Author: Doug Patterson

Motorsports enthusiast since ...well... always. Grew up watching Mario and AJ, took my first lap around IMS in the tour bus in 1977, fell in love with anything that went fast. Currently, I work as a professor of astronomy and physics at a college in the suburbs of Kansas City, http://staff.jccc.edu/dpatter/, and own a photography business, Patterson Prints, with my wife. http://www.pattersonprints.com/

Star Mazda – The Mazda Road to Indy Isn’t Just for Drivers

Doug Patterson

Over the past couple of years, we’ve seen the great success of the Mazda Road to Indy ladder system created by Tony George, Jr. and Jason Penix. While much emphasis is placed on the graduation of drivers from one series to the next, they’re not the only ones picking up skills and looking to advance into the IZOD IndyCar Series. Drivers move up from karts or small formula cars such as the 1600cc Skip Barber machines into the USF2000 National Championship. From there, they step up to a higher-horsepower, more…

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Rally – Photos from the Oregon Trail Rally

Doug Patterson

We extend huge thanks and MAD props to Mike Shaw for his contributions to our coverage of the 3rd Round of the Rally America National Championship, the Oregon Trail Rally. Not only did he offer up a very nice summary and write-up, Fan Perspective of Oregon Trail Rally Pt. 1, he also offered us a collection of outstanding images from the event, all taken from the spectator areas! His work should be proof-positive that you don’t need the fancy media vest or the monster glass to take some great images…

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SCCA – Fun In The Sun at Heartland Park Topeka

Doug Patterson

The third round of the Kansas City Region SCCA Solo Championship took place this past Saturday at Heartland Park Topeka on the infield tarmac on the south end of the course. With all that wide-open tarmac, the course was much faster and open, with broader corners than most autocross courses tend to be. There was a nice mix of lengthy straights, high-speed sweepers, double-apex corners, tight hairpins, and of course a couple of slalom sections. Being held jointly by the Kansas Region and the Kansas City Region, the turnout was…

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SCCA – First Experiences and Experienced Insights at a Solo Event

Doug Patterson

While I’ve been to the SCCA RunOffs before, I had never attended a solo event until this past Sunday. Wow! Simply, wow! I’m not sure exactly what I had expected from my first solo event (aka autocross), but I wasn’t expecting something as interesting, fun, and exciting as what I saw this past Sunday. In many respects, it reminded me of the vibe and feel of a rally. There was a mix of highly-prepped, purpose-built racing machines brought on trailers with support vehicles, parts, and personnel, and machines that were…

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SCCA – My First Day as a Racecar Driver

Doug Patterson

INDEPENDENCE, MO (April 15, 2012), by Tim Steger — First off, as an Aerospace engineer, I don’t do thing without planning. I have had my racecar, a bone stock 93 base Miata, for about 25 days. I recruited a co-driver, who had won a trophy in the past in his own car. I figured he would help me get the car ready, then potentially help improve my driving skills. And yet, after the weeks of planning and wrench time, I realized I had more fun today than I thought possible…

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Star Mazda – New Faces on the Podium at Barber

Doug Patterson

While a little moist at times, the Barber Motorsports Park featured some great racing in the Star Mazda Championship Presented by Goodyear, and a bit of a mixup in regards to who we saw on the podium and especially on the top step. Unfortunately, Barber gets a bad wrap for a course that doesn’t permit much in the way of passing. I think every series there this weekend proved that Barber could support some great racing action. Rain on Friday delayed Race #1 for the Star Mazda Championship, after Team…

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Mazda Road to Indy – Velocity TV Broadcast Schedule

Doug Patterson

The broadcast schedule for the Mazda Motorsports Hour is out! Over the next several months, you can catch highlights of the Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup, the Cooper Tires Presents the USF2000 National Championship Powered by Mazda, and the Star Mazda Championship Presented by Goodyear races on Velocity TV, albeit tape-delayed by a month or so from the actual event. Rick Benjamin’s Carolinas Production Group (CPG) are producing the Mazda Motorsports Hour. CPG has worked with the MX-5 Cup and Star Mazda Championship in the past to produce some outstanding motorsports…

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Star Mazda – St. Pete Offers a Mix at the Top

Doug Patterson

Unlike the USF2000 races which saw the same two drivers, Pigot and Brabham, battle for the race wins clear and away from the rest of the field, the Star Mazda Championship Presented by Goodyear offered quite a variety at the front during it’s opening two races on the Streets of St. Petersburg. The car counts for this first race weekend of 2012 were pretty good with twenty-one racers taking to the hybrid airport/street circuit. Race #1 Connor De Phillippi picked up where he left off at last year’s St. Petersburg…

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USF2000 – Pigot Sweeps St. Pete Weekend

Doug Patterson

The car count was again huge for the Cooper Tires Presents the USF2000 National Championship Powered by Mazda. Thirty-four cars took to the Streets of St. Petersburg for Rounds 3 and 4 of the 2012 season, and again race fans were treated to great action on track in both the Championship and National Classes. It really seems that the series has the balance between the FC and FE cars spot on, although there’s a definite performance differential between the NAT an CHP class cars. Race #1: It was a good…

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MRTI – St. Pete Qualifications Summary

Doug Patterson

As Mr. Bob Varsha is famous for saying during the Formula 1 broadcasts on SpeedTV, “Before you can race, you must qualify!” As of this morning, all three of the Mazda Road to Indy series have qualified for their respective races on the Streets of St. Petersburg. The USF2000 National Championship and the Star Mazda Championship both qualified yesterday afternoon, and the Firestone Indy Lights series just finished their qualifying session this morning. Let’s take a look at the results series-by-series. Cooper Tires Presents the USF2000 National Championship Powered by…

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