Rally – Quirky Mexico Shakedown

Round 2 of the WRC campaign kicked off today with the shakedown stage and a number of cars would not make it back to service without a battle wound courtesy a water bridge. Petter Solberg would claim the fastest time in the shakedown with a 2:51.7. It would appear as though the gremlins that haunted the Norwegian during Rally Sweden would allow him to enjoy at least one day of the event. Both Petter Solberg and Dani Sordo would suffer damage to their Citroens with the latter actually busting a…

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Episode 28 – Open Paddock Podcast

Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadJoin the crew from Open Paddock this week as we discuss the 100 Acre Wood Rally in detail. No shortage on discussion with points of view from the photographer, a returning fan, and a first time rally attendee. Here from Travis Pastrana on what went wrong for his event as well as a number of interviews from John Cassidy on his adventure through the stages. We also get into the IndyCar silly season as things begin to accelerate towards the season opener as well…

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F1 – USF1 Told to Stop Work

Well it was fun while it lasted, but the news out of Charlotte today is finally the end of what has been one ugly situation. For the last few weeks USF1 has been the center of attention off the track. While teams tested and prepared for the season opener in Bahrain, the struggling American outfit has done nothing but sit in a stalled state. News of backers leaving and sponsors falling off has made for one ugly PR situation for the team that announced in February of 2009 their intentions…

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Rally – 100 Acre Results

Ken Block Wins His Fifth Consecutive 100 Acre Wood Rally Written by: Rally America, Sunday, February 28, 2010 Ken Block and Alex Gelsomino of the Monster World Rally Team have claimed their fifth consecutive 100 Acre Wood Rally win. Block drove the Open Class Ford Fiesta to victory despite having a tough first day and starting the second leg over a minute behind rally leader, Travis Pastrana. The Ford driver was able to gain some ground after Antoine L’Estage dropped to third place due to a water crossing visibility issue…

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Rally – 100 Acre Wood Technical Inspection

The second round of the Rally America National Championship started today with the technical inspection of the vehicles. All the cars and drivers arrived at the Dent County Fire Station so the inspections could be completed. The fans came out in numbers to get a glimpse of the #43 Ford Fiesta of Ken Block. The car arrived at exactly 6:00pm central time and had the door handle broken in about five minutes. Tomorrow marks the start of the rally. First stage begins at about 4:00pm central and ends at about…

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Episode 27 – Open Paddock Podcast

Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadThis week Mike and myself discuss the 100 Acre Wood Rally as we will be in attendance. Look forward to meeting up with john Cassidy from Last Ditch Racing as well as Travis Pastrana and Ken Block. We cover the IndyCar silly season and why many teams are looking to Sebring instead of Barber. We also get into Formula 1 and have a nice debate on Ferrari’s verbage as well as USF1 and the new look Campos Meta.

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OP-Ed – Ferrari the Crusader

There are times when Ferrari releases some crazy PR statements, and then there are times where the completely fall off the wagon with what can only be called ridiculous. Yesterday the team released one of those ridiculous statements. The troubles faced by the new teams on the grid have been well documented by openpaddock and many motorsport publications. Campos Meta’s near collapse teamed with the bloody and ugly falling of USF1 have driven traffic on internet sites through the roof as people search for any bit of news they can…

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