F1 – Renault Called to the Woodshed

Piquetgate appears to be picking up steam. Here is an FIA statement released today: Representatives of ING Renault F1 have been requested to appear before an extraordinary meeting of the FIA World Motor Sport Council in Paris on Monday, 21 September 2009. The team representatives have been called to answer charges, including a breach of Article 151c of the International Sporting Code, that the team conspired with its driver, Nelson Piquet Jr, to cause a deliberate crash at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix with the aim of causing the deployment…

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Rally – Stop Crying

As was predicted on the show this week, we have protestors who are plaguing Rally Australia over the environmental “damage” the race causes. This dates back to the court ruling last week when a judge in Australia denied an injunction on the event because of the damage it would cause to the ecological grounds. SS6 Was cancelled when protestors threw rocks onto the car path. Australian authorities have stated they will find those responsible and prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law. The stage is set to be…

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Rally – Solberg Chooses Citroen

We have been waiting for some time now on a decision from Petter Solberg in regards to his choice in car for the last two rounds of the championship. The former champion has teetered on the brink of an 07 C4 and an 08 Focus to use in Spain and Great Britain. Now that he has had a chance to drive them both, he has made his decision. The C4 will get the nod for the last two rounds with Petter saying it is the best car for him at…

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Rally – Latvala Leads OZ

The WRC has concluded day 1 in Australia and a bit of a surprise has taken shape at the top of the leader board. The surprises may be short lived because of road conditions, however there is clearly some tactical decision making going on amongst the title contenders. Jari Matti Latvala has put the Ford Focus at the front of the rally after day 1 with a slim lead over Citroen Junior Team driver Sebastian Ogier. Ogier is off to the best start in his WRC career and is only…

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OP-Ed – RE: Miller, Chicago, and Scariness

Robin Miller has long been known as an antagonist and rabble-rouser in American Open-Wheel Racing, but now he’s gone too far. In his article, Miller’s Post-Chicago Notebook at SpeedTV.com, he calls the current oval-racing product from the IndyCar Series “suicidal.” Personally, that inescapable pack racing scares the hell out of me because of the reality of what can happen. … Indy car racing should be challenging and dangerous, just not suicidal. — Robin Miller Are you serious, Robin? This isn’t some soapbox derby. This is IndyCar Racing! This top level…

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F1 – Fisichella in at Ferrari

Giancarlo Fisichella was confirmed Thursday as the second driver for Ferrari on the heels of his brilliant second place finish at Spa. The Italian will now fulfill a lifelong dream and compete at Monza in the red outfit in front of the tifosi on race day. Fisi was thankful to his Force India team for releasing him to the Italian squad in what many people thought was the only logical choice. Fisi was battling Robert Kubica for the second seat and will now replace Luca Badoer. Badoer was the stand…

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IndyCar – Pink Lloyd for Miami

If you recall a few weeks ago, Alex Lloyd ended his relationship with Chip Ganassi. He signed with Chip after winning the 2007 Indy Pro Series championship in the hopes of getting a race seat. But this proved to be very difficult. Chip’s contract with Target would not allow him to run a 3rd car unless it had the same funding as the two Target cars (estimated at $8 million per car), so Alex drove for Chip (through Rahal and Schmidt) at the last two 500’s, and that was it.…

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Podcast – Episode 6 Tonight!!

Tonight the schedules have finally mixed and the stars have aligned for the sixth installment of the Open Paddock Podcast. Tonight’s topics will be Spa, Moto GP (just a dab), Chicago, Rally America, ALMS, as well as a WRC preview! Also, tune in as Mike and I go over all the hot news items of the week. Should be available for download late tonight and for sure early tomorrow for you iTunes subscribers.

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F1 – Renault Beat Down Imminent

What a wonderful weekend we had. The championship is starting to tighten a little and Spa was a welcome relief from all the Tilke inspired garbage that litters the F1 calendar. We had also been granted a brief reprieve from all the political wrangling. It was nice while it lasted. Renault is in the hotseat and we have a new ‘gate to add to our ever growing list of media circus events. We will dub it ‘Piquetgate’. Think back to one of the more sublime moments of the 2008 season.…

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