Episode 13 – Open Paddock Podcast

Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadThis week we have Mike, John from Last Ditch and myself to discuss Rally Great Britain and over an hour of rally news. We also hit all of this week’s hot news and announce our first annual something…guess you will have to listen and find out! The show is long and we apologize but we are smooth sailing into the off season and we will work hard to bring you all the motorsport coverage you the fan deserve.

Read More

IndyCar – IZOD and Hunter-Reay

The season of discontent with the IndyCar series is well in hand now. We are waiting patiently to hear any good news out of the IRL head office. Brazil, title sponsorship, Versus getting back on DirecTV, new chassis for 2012, new engine for 2012: all are stories that we need to hear about in the very near future. The IRL has strung all of these things along for quite some time now. Among those items, the title sponsorship has the potential to make the most visible impact on the series.…

Read More

Rally – WRC to Propose 15 Round 2011

The ISC has come forward and announced plans to increase the WRC calendar to 15 rallies as opposed to the 12 we had this season. What is even more interesting is some of the reported locations the ISC are scoping out for these rounds… The WRC has been running redline all month with nothing but positive news coming from the series on a seemingly daily basis. Something the IndyCar series could learn about generating interest in your series, however that is for another day. The ISC has stated that they…

Read More

IndyCar – Penske to Field Three

Autoweek just ran an article quoting Team Penske President, Tim Cindric, as saying that he plans on running three cars in the IndyCar Series and not running Grand Am. “It’s not done yet, but we’re closer,” Cindric said. “I’m planning on running three cars full-time, but I don’t have the deal done yet.” This bodes well for Will Power who signed with Team Penske as a replacement driver while Helio Castroneves fought off charges of tax evasion and fraud. When Helio was exonerated, Will had to relinquish the seat to…

Read More

F1 – Kobayashi in for Yas Marina!

Timo Glock’s leg and back injuries are going to sideline him for the final race of the season. Unfortunately, he only has himself to blame since he was reportedly searching for a different track on his ipod when he skidded off the track during qualifying at Suzuka. So, Kamui Kobayashi has been tapped to start his second F1 race this weekend for Toyota. Toyota was hopeful that Glock would be able to return this weekend for the inaugural Yas Marina night race, but have decided on the side of discretion,…

Read More

IndyCar – Wheldon Signs at Panther

The last 2 weeks have been an absolute drought when it comes to IndyCar information. The only thing we have had to talk about was the press release that the IRL accidentally leaked on their website and quickly took down claiming that Brazilians hacked their website. (Look for a Rio announcement on Friday by the way. That cat is well and truly out of the bag.) But today Panther put an end to that by announcing that Dan Wheldon has been signed for the 2010 season. This also ended speculation…

Read More

F1 – Defend Spa via Petition

As I have detailed on the podcast, my own personal quad-fecta of F1 tracks is Spa, Suzuka, Melbourne & Montreal. Unfortunately all of them have been under assault from FOM over the last few years with Spa, Suzuka and Montreal all going missing at times. But FOM isn’t at the heart of the noise complaints that temporarily shut down Spa this year after its GP. Spa-Francorchamps lost their operating license due to a decision by the local Council of States decision to suspend it until 2026. This was due to…

Read More

F1 – Bernie’s Epic Fail

The British GP is in jeopardy for next year due to the schemes hatched by F1’s very own dottering old man. This saga has taken a few twists and turns over the last year, but we will do our best to lay out the process that started with Bernie’s displeasure with Silverstone and ends with Bernie making the statement earlier this week: “The contract they have is the contract we like. We are not prepared to charge less. Do we need a British Grand Prix? No. I want a British…

Read More

Rally – Day 1 of GB!

So it all comes down to this. One point separates the two title contenders and we are at the season finale, Rally Great Britain. Day 1 was everything I was hoping for and then some. The battle to this point is so intense its conclusion may lead to the destruction of planet earth! Sebastian Loeb currently leads day 1 of the rally by a very slim 5.3 seconds. Loeb began the day by winning the opening three stages with Hirvonen performing poorly. The stages were a nice gravel/mud mix with…

Read More

F1 – Button/McLaren Picking up Steam

2009 has seen Jenson Button and Brawn GP rise from the ashes of Honda to claim both championships and impress the critics who it couldn’t happen. However, according to Motorsport.com, this match made in heaven may be over after only one year. Recent reports of a rift in the championship camp, and Martin Whitmarsh adding fuel to the fire may see the champ in at McLaren with fellow Brit Lewis Hamilton for an all British lineup. While this rumor has been out and about, only recently have comments from Martin…

Read More