Episode 42 – Open Paddock Podcast

Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadJoin Mike and I and special guest Chris Estrada from IndyRacingRevolution.com and Foxsports.com. We break down Texas and all of the events contained in what turned out to be a pretty great race. We also talk Ogier and the circus that is Formula 1. A special thanks goes out to Chris for joining us and we look forward to having him on during the future.

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F1 – How Can Austin Succeed Where Indy Failed

McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh recently made his feelings known about the return of the USGP to Austin, Texas in a phone interview with Autosport. His most poignant statement was “I think Formula 1 is used to being poured into markets that want us badly there…. North America frankly doesn’t need Formula 1, so I think it’s for us to go and prove to North America that this is an interesting sport and spectacle and something that it’s worthwhile them taking an interest in.” The US is a stick and…

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F1 – Massa Extension Settles Market

Ferrari has announced this morning the extension of Felipe Massa until the end of the 2012 season. This will give the Maranello based squad the lineup of Alonso/Massa until that point. A smart move by Ferrari who need to keep things relatively the same until they produce better results. It was thought that Alonso and Massa would give Ferrari a nearly untouchable combo this season and while the season is still young, it has been far from roses for the Italian marquee. This decision however will make for a very…

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IndyCar – Flaming Texas Failure and the Decline of Safety in the IndyCar Series

Silvestro on Fire in Texas Simona de Silvestro’s effort at Texas came to an inglorious end on Saturday night. After an accident that left her stranded on track with the right sidepod spouting flames, it took the IndyCar travelling safety crew 40 seconds to extract her from the car. Apparently, the fire hose that they have attached to the safety truck failed and the fire bottles that they brought to bear on the blaze proved insufficient for the task. This resulted in one of the crew members forcefully yanking Simona…

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LeMans – Listen to Quals for the 24 Hrs Live

Its almost time for the greatest sportscar race in the world, the 24 Hours of Le Mans! If you’re not already familiar with RadioLemans.com, head over there right now! They broadcast each LeMans and ALMS race live including commentary, interviews, …the whole nine yards, really. Qualification for this weekend’s 24 Hours of Le Mans will take place today, this afternoon in France and mid morning for us. Be sure to tune in and listen to all the action. We’ll have our thoughts on today’s qualification results and who our picks…

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Rally – Ogier and Sordo Swap Seats

We already knew that Sebastian Ogier was going to step up to the factory Citroen team for 2011, but in a move that comes as a bit of a surprise, Ogier is getting the nod THIS season! For the rest of the gravel rallies this season, Ogier will drive as Loeb’s teammate on the Citroen Total World Rally Team while Dani Sordo will be demoted to the Citroen Junior Team. This is a huge blow to Sordo’s confidence and career. Sordo’s performance these past two seasons have been less than…

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IndyCar – Texas! Now THAT’S what I’m talking about!

Everything is bigger in Texas, even the racing! The IZOD IndyCar Series race at the Texas Motor Speedway has historically been an exciting event with close side-by-side, wheel-to-wheel racing. Last year was a disappointment as we saw a procession with exception of Briscoe who darn near lapped the entire field until a caution for “debris” obliterated the huge lead he’d built. This year, however, the close racing was back! As you may remember, the league made mid-season changes to the oval aero rules, allowing the teams to use some devices…

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Episode 41 – Open Paddock Podcast

Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadJoin Mike and I this week as we return from Indianapolis. We review the greatest race on the planet as well as cover Sebastian Ogier’s surprise win. We also breakdown the Vettel/Webber incident as I (Shaun) rain down scorn on Mark Webber. Good times to be had by all so sit back with your favorite adult beverage and enjoy the random rants this week!

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IndyCar – Fans and Engine Manufacturers Get Their Wish

Today the Indy Racing League issued a press release announcing their specifications for the 2012 engine formula for the IZOD IndyCar Series. The good news is that its pretty much wide open! There will be no spec engines in the next generation IndyCar. Once again, we will see competition between not only drivers and teams, but between manufacturers and engineers as well! Being a bit of an engineering geek, this has me very excited. Once again, we’ll hear multiple engine notes at Indianapolis creating beautiful chords of engineering music. Here’s…

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Road to Indy – Night Before The 500 Summary and Photos

Summary and Quotes Saturday night, the Night Before the 500, saw the first visit to an oval for the US F2000 National Championship presented by Cooper Tires powered by Mazda and the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear. Unlike the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race the next day which was brutally hot, the weather was perfect. We sat in the Turn 1 grass and enjoyed the mild temps and the gentle breeze as we watched the future of open-wheel racing do battle on the 5/8-mile paved oval at the O’Reilly Raceway…

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