Author: Mike Shaw

From the Pocono Pulpit: Forget Snow, Let’s Talk Racing!

Mike Shaw

The off season has been a rather long one—with an even longer off season to follow. Now we have finally found the month of March. For many sports fans it is all about “brackets” they will never get right, and college hoops. But for those of us, who crave ethanol fumes, rubber dust in our hair, and ringing ear drums on Mondays—it’s all about the streets of St. Petersburg. The season we have all waited for, whilst snowed in like Eskimos is almost upon us.   It means I will…

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SCCA – Trans Am opens season with 50-plus car field at Sebring

Mike Shaw

Photo courtesy of Trans Am When the green flag waves for Trans Am competitors later today at Sebring International Raceway, a new and exciting chapter will begin for the 48-year-old series. For the first time since 1982, Trans Am will see a field with over 50 entries. This solid grid also appears to set a precedent for the 2014 season: John Clagett, President of The Trans Am Race Company, said next weekend’s race at Homestead has a similar number of participants. There were 51 entries for qualifying at Sebring, with…

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Rally America – Serious Opportunity Ahead

Mike Shaw

A month ago I stated that Rally America had some serious issues with so many of last years’ champions or championship contenders not returning for 2014.  I received many comments, some in support of my statements and some thinking I was nothing but a Rally America hater which couldn’t be farther from the truth.  A few others said “just wait good things are coming,” and those were the people that were right.  Maybe I should have been more patient.  I will say that based on the information available at the time,…

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Rally – 2014 Rally in the 100 Acre Wood Preview

Mike Shaw

Round 2 of the Rally America National Championship gets underway this Friday and Saturday at what is traditionally the fastest event of the season, The Rally in the 100 Acre Wood.  Wide roads with firmly packed dirt make for high speeds with drivers frequently butting up against the rev-limiter.  Last year such speeds weren’t possible as a freak storm pounded the area with ice pellets and freezing temperatures that turned the event into Sno*Drift 2.0.  That won’t be the case for 2014 though as the forecast is showing temps in…

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INDYCAR – The Core Audience: YouTube is King

Mike Shaw

(Note: Numbers used in this article were retrieved on the afternoon of February18, 2014) A conversation between Matt Archuleta (@Indy44 get on twitter… follow him now), Steve Jarzombek (@sejarzo) and myself about YouTube, subscribers, the NASCAR behemoth and IndyCar uncovered something interesting. We all know that NASCAR far and away exceeds INDYCAR in popularity in all aspects of the word. But a curious little tidbit came to light when looking through social media numbers. The oft quoted social media count to determine who is watching is twitter. The official IndyCar…

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PR – K-PAX Racing will run McLaren 12C GT3 cars in 2014 Pirelli World Challenge

Mike Shaw

SAN JOSE, Calif. (Feb. 17, 2014) – K-PAX Racing, winners of three GT Class championships in the Pirelli World Challenge sports car series, today announced it will field a pair of McLaren 12C GT3 cars in in its quest to win a fourth championship in 2014. Driving the McLarens will be Alex Figge, 33, of Denver, Colo., a veteran sports car and open-wheel racer who has won five Pirelli World Challenge races in the last three seasons and Robert Thorne, 23, of Littleton, Colo., a talented road racer who most…

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INDYCAR – A Trophy and a Concert

Mike Shaw

I must commend IMS and INDYCAR for the bold design of the trophy for the new Grand Prix of Indianapolis. The trophy, although not a physical creation as of yet, looks to be another polished silver beauty that has come to define Indycar championship hardware. The futuristic look for the trophy dazzles me; high-tech and aspirational were the two words that come to mind as soon as I saw the hardware. Plus, the trophy has absolutely no historical connections, and I feel that was the correct decision, and important to…

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SCCA – Q&A with MX-5 Cup Competitor, Joey Bickers

Mike Shaw
Joey Bickers at the 2013 Mazda Club Racer Shootout, credit Mike Ditz

Newcomer Joey Bickers will be racing as the MAZDASPEED driver in the 2014 Mazda MX-5 Cup Presented by BFGoodrich. Bickers, from Moorpark, Calif., comes to the series after earning his spot by winning the 2013 Mazda Club Racer Shootout. The successful 21-year-old started his racing career at the beginning of 2012 and has since competed in the Mazda Club Racer Shootout, the Team USA Scholarship program and the NASA Teen Mazda Challenge. In addition, he has participated in karting and F1600 formula car racing. Having been interesting in cars throughout…

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Rally – And Now its Official – Rally America on NBC Sports

Mike Shaw

So we finally have the much anticipated official announcement and press release!   2014 RALLY AMERICA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP TO AIR ON NBC SPORTS NETWORK Williston, VT (February 3, 2014) — NBC SportsNetwork and Rally America, Inc. have reached an agreement to bring eight episodes of the 2014 Rally America National Championship to NBC viewers.Each one-hour show will be jointly produced by Rally America and Rage Productions and will showcase each of the National Championship events. In addition to top quality action sports coverage, episodes will feature personal stories of national…

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PR – Greenhouse Sets Sights on Canadian Championship

Mike Shaw

  Lebanon, OH, USA – Chris Greenhouse and the All Speed Innovations rally team have committed to the CARSRally Canadian Rally Championship for 2014. The Lebanon, Ohio, USA based team will be fighting for the 2WD Championship in their Dodge Neon SRT4. Last year, Chris had a solid third place finish in the RallyAmerica 2WD National Championship, and will be looking to build on the successes of 2013 in the upcoming Canadian series. “We had a good year in 2013,” said Chris. “We gained a lot of valuable experience, we…

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