One of the most sought after achievements to add to any racing champion’s resume is to tackle one of its oldest and arguably most dangerous events. The famed “Race to the Clouds” at Pikes Peak begins at an altitude of 9,390 feet and finishes in the thin air at the 14,110 foot summit. First competed in 1916 this is the second oldest motor sport race in America and 2013 marks it’s 91st running. Last week we heard exciting news that 9 times World Rally Champion Sebastien Loeb will be driving a…
Read MoreAuthor: Mike Shaw
OP-Ed Rallycross: Does it Help or Hurt Stage Rally?
This Sunday is the season opener of the FIA European Rallycross Championship (a.k.a. RallycrossRX), which will be followed in just a couple of weeks with the Global Rallycross Championship opener at X-Games Brazil. I began to ponder what other motorsports, and particularly rally fans, thought of the sport of Rallycross. Do you think it helps or hurts stage rally? A quick overview of Rallycross for those not in the know. Rallycross uses what at first appears to be typical 4wd WRC type hot-hatches like the Ford Fiesta and Citroen DS3.…
Read MoreSCCA Pirelli World Challenge Guest Ride-Along
SCCA Pro Racing’s Pirelli World Challenge treated some writers and photographers to rides on Saint Petersburg’s temporary race track in two K-Pax Racing Volvo S-60s, driven by Randy Pobst and Alex Figge (above), Cadillac CTS-V.R race cars, and a few street-legal CTS-Vs. I was chauffeured by a SCCA World Challenge series racer for two laps on Saint Petersburg’s downtown streets and a runway of Albert Whitted Airport in a Cadillac CTS-V street car. Its acceleration was impressive (pressed me into the seat), but the braking for Turn 4 really wowed…
Read MoreSports Car Wars Resume
. SCCA Pro Racing’s Pirelli World Challenge returns to the streets of downtown Saint Petersburg, Florida for two races, on Saturday and Sunday. Friday practices were followed by a late-afternoon race-qualifying session. . Alex Figge, driving one of K-PAX Racing’s Volvo S60s, set a qualifying-time record of 1 minute, 13.9 seconds, averaging 87.6 mph on downtown Saint Pete’s 14-turn, 1.8-mile course. Figge edged his teammate Randy Pobst, who will start race one alongside him on the front row. . Figge remarked, “On a street course, it’s nice to have the…
Read MoreFlying High at the 100 Acre Wood Rally!
In the World Rally Championship their is Colin’s Crest in Sweden, and El Bronco in Mexico. At the 100 Acre Wood Rally here in America we have the “Cattle Guard Jump!” OpenPaddock’s professional photographer extraordinaire Doug Patterson trekked two miles (up hill both ways he tells me) to capture the action at the Cattle Guard on film. Here’s Doug’s description of the setting: I’ve been going to the Rally in the 100 Acre Wood headquartered in Salem, MO since 2009, and I’ve loved the experience every single year. Over those past…
Read MoreReview – 100 Acre Wood Rally 2013
Once again the Rally in the 100 Acre Wood had plenty of action. As everyone descended into Salem, Missouri (or at least attempted to), it wasn’t the teams or the drivers that everyone was talking about, instead it was the weather. On Thursday as everyone went out to do their Recce to adjust their pace notes on the stages, a freak winter storm brought a combination of freezing rain, sleet, and snow. In some places, the icy mix was deeper than the snow in the previous Sno*Drift event in Michigan.…
Read MoreVideo – Testing at 100 Acre Wood Rally
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Read MorePreview – 100 Acre Wood Rally
Last month we saw a back and forth battle between the factory Subaru team of David Higgins and Co-Driver Craig Drew against 5 time Canadian Rally Champion Antoine L’Estage and Co-Driver Natalie Richard. It all came down to the final stage in northern Michigan where their studless tires searched for grip on the snow covered roads. In the end, Antoine L’Estage came out on top with his Rockstar Energy sponsored Mitsubishi EVO X. This week teams forgo the frozen northern latitudes for the Ozark forest roads outside of Salem, Missouri…
Read MoreWRC – Rally Sweden 2013 Preview
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Read MoreRacing Legend: Colin McRae
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