Rally – New 2011 Fiesta Sport Trophy Series Calendar Announced

PRESS RELEASE FROM RALLYCAR: INAUGURAL FIESTA SPORT TROPHY SCHEDULE ANNOUNCED Dearborn, Mich. (12/17/2010) – Ford Racing and RallyCar announced today that the inaugural Fiesta Sport Trophy championship for the United States will kick off June 3 at the Susquehanna Trail Performance Rally in Wellsboro, Pa., and comprise of seven events during four weekends, culminating at the Lake Superior Rally in Oct. 15. The winner of the Fiesta Sport Trophy Championship will receive a ride in a Fiesta R2 at the 2011 Rally Great Britain. Sanctioned by RallyCar, the Fiesta Sport…

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WRC – Raikkonen/Monster Switch Imminent?

Rumors out of the Finnish press are indicating that talks between Kimi Raikkonen and Red Bull/Citroen are failing. They are also quick to point out that the 2007 Formula 1 champion may be on his way to the Monster World Rally Team as we and some others have speculated. The wild card out of this potential deal is the fact we may even see Kimi in NASCAR! We have known for sometime that Citroen was probably only fielding four cars in the 2011 championship. Sebastien Loeb and Ogier occupy two…

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Episode 68 – Openpaddock.net Podcast

Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadJoin Mike and I as we talk about all the American open wheel drivers coming out of the freakin wood work! First JR to Panther and we then discuss tomorrow’s Chip Ganassi announcement that should see Graham Rahal and hopefully Charlie Kimball announced to a satellite team. Shaun commits numerous 151c violations by forgetting his lines and barely survives an attack by Champ Car fans on the OP headquarters. There is some rally, F1, and Le Mans thrown in there too as well as…

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Le Mans – Initial Thoughts on the R18

German marque Audi has released its 2011 challenger the R18. While 2010 was a bittersweet year for the squad and its R15 challenger, the team has vowed to impress not only the fans but its French rivals as well. I will preface the article by saying I am in no way a car designer or engineer but did want to comment on this car. I waited and waited Friday as I followed my tweet stream of the press conference provided by @dsceditor. The coverage was excellent and it was a…

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Rally – Sunday Service Park 12/12/10

This week has prove to be most fantastic, and we had some key stories hit as we continue to shape 2011. The drivers market in the WRC has taken an interesting turn and the IRC looks to have finally released their schedule for 2011 Peter Van Merksteijn Secures Citroen Ride Who? That is probably what you are asking yourself after this weeks announcement that Merksteijn has secured a factory supported Citroen DS3. Peter does have WRC experience and has piloted a Ford Focus RS in previous rounds of the championship.…

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Podcast – Next Week is Fan Night!

The title says it all! Next week you could record an episode of the podcast with Shaun and Mike. Since the fans are what drive our site and sites like it, we are going to open it up and have YOU on the show to talk motorsport. A small holiday way we can try and give back to those who read and listen to our stuff! The rule is simple…send an email to wfp@openpaddock.net with your name and favorite series that we cover. Also download the free skype program and…

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Episode 67 – Openpaddock.net Podcast

Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadJoin the Paddock boys this week as we talk Toyota and Le Mans, Solberg in Mote Carlo, and wrap up Penske’s sponsorship shopping spree. We stay clear of 151c violations for the most part but Paris Hilton nearly ruins that. Sit back as always and enjoy the show!

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Rally – Sunday Sevice Park 12/6/2010

Welcome to the second edition of the Sunday Service Park. This week has been a little lighter than one would hope, but there are still drivers on the market and seats needing filled! In other news, felt my first rally withdrawal of the season the other day. Can it please be 2011 yet?!? SordoDani So I already touched on this story earlier in the week but it now looks as though MINI will be the choice for the Spaniard. While hoping for Ford to throw him a bone, it now…

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