle’s 2nd year in the Pro Mazda Championship. Spencer spent 2013 with Team Pelfrey after battling for the 2012 USF2000 Championship to the last race with his then Cape Motorsports teammate and eventual 2012 champion Matthew Brabham. In 2013, Spencer, and Team Pelfrey as a whole, failed to achieve the pace and success they had showed in previous seasons finishing…

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