Mike Shaw

Constable’s Corner: Parties at Long Beach, and Pocono?

April 11, 2012April 11, 2012 Mike Shaw

Yes, it has been a long time since I last wrote to you, the fans of Open Paddock. You can thank; warrants being served, people being sued, moves involving protections from abuses being supervised, my lady friend moving (not related to the item before in any way), numerous college research papers, training at the pistol range, countless law enforcement meetings, a bad virus, locus, volcanoes, lions, tigers, bears, and a tendency to put things off as a short list of reasons why the lack of posts. One thing I…

Star Mazda Championship racing at Barber Motorsports Park

April 7, 2012March 26, 2013 Mike Shaw

IndyCar – Indy 500 speculation

April 6, 2012April 11, 2012 Mike Shaw

2012 Dallara DW12 rear wing and endplate

The grapevine says that Townsend Bell will soon announce his intent to race in the Indy 500 for Schmidt-Hamilton Motorsports. I haven’t heard a word about Paul Tracy. Maybe he’s having trouble finding funding to rent a ride after failing to qualify a GEICO car at Indy in 2010. His prior sponsors have migrated to other teams; Wix filters sponsors Lotus DRR (Oriol Servia), and Motegi Racing (wheels for street cars) insignia are seen on Dragon Racing’s cars and Will Power’s helmet. You may remember that Tracy was incensed 13…

IndyCar – Beatriz to Andretti Autosport

April 5, 2012April 5, 2012 Mike Shaw

Is blood thicker than water? Even if it is, money talks. Andretti Autosport apparently will not enter a car for Michael Andretti’s cousin Jeff Andretti in the Indy 500, as it will enter three cars for its regular IndyCar pilots, adding A.A.’s Indy Lights standout Sebastian Saavedra in a fourth Ilmor-powered car, and announcing Ana Beatriz in a fifth car. ‘Bia’ Beatriz intends to race car #25 in her ‘hometown’ race in São Paulo at the end of this month, then in the Indianapolis 500 as a Conquest Racing/Andretti Autosport collaboration.…

IndyCar – Misty Morning

March 31, 2012April 3, 2012 Mike Shaw

A new day has dawned at Barber Motorsports Park in Leeds, Alabama, and fog has blanketed the lush, green hills for hours since the rain abated. Not much to see until the IndyCars roll out for yet another practice, at 8:00. Stay tuned. . . . . . .

IndyCar – Rain, rain, go away …

March 30, 2012April 2, 2012 Mike Shaw

After noon at Barber Motorsports Park, I returned trackside to photograph the Star Mazda Series qualifying session for Open Paddock’s coverage of the Mazda Road to Indy. Five minutes after that qualifying, the IndyCars were due to practice again. I could’ve resumed photographing from the ‘outside’ of Turn 2 or Turn 3, where I’d been yesterday and today for quite long enough, or try a new vantage. So I went to the inside of Turns 2 and 3, onto a landscaped (pruned trees, flowering shrubs) hill around which the race…

IndyCar – Afternoon in Dairyland

March 30, 2012April 4, 2012 Mike Shaw

Greetings from Barber Motorsports Park in Leeds, Alabama. Lightning is striking and rain is falling on this “picturesque, gorgeous” racing facility in the hills east of Birmingham. So all the camera monkeys, like me, scurried for shelter. Some of the photographers are carrying equipment that costs as much as my car. Serious hardware, including 600mm autofocus lenses. That’s right, kids; the biggest lenses that I’ve seen that weren’t called telescopes. The cloudy, slightly breezy morning at B.M.P. saw two sports car series practice, then a lunch break. This afternoon I…

IndyCar – Welcome to Barber Motorsports Park

March 30, 2012April 4, 2012 Mike Shaw

Hello from beautiful Barber Motorsports Park in Leeds, Alabama, near Birmingham. I’ve been spectating here at sports car, IndyCar, and motorcycle races since 2007, and I’ll chime-in with my agreement that this is a “gorgeous facility.” Unlike Sebring International Raceway and other race tracks you can easily call to mind, this is repeatedly referred to, year after year, as a ‘beautiful, park-like setting.’ I rolled in mid-day Thursday, a day or two after race teams, and found Parking Lot C already nine-tenths full. I was surprised, but I shouldn’t have…

Constable’s Corner: 2012 St. Pete picks to watch

March 19, 2012March 19, 2012 Mike Shaw

Well, we are now just a few days away from the 2012 season opener in St. Petersburg. After a highly publicized pre-season test at Sebring some things are very clear. Most notably, Lotus is light years behind Chevrolet and Honda. While some real fan favorites are with Lotus for 2012; Servia, de Silvestro, Tagliani, Bourdais, and series rookie Katherine Legge—The best time in testing was Servia who was only the 19th fastest out of 27 drivers. This is the return of Chevrolet to the IndyCar series after many years…

ALMSChicks – Sebring: Race Day Wrap-Up

March 19, 2012March 19, 2012 Mike Shaw

There is just something about watching the sun come up over the track race day at Sebring International Raceway. You have the best technology that Audi, Corvette, Porsche, and Lotus can offer, practicing at speed with bright sun breaking the horizon. It’s breathtaking! We were able to watch the morning warm-up from the Gurney Terrace Pit Box Seats right behind Dyson Racing. If you are planning on attending the morning warm-up, remember to arrive very early. It took us almost 45 minutes to find a parking spot in the infield.…