MRTI – Pro Mazda and Indy Lights Championships Take Shape at Milwaukee

The Mazda Road to Indy teams, at least the Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires and the Firestone Indy Lights Series portions of it, did battle last weekend at the oldest active racing venue in the world, the Milwaukee Mile. Traditionally, the Pro Mazda and Indy Lights races at the Mile have usually been processional affairs, but there was more racing action and passes this year than there’s been in a while. On Episode 192 of the OpenPaddock.net Podcast, we had eluded to fact that, especially in Indy Light,…

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IndyLights – Best. Finish. EVER!

One of the highlights of my traditional week and a half at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is Carburetion Day. …and no, not for the “Has-Been Band-of-the-Year” concert. Besides, I trashed my animal-print spandex pants long ago, so no Poison concert for me. For one, Carb Day is a day I share at the track with my Dad as we watch the Firestone Indy Lights race from the stands above the suites just to the south of the Pagoda, after which we adjourn to our favourite Irish pub, the Claddagh, and…

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Star Mazda – Road Atlanta Recap

The final race of the 2012 Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear saw the checkered flags this afternoon putting a cap on the 2012 season. Gabby Chavez of JDC MotorSports won the pole position yesterday afternoon, edging out Andretti Autosports’ Sage Karam by a mere 0.05s! While the first two positions in the championship standings are already determined, Positions 3 and 4 are still hotly contested by Juncos Racing pilot Connor De Phillippi and Sage Karam. Going into this final round, Connor lead Sage by four points, 303 to 299.…

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Star Mazda – Chavez On Pole at Road Atlanta

The final round of the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear takes place this afternoon at the Road Atlanta circuit outside of Braselton, GA. Jack Hawksworth, pilot for Team Pelfrey and 2012 champion, has stepped out of the car this week and is coaching Ryan Tveter who is taking his place in the #82. Jack has dominated the season, but there’s been one driver who has been consistently on his heels and on the podium, Gabby Chavez. Gabby drives the #19 CLARO/Marca Colombia/Tecpro Mazda car for JDC MotorSport and sits…

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Star Mazda – Hawksworth is Your 2012 Champion

Sage Karam’s hopes of catching Team Pelfrey’s lightning fast rookie, Jack Hawksworth, ended in Race #1 of this past weekend’s double-header at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Hawksworth won the pole for Race #1, and as he has done so often this season, he took the checkers after leading every lap of the race. Karam started off the race on scuffed tyres which fell off more rapidly than expected causing Sage to run off course twice in Turn 6 on consecutive laps. Relegated to mid-pack, there wasn’t much else he could…

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Star Mazda – Hawksworth All But Champion

As with the two USF2000 races this past weekend on the Streets of Baltimore, the two championship contenders in the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear, Andretti Autosport’s Sage Karam, and Team Pelfrey’s Jack Hawksworth each took a victory, but a DNF by Karam would allow Hawksworth to stretch his lead. With three more races to go, it’s still a battle, but Hawksworth is definitely the favourite. Four drivers are still in contention, mathematically, but the two practical contenders are Jack and Sage. Star Mazda Race #1 Qualifying for Race…

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Star Mazda – Two-Fer at Toronto for Hawksworth

The Star Mazda Championship Race #2 at Exhibition Place in Toronto Sunday morning had a lot more chaos and mayhem than the previous day. Grip levels were at a premium and many drivers made several unforced errors creating what the Star Mazda PR folk called “an ugly mess.” Jack Hawksworth, started from pole thanks to his setting fast lap on his way to winning Saturday’s Race #1 and executed a great race strategy, managing his tires and his gap to P2 expertly. ““It was a great weekend. It was such…

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Star Mazda – Beginning the Canadian Swing

The IZOD IndyCar Series, Firestone Indy Lights, and Star Mazda Championship began their three-race Canadian stint on the streets of Toronto this weekend. Sage Karam was fastest during Friday practice with a 1:08.793 and nearly eclipsed Dane Cameron’s 1:08.755 track record, falling a mere 0.038 sec short. Sage’s hope for Canada is to close the gap on the championship leaders riding the momentum of his great results on the two ovals races at Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis and the Iowa Speedway in Newton, IA. “The track picked up a…

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Star 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…

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IndyCar – Devolping Talent vs. Quick Fix

The season opening Grand Prix of St. Petersburg is a mere 30 days out give or take. The first time that we will see the DW12 in action and new drivers in new places. Oriol Servia and James Hinchcliffe are two big names that have wound up in new cars, but there are a large crop of up and coming drivers that are still searching for rides. Names like Plowman and Mann are big fan favorites. The big news at the moment is the fate of Formula 1 names like…

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