Tag: DirtFish Rally School

In The Paddock – Episode 11 with Michelle Miller of DirtFish Rally School

Mike Shaw

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Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadIn this episode we welcome Michelle Miller who we found out does everything including instructing, co-driving, team management, once stage rallied a Geo Metro, and more!  Michelle had just returned from competing in the 2017 DirtFish SCCA Rallycross Nationals from Heartland Park Topeka in Topeka, Kansas so we have a heavy focus on that event.  We also see a return of former OpenPaddock co-host Doug Patterson who was also attending the rallycross national event.   To find out more about SCCA Rallycross go to…

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2016 NW RallySprint Season Kicks Off at DirtFish Rally School

Mike Shaw

Last Sunday was the opener for the brand new SCCA Northwest RallySprint season.  As Kito Brielmaier of the NW Rally Association told us in our RallyCast Podcast last week, this is the first RallySprint event of at least 3 in Washington with others in Oregon soon to be announced to create a regional championship.  Results from round 1 can be found on their web site here and we have a few of our favorite photos from the event below with a full gallery coming soon.   Located again at the DirtFish…

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Episode 286 – OpenPaddock.net Podcast

Mike Shaw

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Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadIn this episode in rally we talk about the wet and wild inaugural SCCA NW Rally Sprint at DirtFish Rally School with clips from winner Jeff Seehorn and chief organizer Kito Brielmaier.  We also discuss all the moves in the WRC (recorded before the Meeke announcement), and the new Hyundai i20 WRC 2016.  In our Ummm coverage, the F1 season ended, but the infighting continues.  In IndyCar The Mayor of Hinchtown is healed, Conor Daly finally gets the full season ride we’ve been hoping for, and…

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The Inaugural SCCA Northwest Rally Sprint and Rallycross

Mike Shaw

The first SCCA Rally Sprint in the Pacific Northwest was wet and wild, but still a major success. The Northwest has been battered with rainstorm after rainstorm saturating the soil causing floods, landslides, and even a tornado hit Vancouver.  Thankfully the venue at DirtFish Rally School was free of tornadoes, and the early morning albeit cold was looking rather promising with only a light shower.  That all changed once the racing commenced as the clouds descended and the rain came. The harsh wet conditions made the event that much more…

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Red Bull GRC at DirtFish – Behind the Scenes Part 3 “The Tires”

Mike Shaw

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Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadWhen we first arrived at DirtFish Rally School for Round 9 of the Red Bull Global Rallycross Championship, it was wet and sloppy.  This was actually the first wet conditions Red Bull GRC has had since Yokohama became the official tire supplier.  We stopped over at the Yokohama mobile tire shop and chatted with Yokohama Motorsports Specialist Paul Algarin about all things rubber.  Take a listen.  

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Red Bull GRC at DirtFish Rally School – Behind the Scenes Part 2 “The Starters”

Mike Shaw

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Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadHave you ever wondered how those timed starts at Red Bull GRC events worked?  Sometimes it seems like the lights go green just a few seconds after the red lights go out, other times it seems like an eternity .  While we were up at DirtFish for Round 9 of the Red Bull Global Rallycross Championship we spoke to the start control team of “Big P”, Sean, and Jake as they explain how their start system functions, how it has evolved because it used…

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Red Bull GRC at DirtFish Rally School – Behind the Scenes Part 1

Mike Shaw

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Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadI had the pleasure of getting a behind the scenes view of the Red Bull Global Rallycross Championship at DirtFish Rally School in Snoqualmie, Washington.  We all hear about the big name drivers that bring in the crowds like Ken Block, Tanner Foust, Travis Pastrana, etc., but there are a lot of amazing people that work behind the scenes to make these events both entertaining and safe. One such group is the Red Bull GRC Safety Team, and we had the chance to chat…

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Red Bull GRC at DirtFish – A Fan’s Perspective

Mike Shaw

One thing we really enjoy here at OpenPaddock is getting the fans perspective.  I ran into a friend of mine who came with his son to the Red Bull Global Rallycross Championship at DirtFish Rally School last weekend and he agreed to write up his thoughts.  Without further ado, here’s Aaron’s experience from the weekend. As a big fan of stage rally, one of my guilty pleasures is Rallycross. One of the reasons I like it so much is because it combines my love of cars going sideways with my…

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Red Bull GRC at DirtFish Rally School – The Definition of What Rallycross Should Be

Mike Shaw

I can sum up in just a few words what Red Bull GRC Seattle at DirtFish Rally School was like.  DirtFish DEFINED rallycross.  Simple as that. Why?  Well, as you have heard me say time and time again, it is all about the track.  The grounds at DirtFish were a perfect venue for the sport.  The cars started on tarmac, switched to gravel around the long turn 1, then back to tarmac as they went into the covered planar building, then back to gravel into turn 10, then to a…

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Red Bull GRC Seattle – OpenPaddock On-Site and Behind the Scenes at DirtFish

Mike Shaw

OpenPaddock.net is super excited to have been invited to get an up-close view of the Red Bull Global Rallycross event at DirtFish Rally School just outside of Seattle, Washington.  I’ll be there all weekend with OpenPaddock contributor, Robert Mahony who will be acting as our chief photographer.  We’ll do our best to get you a detailed behind the scenes experience of what is expected to be one of the highlights of the entire GRC season.   I actually attended the event at DirtFish in 2011, then called GRC Twin Peaks.  The sport…

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