MRTI – Championship Battles Tighten After MidOhio

The Mid-Ohio IndyCar weekend is a special one to many of us here at OpenPaddock.net. Ok, two of us: Mr. Whitesell and myself. While we do enjoy the IndyCar action throughout the weekend, one of the true joys of the event is the variety and quantity of racing one gets to enjoy. The Mazda Road to Indy was fully represented with Indy Lights and Pro Mazda holding double-headers and USF2000 holding a triple-header. The multiple points-paying races meant that the championship standings could change dramatically, and there were indeed some…

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Episode 243 – OpenPaddock.net Podcast

Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadOpenPaddock.net Episode #243 for Tuesday, August 5, 2014   Preview Ummmm – Bernie gets out of trouble the only way he knows how, Conway in WEC at COTA, Milka in Nationwide because they need airbags IndyCar – Dixon teabags the field at Mid Ohio, 3 races left, and schedule talk for 2015 Rally – WRC Finalnd review and premium content on the web….  get a clue F1.  And some other news for GRC and WRX Ummmmmmmm – Unintelligible ‘malgamum of maniacal mixed motorsports musing…

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SCCA — Mazda MX-5 Cup Ready for Rounds Nine and Ten at Road America

As practice has ended for the Mazda MX-5 Cup Series at Road America, drivers look to tomorrow’s qualifying for a suitable starting position for the upcoming double-header. As teams and drivers decide how to secure a spot on the podium in Elkhart Lake, WI, the one strategy that everyone has been talking about is drafting. No, this isn’t NASCAR and these Mazda’s are not the futuristic looking machines of F1, but here at Road America, drafting will be the name of the game for the two MX-5 Cup Series races this weekend. The combination…

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IndyCar – The MidOhio IndyCar and MRTI Weekend in Photos

Wow. That took a while! I bought some larger cards and felt like I needed to fill them all. Ugh. I finally sorted through and edited all the open-wheel photos and have them posted below. I also have a ton of sports car photos that I’ve sorted, but haven’t finished editing. I’ll have those later along with recaps of the Mazda Road to Indy races and championships and of the Pirelli World Challenge races. You’ve heard Mr. Whitesell and I mention this on the podcast, and I’ll say it here…

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IMSA – Indy Wrap on to Road America

Action Express racing dominated the Grand Prix at the Brickyard this past weekend. Joao Barbosa and Christian Fittipaldi took the lead going into the first turn of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course and didn’t look back. With the win the two drivers have taken over the points lead heading into next weekends event at Road America. But as dominating of a victory it was I believe the real story coming out of Indy was that of Wayne Taylor racing. The driver combo of Jordan and Rickey Taylor, were virtually…

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USF2000 – Three Races for Your Money!

The Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda will once again hold a triple-header on the lovely Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course this weekend in Lexington, OH. Mr. Whitesell and I will be on hand to enjoy all the action, and perhaps we should have brought a Belgian-style Tripel with us. …hindsight. RC Enerson dominated the early rounds of the championship, but the wheels began falling off when the series went to Indianapolis. The Cape Motorsports duo of Florian Latorre and Jake Eidson quickly closed the gap and overtook Enerson in…

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Episode 242 – OpenPaddock.net Podcast

Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadOpenPaddock.net Episode #242 for Tuesday, July 29, 2014 Preview unintelligible ‘malgamation of motorsport musings – F1 Hungary review, a brief review of the madness of Bernie E, and a wee bit o nascar Indy – Mid O preview, hinch in free agency, lights chassis testing, and some good/bad news for the lights series Rally – GRC charlotte, WRC 2017 tech changes, and a yumptastic preview of finland UMMM F1 – Hungaroring review Qualifying – Hamilton has a BBQ for Hungary fans in Q1 &…

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IndyLights – MidOhio Two-Fer Preview

It’s Mid-Ohio Weekend!!! Next to Indianapolis, the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course is my favourite track to visit. The IndyCar weekend is filled with activity and the circuit is never quite. Between the IndyCar Series, the Indy Lights, Pro Mazda, USF2000, and the SCCA Pro Pirelli World Challenge, there’s always someone circulating and there’s a variety of racing machines to enjoy. One of the biggest battles during the weekend will be the fight for the Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires 2014 Championship. Belardi Auto Racing’s Gabby Chaves and Andretti Autosport’s…

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RALLY – WRC.com Launches New WRC+ Service

  Today WRC Promotor GmbH launched a new WRC+ subscription service.  The expanded features include most of what fans have been hoping the free site should have had ages ago.  For $4.99(EUR) a month you can get live stage video, on-boards, the full daily highlight shows, and perhaps best of all live maps with tracking of the drivers on stage.  WRC+ won’t replace the existing excellent WRC Live Radio coverage provided by Colin, Becs, George, and Lisa, but I think it should enhance the overall experience especially with the live tracking maps. I…

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SCCA – KCRSCCA Solo Event 8 Photos

We’re three quarters of the way through the SCCA Kansas City Region’s Solo season. Event 8 was held last Sunday at the usual venue, the Metropolitan Community College Precision Driving Center in Independence, MO. It was a fast, but technically challenging course which proved too much for this photog turned driver. At the end of the day, I remembered Alain Prost’s famous quote, “When I look fast, I’m not smooth and I am going slowly. And when I look slow, I am smooth and going fast.” If only I’d remembered…

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