Episode 139 – OpenPaddock.net Podcast
Podcast: Play in new window | Download Mike and Doug run amuck as Shaun enjoys time off and discuss all the silliness surrounding the IZOD IndyCar Series, the Lotus (Slowtus?) engines, and preview the Indianapolis 500, the Mazda Road to Indy races, WRC Rally Acropolis, and the Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix. Read More →
USF2000 – Pigot Sweeps St. Pete Weekend
The car count was again huge for the Cooper Tires Presents the USF2000 National Championship Powered by Mazda. Thirty-four cars took to the Streets of St. Petersburg for Rounds 3 and 4 of the 2012 season, and again race fans were treated to great action on track in both the Championship and National Classes. It really seems that the series has the balance between the FC and FE cars spot on, although there’s a definite performance differential... [Read More...]
MRTI – St. Pete Qualifications Summary
As Mr. Bob Varsha is famous for saying during the Formula 1 broadcasts on SpeedTV, “Before you can race, you must qualify!” As of this morning, all three of the Mazda Road to Indy series have qualified for their respective races on the Streets of St. Petersburg. The USF2000 National Championship and the Star Mazda Championship both qualified yesterday afternoon, and the Firestone Indy Lights series just finished their qualifying session... [Read More...]
USF2000 – AcceleRace Motorsports Returns to the Track
Our friends at AcceleRace Motorsports will be returning to competition on the Streets of St. Petersburg this coming weekend. As if the Cooper Tires Presents the USF2000 National Championship Powered by Mazda didn’t have a large enough field already, AcceleRace will be adding at least one more car to the grid. It’s uncertain right now just what type of car they will enter. The team does have a Championship class car as well as FC and FE... [Read More...]
IndyCar – Graduates Talk About their Mazda Road to Indy Experience
USF2000 – Sebring Race 2 Recap
Two races are now in the books for the 14-race Cooper Tires Presents the USF2000 National Championship Powered by Mazda 2012 season. Race 2 at the Sebring International Raceway took place this morning right before lunch with all 36 entries from yesterday taking to the track again today. The starting line-up for Race 2 was determined by the fastest race laps in Race 1. Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing driver and Race 1 winner Matthew Brabham... [Read More...]
USF2000 – Sebring Race 1 Marred by FCYs
A record-setting field, 36 cars in all, took to the grid to contest the opening round of the 2012 Cooper Tires Presents the USF2000 National Championship Powered by Mazda took place this afternoon at the Sebring International Raceway. As Mike and I discussed on the podcast (Ep 129) last night, dealing with traffic and the congested track was going to be key to success, and we were not wrong. ArmsUp Motorsports Luigi Biangardi took the pole position... [Read More...]
USF2000 – Sebring Field Shatters Record and Expectations
I’ve been saying for a while now that the Cooper Tires Presents the USF2000 National Championship Powered by Mazda was going to have some great fields this season, but even my overly-optimistic fan-boy predictions were short of the mark! I had thought that we’d see mid- to high-twenties, which I thought was a bit of a stretch. Turns out, it was a gross underestimate! A total of 35 cars are signed up to contest the opening round at Sebring... [Read More...]
MRTI – USF2000 and Star Mazda Grids Continue to Grow
While we still wait anxiously for announcements of more driver signings in the Firestone Indy Lights series, the Cooper Tires Presents the USF2000 National Championship Powered by Mazda and the Star Mazda Championship Presented by Goodyear continue to add new drivers and grow their grid sizes. This past week, two new drivers were announced, Henrik Furuseth for USF2000 and Ryan Tveter for Star Mazda. Let’s take a look at these two new Mazda... [Read More...]
Mazda Road to Indy – Juncos Racing Showing the Way
A few years ago, Tony George, Jr. and Jason Penix worked on building a clear and proper ladder system, the Mazda Road to Indy, that would enable young drivers to move up through the formula car ranks in the US and Canada, and eventually become one of the lucky 33 drivers to compete in the Greatest Spectacle In Racing. Once a young driver is in the Mazda Road to Indy program, talent combined with business acumen (an unfortunate necessity in motorsports... [Read More...]
