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Preview: Sno*Drift Rally

January 25, 2013 Mike Shaw

Rally America is about to kick things off tomorrow with their opening round, the Sno*Drift Rally based in Atlanta, Michigan. Last year we saw ice covered snow, where slow controlled driving was the winner of the day. However this year there is a large snow storm that just passed through and firm packed snow will be the order of the day. This is good, because at Sno*Drift, they aren’t allowed to use studs. They are limited to studless winter tires at best. In anticipation of the season opener, the…

Review: Rally Monte-Carlo 2013

January 24, 2013 Mike Shaw

In recent past the Monte-Carlo rally has been a tarmac rally with patches of ice and slick spots. This year however it was completely different as massive snow storms came through and blanketed the stages. It looked more like Rally Sweden than the Monte-Carlo we have all been accustomed to. At the end of the very first stage Sebastian Ogier gave Volkswagen their first stage win in the debut of the Polo R WRC. It wasn’t by much, but a significant achievement nonetheless. Loeb was just 3.7 seconds behind.…

Indycar-E.J. Viso to Andretti

January 21, 2013February 7, 2013 John Olsakovsky

Sources report this morning that Venezuelan driver E.J. Viso has signed a contract with Andretti Autosport to pilot its 4th entry in the 2013 IZOD Indycar Series. Viso had initially approached the Andrettis about his desire to start his own team, but it appears a ride with Andretti developed instead. Terms of the contract are currently unknown. Viso has 84 Indycar Series starts with one podium, 2 Top 5s, 18 Top 10s, one Fastest Lap and a best series finish of 17th in 2010. Viso is previously the 2003 British…

Episode 171 – OpenPaddock.net Podcast

January 18, 2013 Doug Patterson

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadWe are happy to have on this week’s show, Dan Andersen. Mr. Andersen talks with us about his journey in motorsports from drag racer, to series owner of USF2000, to team owner and back to running the USF2000 series again. We also talk about how he came to take over the Star Mazda series now renamed the Pro Mazda Championship. In addition to our conversation with Dan, Mr. Shaw gives us the run-down on Dakar and a preview of Monte Carlo, Doug goes over…

Preview: Rally Monte Carlo 2013

January 15, 2013 Mike Shaw

Rally fever has been steadily growing across the globe as we get ready for one of the most historic rallies in history. Two weeks ago we got a taste of the European Rally Championship at the Austrian held Jänner Rally which ended in an epic charge by Jan Kopecký to win by just half a second. This time it will be the top level WRC class on the icy roads of southern France pushing to the limit. Who will win? Will Loeb once again out pace everyone? Or will Ogier…

Indycar-IMS, Indycar Leadership Changes

January 12, 2013 John Olsakovsky

Indianapolis, IN: Interim INDYCAR CEO Jeff Belskus named Doug Boles as Chief Operating Officer of IMS and Robby Greene Interim COO of INDYCAR. These moves take effect immediately, and are believed to be at the recommendation of Boston Consulting Group, a team of advisers hired by Hulman & Company to analyze the structure and efficiency of INDYCAR and IMS management. Doug Boles, who had been serving as IMS Communications VP, has also been involved in Indycar as a co-owner of Panther Racing in the series’ early days. His background as an attourney,…

Pro Mazda – Spencer Pigot Formalizes His Position With Team Pelfrey

January 11, 2013 Doug Patterson

Team Pelfrey entered the Star Mazda Championship in 2011 and immediately found success, winning the team championship in their rookie year and narrowly missing the driver championship. This season, they brought three drivers to the fight including Petri Suvanto, the 2011 USF2000 Champion, and hot shoe Jack Hawksworth. Jack and Team Pelfrey walked away with both the 2012 Team and Driver Championship titles. In two short years, Team Pelfrey has established itself as the team beat in Star Mazda, now the Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires. Headed into…

Indycar-2013: A New Hope

January 11, 2013January 11, 2013 John Olsakovsky

January is a pretty amazing month for this racing fan. The first Saturday in January is always the Monster Supercross Series season opener in Anaheim. It’s also the weekend of the Roar Before the 24; Grand-Am’s testing weekend for the Rolex 24. The Dakar Rally is in full swing. Next weekend is NASCAR’s Preseason Thunder in Daytona. All across the world, kids are in their family garages prepping karts for summer racing, guys are hunched over old Toyota Corollas for their local Pony Stock series, and somewhere in the midwest,…

Rally – Season Opener Preview to 2013 Rally America National Championship

January 11, 2013January 11, 2013 Shaun

Williston, VT (January 10, 2013) — The kick-off to the 2013 Rally America National Championship is coming quickly and teams are lining up to take on the snow and ice-covered roads of the Sno*Drift Rally on January 25-26th in Atlanta and Lewiston, MI. Event organizers report approximately a foot of snow has fallen in the local area in recent weeks. A year ago, the Sno*Drift Rally was an extremely icy affair and while there are a couple weeks to go the roads are looking much more like roads than an…

WRC – 2013 Through my Eyes

January 11, 2013 Shaun

While it is true that Mike Shaw has taken the rally section of the site over, I would be remised if I did not have a chance to chime in on the 2013 season that is just a few short days away. The teams and equipment have reached Monte Carlo as we prepare for the historic Monte Carlo Rally set to begin 15 January. 2013 introduces a couple of items that will make this season so very fun to watch. First, Sebastien Loeb is set to only run four events…