There’s been a lot of talk about this being a strong possibility throughout the interwebs in recent weeks, and we should give a loud shoutout to Formula1Blog.com for really leading the discussion and analysis of the potential implications. Today, the official word came down from Crown Prince, Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, that the season opening grand prix at the Bahrain International Circuit has been canceled due to the explosion of civil unrest. There had always been protests in Bahrain as the Shi’a felt that their rights and…
Read MoreAuthor: 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/
Mazda Road to Indy Weekly Wrapup: 2/13-2/19
There’s not been a whole lot going on this past week in the Mazda Road to Indy Program, but we did get a couple of big driver announcements late in the week. The fields are starting to fill up, so in the coming weeks, we’ll be putting together a preview of the 2011 seasons for the Cooper Tires presents the US F2000 National Championship powered by Mazda, the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear, and the Firestone Indy Lights Series including a summary of driver/team combinations. For now, though, let’s…
Read MoreStarMazda – Nick Mancuso Joins JDC MotorSports for a Partial Season
The driver announcements keep coming! As we approach the open test for the Star Mazda Series down at Barber Motorsports Park, teams and drivers are rapidly finding accommodation and signing contracts. JDC MotorSports is back at it again this week with another driver signing with young sports car racer Nick Mancuso. Although he’s tested with JDC MotorSports previously, this season will be his first competitive run in a single-seater formula car. “Things have been coming together nicely for our team in the last few weeks and we are very excited…
Read MoreStar Mazda – JDC MotorSports signs Tristan Vautier
The young French driver, Tristan Vautier, returns to the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear with JDC MotorSports. In 2010, Tristan drove for Andersen Racing and won the season opener in Sebring and Race #2 at New Jersey Motorsports Park before finishing 5th in championship points at the end of the season. “We are very happy to have concluded a deal with Tristan for the 2011 season. We feel that Tristan has the ability to run up-front and put our team back up in a championship position for 2011.” —…
Read MoreRally – Co-Driver Chris Patterson Drives Solberg’s D3 at Rally Sweden
INDYCAR – OpenPaddock Remembers Tom Carnegie
There are a number of great articles out right now remembering and recalling the career of the great Tom Carnegie, Voice of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway from 1946 to 2006, passed away this morning at the age of 91. For any fan of motorsports, today is a sad day as we lose one of the greatest announcers in sports history. Anyone who had been to the Speedway during his tenure surely can never forget his deep, rich, baritone, and how he could play the crowd like a fiddle, stirring up…
Read MoreMazda Road to Indy Wrap-up: 2/6-2/12
Well, I mentioned it on the OpenPaddock.net Podcast Ep. 75, but I didn’t think things would happen so fast. We’ve had a lot of testing going on recently, and at this late date, testing isn’t solely for the cars, but is a genuine evaluation of driving talent. Think of these late pre-season tests as job interviews. With so much testing going on, it only stood to reason that we’d start hearing more and more driver announcements in the comming weeks. Well, we ended up with four just this week and…
Read MoreInside The Helmet – The Juncos Racing Quartet
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Podcast: Play in new window | Download In this episode of Inside the Helmet – Mazda Road to Indy Edition, we talk with the four drivers for Juncos Racing’s 2011 Star Mazda Championship team: Tatiana Calderon, João Horto, Martin Scuncio, and Gustavo Menezes. All four bring a unique perspective to the Juncos Racing team, and to racing in the Star Mazda Championship. They also tell us about the very unique pre-season testing program that Juncos Racing put them through this year, a three-week “boot camp” in which they went to…
Read MoreIndyCar – In Memory of Tom Carnegie
Star Mazda – 2010 Stand-out Connor De Phillippi Joins Team Pelfrey for 2011
Connor De Phillipi who contested the 2010 Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear with JDC MotorSports will be joining Nick Andries at the fledgling squad Team Pelfrey. Perhaps “fledgling” isn’t as appropriate as “repatriated” since Pelfrey has certainly been a competitor in Indy Car racing in years past at various levels. Connor won Rookie of the Year honors in 2010 finishing the season third in championship points, scoring eleven top-ten finishes, three podiums, and winning the season finale at Road Atlanta from pole. “I’m so glad to be a part…
Read More