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/
Firestone Indy Lights – 2009 Season Review – Battle for the Championship
Battle for the Championship Kentucky Speedway: The Kentucky 100 at the Kentucky Speedway was the 100th race for the Indy Racing League sanctioned Firestone Indy Lights series, although it looked like weather might put a damper on the celebration. The track was dry for the race, but qualifications were rained out resulting in the grid being determined by points. That gave the AFS/AGR team the front row. Wade Cunningham started from P4, right behind his nemesis from Iowa and championship contender Sebastian Saavedra in P2. JR Hildebrand, although being awarded…
Read MoreRally – Block Confirms WRC Ambitions
The hope of seeing Ken Block competing in the WRC in a Monster-sponsored Ford isn’t dead yet. RallySport Magazine put out an article today stating that Ken Block and Chris Atkinson are still working very hard on a WRC program with M-Sport for 2010. “We are still negotiating all contracts,” Ken Block told RallySport Magazine today. “We should have everything wrapped up and announced in early January.” I’m already excited enough about the 2010 WRC season, but Block getting into a Ford would just put it over the top for…
Read MoreIndyCar – Back to the Short Schedule
Curt Cavin reported this morning in the Indianapolis Star that the Month of May would be shortened to the Two Weeks of May. The track will open on May 15th for practice and rookie tests, but qualifying will be condensed to a single weekend. Pole Day will be on Saturday, May 22, and Bump Day will be on Sunday, May 23. The reasoning behind the change is to reduce the operating costs for all parties associated with the event. The teams will spend less money on room and board, the…
Read MoreOP-Ed – Openpaddock Gear Now Available
Its what everyone has been clamoring for, and now its here just in time for Christmas! Openpaddock.net gear is now available through our Cafepress store. Just click on the “Swag Store” tab at the top of the page to see all the great stuff. Be the envy of the office when you show off your stylish new Open Paddock coffee mug. Look like a pro when you walk around the paddock in your new OP Media polo shirt. Stay warm and stylish on those cold weather rally stages in your…
Read MoreF1 – Brawn Suckered by Fraudulent Sponsorship Deal, Sound Familiar?
In a story all too familiar to IndyCar fans, Henkel says the person who signed the sponsorship deal with Brawn GP did not have the authority to do so, and thus Henkel has no financial obligation to the team. Doesn’t this sound exactly like what happened to Sarah Fisher Racing last May? This story, however, gets even better. This is F1 afterall, even fraud scandals have to have some level of political intrigue. As it turns out, Brawn GP new of this deficiency in the paperwork back in late September,…
Read MoreFirestone Indy Lights – 2009 Season Review – Mid-Season Grind
The Mid-Season Grind The two oval races at Kansas and Indianapolis really took a toll on equipment. The devastation seen at Kansas put several teams out of contention for the remainder of the season including Guthrie Racing being banned for their harsh response Sean Guthrie’s endangerment of the Delphi Safety Crew. The first few races of the season saw strong grids with cars numbering in the mid-20s. After Indianapolis, the fields were significantly reduced averaging around 17 cars. This was a disappointing, but considering how many shards of carbon fiber…
Read MoreFirestone Indy Lights – 2009 Season Review – Spring Races
Introduction A dedicated feeder series to the primary American Open-Wheel Racing series has been in existance in one form or another since 1986. The American Racing Series began in 1986 to serve as a development platform for CART, since the Formula Atlantics series which had been around since 1965 had failed to race in 1984, and existed as two separate series, a Pacific and an Atlantic series, from 1985 to 1990. In 1991, the same year that the split Formula Atlantics championship merged back into a single national series, the…
Read MoreIndyCar – The Road To Indy
There have been many things fans, teams, drivers, and sponsors have all been requesting/begging/demanding from the Indy Racing League. We asked for better racing than we were getting at the beginning of 2009, and we got it. We asked for multiple manufacturers for both the engines and the chassis, and it looks like we might get those. We asked for a title sponsor, and we got that, too. One big thing that people have been asking for that will do more to improve the influx of new talent and hopefully…
Read MoreIndyLights – Kimball Joins Plowman at Andretti Autosport
This morning, it was announced that Charlie Kimball will join Martin Plowman on the AFS Racing/Andretti Autosport Firestone Indy Lights team for the 2010 season. This marks a significant step up for Charlie who raced last year for Palm Beach International Racing, as well as for Plowman (aka Plowey) who raced for the now defunct Panther Racing FIL team. AFS/AA has won the past two series championships with Raphael “Rafa” Matos in 2008 and JR Hildebrand in 2009. There’s no doubt that the AFS/AA rides are currently the best in…
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