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MRTI – WinterFest Round 1: NOLA Motorsports Park

February 22, 2015 John Olsakovsky

It seems the racing world was dominated by NASCAR news surrounding driver drama and the Daytona 500, but it wasn’t the only racing going on. February 19-20 saw all three series that comprise the Mazda Road to Indy at NOLA Motorsports Park for Cooper Tires WinterFest. USF2000 and Pro Mazda had three races each, while Indy Lights was able to get some needed test sessions with the new IL-15. WinterFest is unique in that the races accumulate points that don’t transfer to the series’ regular seasons and a WinterFest champion…

Op-Ed – Daytona 500 isn’t about the fastest car or driver

February 22, 2015 Mike Shaw

As many of you that listen to our podcasts know, we are not too big on NASCAR and it’s primarily left turn only championship. However there are always exceptions and the Daytona 500 with its historical significance is one of of those. The “Great American Race” isn’t what it used to be though. With the advent of restricter plates, template car bodies, and other strict regulations, it doesn’t matter if your car is a little bit faster than the other guy anymore. The draft more than makes up for most…

IndyCar – Beads, booze and bits for #IndyCarMediaDay

February 17, 2015 John Olsakovsky

Beads? Booze? What do beads have to do with the Verizon IndyCar Series? This is Mardis Gras season, which is what manufacturers o beads look forward to each year. Most people don’t know anything about the celebrations leading into Lent beyond drunken revelry in New Orleans’ French Quarter where ladies show off their… ahem… assets in exchange for a string of plastic beads. Without digging too much into the history of Mardis Gras (including the fact that Mobile, Alabama has the oldest Mardis Gras celebration in the country – Thanks…

Episode 262- OpenPaddock.net Podcast

February 13, 2015 Mike Shaw

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadFrom Tuesday February 10th, 2015. This week in rally we review Rally America’s Sno*Drift Rally, preview Rally Sweden, and discuss Toyota’s return to the WRC. In our miscellaneous motorports segment we talk about the awesomeness that is the Bathurst 12 hour race and kangaroo dodging, NISMO GT Academy, and a few bits regarding F1. We finish up with IndyCar ranting and question whether they are on the cusp of a golden era, then have a whole lot of Mazda Road to Indy as they did a…

WRC Rally Sweden – USA Live Coverage

February 12, 2015 Mike Shaw

For those that have MAVTV or WRC+, WRC Rally Sweden is offering up Live TV coverage of 3 of this week’s stages. My favorite has to be the one airing today. Have you ever played DiRT3 and the Head2Head competition? Or ever watched the Race of Champions? That same over-under crossover of 2 cars racing at the same time going the same overall distance is what will be shown today at the Karlstad super special. Fans voted to help create the head-to-head competitions, and it is always an exciting show.…

HELP WANTED! – 100 Acre Wood Rally in Need of Volunteers

February 8, 2015 Mike Shaw

With the addition of big names to the 2nd round of the Rally America National Championship at the 100 Acre Wood Rally, organizers are now in desperate need of more volunteers. Ken Block alone can draw in considerably more fans and add to that a likely close battle with David Higgins and a 60 car field and the event will be packed. All this means there is a need for more marshals to help keep the rally safe and fun for everyone. I’ve been volunteering at rally events for years and I…

Sports Cars – Bathurst 12 Hour with Global Live Streaming Today!

February 7, 2015February 7, 2015 Mike Shaw

The Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 hour race in Australia has to be one of the most iconic races in the world, and a lot of that has to do with the track. The race takes place at the Mount Panorama Race Track and it it literally built into the side of the mountain. I don’t know of another race track on the planet with as much elevation change over the same distance as Bathurst. I’m admittedly more of a rally racing fan than a circuit racing fan, but one of those reasons…

Rallies This Weekend – We Laugh at Silly Long Off Seasons!

February 6, 2015 Mike Shaw

Unlike most other forms of motorsports, rally racing is already in full swing for the 2015 season. There is no need to wait for good weather as difficult winter conditions are prime territory for the fire breathing, crest jumping, beasts of rally. Last month already saw the Internationale Jännerrallye in Austria for the ERC, Rally Monte-Carlo for the WRC, and the Sno*Drift Rally in Rally America. This weekend we get even more championships underway with the Middle East Rally Championship, Canadian Rally Championship, and the ERC is already into round…

100 Acre Wood Rally Gets Boost With Last Minute Entries

February 5, 2015 Mike Shaw

I’ve been watching the entry list for the 100 Acre Wood Rally pretty closely, especially after the low car count that came to Sno*Drift last weekend. Although as I said in my review of that event here, Sno*Drift is a unique rally and isn’t probably the best test of what the season will look like going forward. Sno*Drift had only 36 entries of which 13 were national entries. As of this writing 100 Acre Wood has almost double at 60 cars on their entry list and 19 of those are…

PR – OREGON TRAIL RALLY PARTICIPATES IN PORTLAND INTERNATIONAL AUTO SHOW

February 3, 2015 Mike Shaw

PORTLAND, OREGON (February 2, 2015) – Billed as the premier Auto Show of the Pacific Northwest, the Portland International Auto Show will this year include a display from the Oregon Trail Rally. The Oregon Trail Rally, round 3 of the 2015 Rally America National Championship calendar, will present two competition vehicles as part of the Subaru display at the Auto Show. On the main floor of the Oregon Convention Center, fans will have the opportunity to view these finely prepared rally racing vehicles. Event officials and drivers will be available…