Hello, May. It’s Time For The Indy 500
If you are a fan of the IZOD Indycar Series and the month of May doesn’t give you a case of the warm fuzzies, then something is seriously wrong. This is the month when speed is king and our diets consist solely of tenderloins. The smell of E85 gasoline intertwines with fresh Firestone rubber on the yard of bricks, and that’s when you know you are home. It might not be your physical home, but there’s something about hearing “Back Home Again... [Read More...]
SCCA – First Experiences and Experienced Insights at a Solo Event
While I’ve been to the SCCA RunOffs before, I had never attended a solo event until this past Sunday. Wow! Simply, wow! I’m not sure exactly what I had expected from my first solo event (aka autocross), but I wasn’t expecting something as interesting, fun, and exciting as what I saw this past Sunday. In many respects, it reminded me of the vibe and feel of a rally. There was a mix of highly-prepped, purpose-built racing... [Read More...]
SCCA – My First Day as a Racecar Driver
INDEPENDENCE, MO (April 15, 2012), by Tim Steger — First off, as an Aerospace engineer, I don’t do thing without planning. I have had my racecar, a bone stock 93 base Miata, for about 25 days. I recruited a co-driver, who had won a trophy in the past in his own car. I figured he would help me get the car ready, then potentially help improve my driving skills. And yet, after the weeks of planning and wrench time, I realized I had more... [Read More...]
Constable’s Corner: Parties at Long Beach, and Pocono?
Yes, it has been a long time since I last wrote to you, the fans of Open Paddock. You can thank; warrants being served, people being sued, moves involving protections from abuses being supervised, my lady friend moving (not related to the item before in any way), numerous college research papers, training at the pistol range, countless law enforcement meetings, a bad virus, locus, volcanoes, lions, tigers, bears, and a tendency to put things off as... [Read More...]
IndyCar – Indy 500 speculation
The grapevine says that Townsend Bell will soon announce his intent to race in the Indy 500 for Schmidt-Hamilton Motorsports. I haven’t heard a word about Paul Tracy. Maybe he’s having trouble finding funding to rent a ride after failing to qualify a GEICO car at Indy in 2010. His prior sponsors have migrated to other teams; Wix filters sponsors Lotus DRR (Oriol Servia), and Motegi Racing (wheels for street cars) insignia are seen on Dragon... [Read More...]
IndyCar – Beatriz to Andretti Autosport
Is blood thicker than water? Even if it is, money talks. Andretti Autosport apparently will not enter a car for Michael Andretti’s cousin Jeff Andretti in the Indy 500, as it will enter three cars for its regular IndyCar pilots, adding A.A.’s Indy Lights standout Sebastian Saavedra in a fourth Ilmor-powered car, and announcing Ana Beatriz in a fifth car. ‘Bia’ Beatriz intends to race car #25 in her ‘hometown’... [Read More...]
IndyCar – Misty Morning
A new day has dawned at Barber Motorsports Park in Leeds, Alabama, and fog has blanketed the lush, green hills for hours since the rain abated. Not much to see until the IndyCars roll out for yet another practice, at 8:00. Stay tuned. . . . . . . Read More →
IndyCar – Rain, rain, go away …
After noon at Barber Motorsports Park, I returned trackside to photograph the Star Mazda Series qualifying session for Open Paddock’s coverage of the Mazda Road to Indy. Five minutes after that qualifying, the IndyCars were due to practice again. I could’ve resumed photographing from the ‘outside’ of Turn 2 or Turn 3, where I’d been yesterday and today for quite long enough, or try a new vantage. So I went to the inside... [Read More...]
IndyCar – Afternoon in Dairyland
Greetings from Barber Motorsports Park in Leeds, Alabama. Lightning is striking and rain is falling on this “picturesque, gorgeous” racing facility in the hills east of Birmingham. So all the camera monkeys, like me, scurried for shelter. Some of the photographers are carrying equipment that costs as much as my car. Serious hardware, including 600mm autofocus lenses. That’s right, kids; the biggest lenses that I’ve seen that... [Read More...]
IndyCar – Friday Comedic Relief
Happy Friday and welcome to the weekend! To make sure we get the best weekday started off right, we have this for you. Along with Kevin, we also have Brian McKay back at it behind the lens at Barber Motorsports Park. As we know, Alabama is true NASCAR country. The folks are some of the nicest people I have ever met but man do they love their NASCAR! Brian stopped off at a local retail store when he had this conversation with one of the clerks…enjoy!... [Read More...]
