Le Mans – Triumph, Agony and Controversy

Through various racing-related (or racing-adjacent) connections, I’ve been fortunate to gain a number of friends and acquaintances, all of whom I enjoy discussions about racing. One of my fellow “chatnecks” (an inside joke among one subgroup) wrote up his account of this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans.  Thanks speeddemon787!   You can’t make this stuff up for this year’s 24 Hours of LeMans with Porsche winning the overall race for the second year in a row.   How can you feel about Toyota’s devastating lost after dominating most of the…

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WEC – Toyota Answers the Call

The new FiA World Endurance Championship (WEC) received a much needed shot in the arm today as Toyota officially announced their “entry” in this year’s maiden championship. The new TS030 HYBRID will still compete with a single entry at Spa and two machines at Le Mans as originally planned with maybe more on the schedule. The news was announced today and now gives the FiA the two manufacturers needed in the LMP1 division. This will put Toyota one on one with Audi for sports car supremacy. No small order to say…

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Episode 93 – OpenPaddock.net Podcast

Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadJoin Shaun and Mike this week as they talk all things Texas duels. WE talk with our good friend Tyler from IndyCar Garage and ask him for his race experience. We also look ahead to Milwaukee and the picks get a little crazy. We also do a little recap of the Le Mans 24 hour race. We also look to bounce back from last week’s screw up and actual report correct on Formula 1 and discuss Lewis Hamilton’s tactics. As always, thank you for…

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The Ally Becomes a Rival

Part III of  IV on the ALMS Rocked by a sour economy, decimated by manufacturer defections and a TV deal that has been panned by fans and the media (“It’s About the Content Not the Medium”) the American Le Mans Series is in damage control mode.  Yet the biggest blow to the ALMS may end up being the one thrown by its partner, the Automobile Club de l’Ouest.  The ACO are the organizers of the 24 Hours at Le Mans, and partners with the European Le Mans Series (LMS) and North America’s…

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Rebellion Racing Lola on Pole for LMS Paul Ricard

Neel Jani put the Rebellion Racing Lola B10/60 Toyota on pole for Sunday’s 6-Hours of Le Castellet at Paul Ricard for round one of the Le Mans Series.  The TDS Racing Oreca 03 Nissan took top honors in LMP2 class. GTE-Pro field did not disappoint. AF Corse’s Gimmi Bruni repeated his Sebring pole, this time in AF’s Ferrari 458. Bruni’s pole was more dramatic as the car barely made qualifying following a serious crash earlier.  Four out of the top five GTE positions were claimed by Ferrari 458’s. Tomas Enge split the…

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Audi R18’s Complete Test

Two Audi R18 “Evolution 2” racers made their first public appearance following the 12 hours of Sebring. All ten Audi drivers were involved in the four day test and the R15 was used to set test benchmarks. According to Audi all three cars generated “thousands of test kilometers to generate important findings relating to vehicle setup, aerodynamics, tires, cooling, and reliability.” The R18’s were scheduled to arrive at Audi Sport in Ingolstadt, Germany, Monday and will be dismantled and analyzed. It’s been reported that one of the R18 “Evolution 2” bested Peugeots…

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Episode 81 – OpenPaddock.net Podcast

Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadJoin the crew for the 81st episode of the show! We are honoured to have Martin Plowman on the show to talk about his 2011 plans and also gives an inside look into the processes involved when hunting sponsorship. Brilliant interview and we want to thank plowey for his time! We also have the latest in INDYCAR, ALMS, Rally and F1! Sit back with your favorite beverage and enjoy the show!

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Episode 78 – OpenPaddock.net Podcast

Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadJoin Shaun and Mike as they talk this weeks hot INDYCAR news. Texas Duels, FAZZT/Schmidt race team, and all the rest! We also briefly recap the 100 Acre Wood Rally and preview Rally Mexico. The crew makes their fantasy Rally championship predictions and the all important country queen comes up for grabs again. So sit back and enjoy the weeks important motorsport news!

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OP-ED – ALMS TV Deal A Future Model?

Today’s ALMS TV deal will undoubtedly benefit a series that is trying to pick up the pieces after a economic meltdown had it derailed. The American audience was treated to the premier sports car series via Speed and CBS last season. The upgrade to ESPN/ABC offers a lot more positives than negatives in a time where sponsor air time is key. For a series like ALMS that needs more sponsors, this could prove to be a dream come true. The deal today came from a healthy marriage between ALMS and…

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