Will Power was not the only guy smiling after the race at Barber Motorsports Park yesterday. I am sure the smile on Randy Bernard’s face was probably even bigger. He too had won on Sunday as the IZOD IndyCar Series delivered one of the best road races in a very long time. Barber Motorsports Park is easily one of, if not the best looking facility on the schedule. I have never really had a problem with the on track product either, but yesterday was something that truly fit the bill…
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IndyCar – Friday Recap from Barber
Editor’s Note: Kevin Neely has been kind enough to write some articles for us while down at Barber Motorsports Park this week. I would like to personally thank Kevin for reaching out and offering his observations! LEEDS, AL (March 30, 2012) — Right there on the backstretch, in front of the Red Diamond Fan Zone, she sits there. Her blank expression looks off to the southwest as if she’s searching for something. Perhaps she’s searching for a moment of zen as the apex of a corner unfurls in the drivers…
Read MoreStar Mazda – Returning Drivers and a Spring Training Recap
The season-opener for the Star Mazda Championship Presented by Goodyear takes place this weekend on the Streets of St. Petersburg, but before we get to the race, there’s still some business to settle and shake out first. Drivers are still being added to the grid, and it looks like the field is shaping up quite nicely. Twenty-two drivers set times during the two-day Spring Training open test at Barber Motorsports Park including the two newest additions to the Juncos Racing stable, Connor Di Philippi and Martin Scuncio. Martin ran with…
Read MoreIndyLights – Control! Control! You must learn control!
Yoda would be shaking his head in disappointment if he saw the carnage at Barber, and I don’t mean to only point at the Firestone Indy Lights drivers. There was plenty of carbon fiber shrapnel in the IZOD IndyCar Series race as well. During the Firestone Indy Lights race, a number of cars capable of victory or at least a podium were taken out by silly, over-aggressive moves. Even the qualifying for the Indy Lights drivers was a bit chaotic. Josef Newgarden, who had been so strong in testing and…
Read MoreStar Mazda – Barber Qualifying Results and Analysis
The Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear is going to have a hard time of it for their race on Sunday. The drivers qualified on Thursday afternoon and will have to wait until Sunday before their race. On Race Day morning, they will get a 15-min warm-up which is just long enough to check for fluid leaks and not much else. The conditions between when they practiced and qualified on Thursday certainly won’t be any where near the same as they will be on Sunday when temperatures are to be…
Read MoreFeatured – My Impressions of Barber
So day one is in the books for the trip out to Barber Motorsports Park, so I figured i would offer some impressions as it is my first time here. I usually spend the first day of any track experience just scoping out the area and getting a feel for the facility. The only word that comes to mind when talking Barber is WOW. Words cannot truly describe the beauty of this facility. Who would have thought that buried deep in the heart of NASCAR country, there would be a…
Read MoreMazda Road to Indy – Barber Preview
Sorry for the lack of a MRTI Weekly Update this past weekend, but there really hasn’t been much happening. I’m sure that I could have found something to blather on about, I usually can. Just ask my students! #rimshot But seriously, its been pretty quiet since the three races on the Streets of St. Petersburg. There was no on-track action this past weekend, and there were no new driver announcements, so the news and PR feeds have been pretty quiet. This coming weekend, however, is the second round for both…
Read MoreMazda Road to Indy – Weekly Wrap-up: 3/11-3/18
This week was a busy week for the Mazda Road to Indy program! The Firestone Indy Lights series and the Star Mazda Championship series both had their pre-season “Spring Training” open tests at Barber Motorsports Park, and the US F2000 National Championship had both their final testing session, and their first two races at Sebring International Raceway. Along with the testing, we also had some late driver announcements, although I suspect we’re not finished hearing about those. Testing US F2000 The Cooper Tires Presents the US F2000 National Championship held…
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Star Mazda – Barber Testing Results
The Star Mazda Championship Presented by Goodyear held its first open test today at Barber Motorsports Park in preparation for the season opener on the Streets of St. Petersburg later this month. For many of the drivers, it was the first time being out in traffic in the Star Mazda cars. The testing results weren’t too surprising. JDC MotorSports is a strong team, especially in Star Mazda where they’ve won the championship with Dane Cameron in 2007 and with Adam Christodoulou in 2009, and they’ve shown that they’re serious about…
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