FROM: Abu Dhabi Ford: Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team drivers Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen won three speed tests en route to third place after today’s opening leg of Rally Italia Sardegna. The Finns, driving a Ford Fiesta RS World Rally Car, lost time with a puncture after hitting a bank, but a high rate of attrition means they remain in a strong position with two more tough days remaining. Team-mates Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila retired this morning after damaging the suspension of their Fiesta RS WRC when…
Read MoreMonth: May 2011
Rally – Volkswagen to WRC in 2013
Finally, after two years of speculation and rumors concerning Volkswagen and the World Rally Championship, VW officially announced today their entry into the 2013 season. Vehicle of choice you ask? The Volkswagen Polo as pictured. This is supposedly no small entry as Volkswagen is rumored to be putting close to 100 million euros into the program. There has yet to be an announcement on who will pilot the machines as it is still 20 months away from competing. Word in the service park is that a young German driver will…
Read MoreRally – Introducing the VW Polo WRC
IndyCar Garage Forum Update – 5/5/2011
Editor’s note: This is the first in a new series of articles from Tyler Charmichael, Owner and Moderator of the IndyCar Garage. He will be providing weekly updates for us on the latest topics being discussed at IndyCar Garage, OpenPaddock’s recommended fan interaction site. IndyCar Garage Forum – A place for ALL opinions on INDYCAR One of the unique features of www.IndyCarGarage.com (ICG) is the forum tab on the main page and the top discussion threads that are featured as soon as you pull up the site. In order to…
Read MoreF1 Soap Box – The Gathering Concorde Storm
If you thought the last round of Concorde Agreement talks were wild and wooly, with a threatened breakaway series and posturing galore from FOTA, well aren’t you in for a treat in the coming months. Some strange forces are aligning as we hear more details about the supposed News Corp interest and with Ferrari sounding off about their displeasure with the current state of F1 and the future technical package. The Timeframe and Players The current Concorde Agreement expires at the end of this season, so this means the teams…
Read MoreIndy Hump Day Report: Do they want another Pace Car crash 40 years later? Plus when are aero-kits coming?
How much of a “buzz” is a bad thing?: While having a buzz generating for the Indianapolis 500 could be a good thing. The current situation with Donald Trump has quickly become a “bad buzz” not seen in the series since the days of Scott Harrington. Even Harrington’s three DUI arrests in eight months did not cause as much outrage as the current choice for driving the pace car. Trump, since being named has quickly become a highly polarizing figure. I honestly found it in poor choice to pick a…
Read MoreEpisode 87 – Openpaddock.net Podcast
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadShaun and Mike discuss all of the happening in the world of motorsport! Lots to talk about including aero kits and 2012! Sit back with your favorite beverage and enjoy the show! As always, thank you for the download!
Read MoreRally – Olympus Highlights and Matthew Marker Tribute
F1 – Bernie/Ferrari: No World Engine…I Agree
Bernie Ecclestone has for sometime disapproved of Formula 1 adopting the FiA’s “world engine”. You know, the one that is a 1.6 litre turbocharged engine to be used in racing. I mean why not? A four cylinder that is green and pushes the FiA’s green initiative would be perfect. The engine is already used in the World Rally Championship and it runs well. Even sounds good for the rally cars. Compare that to the loud and over stressed naturally aspirated 2.0 used by IRC and SWRC (that sounds like a…
Read MoreVirtual 500 – Vote for Openpaddock.net!
INDYCAR has afforded motorsport writers with a unique chance to compete against their peers. The Virtual 500 is used via iRacing and will see the top 10 writers as voted on you the fans, compete with a shot at racing IZOD IndyCar drivers. Openpaddock has been submitted as a possible entrant into this amazing event. Along with the entry, INDYCAR will work with each blog/website to bring unique coverage to its fans and readers! Head on over to the link posted below and give a Facebook “like” or post a…
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