Tag: Ogier

Episode 112 – OpenPaddock.net Podcast

Shaun

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Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadJoin the paddock trio as they review Rally GB and the fight for the 2011 WRC drivers championship. They also discuss the big news of a potebntial Ogier/Hirvonen swap for 2012. We also breeze throught the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and try to make sense of Sebastian Vettel’s tire failure. We would also be remissed if we failed to mention the high drama in Austin Texas as the future of the USGP is now in doubt. Thanks as always for the download and we…

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WRC – RACC Rally Spain Final Thoughts

Shaun

So we have now finished the RACC Rally Spain and a title race that was three strong is now down to two. Mikko Hirvonen and Sebastien Loeb are now set for a thrilling one round shootout at the season finale in Great Britain. The French ace Loeb will carry an eight point lead into the final round which just so happens to be Ford’s stomping grounds. Though the title fight was on everyone’s mind, there were a number of great stories that came out of this year’s penultimate round. MINI/Kris…

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WRC – Double Podium in Spain Sends Ford’s Title Fight to Final Round

Shaun

Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen’s quest for a maiden FIA World Rally Championship title will go to a final round shootout after Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team claimed a double podium in Rally de España today. They finished second in a Ford Fiesta RS World Rally Car with team-mates Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila in third, ensuring the drivers’ crown will be decided in Britain next month. The 31-year-old Finn’s title challenge was boosted when Latvala sacrificed second position shortly before the finish to ensure his team-mate maximised his…

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WRC – Update After Day 1 for Rally Spain

Shaun

Just a brief recap here of the events of day 1 for Rally Spain. Keep it to OpenPaddock as the teams post indepth reviews of their first day for the penultimate round of the championship. Conditions were the name of the game for the gravel stages today. Loeb would start first on the road and usually that is an issue, but conditions actually favored the French ace as dust would cause the cars running behind massive problems. The gravel stages were very dry and there was not much of a…

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Rally – Why Loeb’s Extension is Good for the WRC

Shaun

Usually when you have a driver that has dominated a sport as much as Sebastien Loeb has, you tend to think it is bad for business. Honestly, who wants to watch a guy win every single title and nearly every single event? Personally I don’t overly like it but at the same point, I don’t want that person to just pull over. I believe the other teams just need to up their game. That is something that Ford has had a hard time doing this season or any season since…

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MSP – Once Upon a Time in Mexico

Shaun

So it is all over. The first gravel test of 2011 and an all too familiar ending for fans of the WRC. Sebastien Loeb claimed victory south of the border and in pretty dominant fashion. The weekend was not without its issues however. Here are a few points I was able to take away from Round 2. Tires Michelin had a rough showing this weekend. While the brand has been away from rally’s top flight for sometime, there were a number of punctures on the hard rocks of Mexico. The…

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Rally – Manufactured Product?

Shaun

So I know what you are thinking…”Shaun, rally is by far NOT manufactured results like some of our other favorite series.” I agree to you 100% minus the sly tactics the teams pull on occasion. I am talking about the grand scheme of things to be honest and my point is that rally is a sport of manufacturers…or at least it used to be! Audi, MINI, Lancia, Porsche, Peugeot, Ford, Subaru, Mitsubishi, and all the rest were at one time battling it out through the history of rally as full…

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Episode 76 – Openpaddock.net Podcast

Shaun

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadJoin the Paddock crew as they discuss Rally Sweden. An exciting weekend in the WRC and we do the best we can to break down all the madness. We also hit F1, Le Mans, MRTI, and the IZOD IndyCar Series. So sit back and enjoy the rants and debates. Should also throw out that we don’t hate NASCAR fans…just the series. Enjoy!

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Rally – Hirvonen Takes Back to Back Sweden Victories

Shaun

The 2011 season got started with one of the craziest rallies in recent memory! Way to usher in a new era for the Fiesta and DS3. The previous two days of the rally were unpredictable except for one point. Whoever was first on the road usually lost time due to fresh snow. Mikko Hirvonen was to be first on the road this morning and he would prove that to be false as he set some blistering times in the mornings stages on what was really nothing more than fresh ice.…

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