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Episode 158 – OpenPaddock.net Podcast

Doug Patterson

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Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadWhile Mike is off playing with bears in the woods somewhere in the Smokey Mountains, Shaun and Doug talk about the confirmation of Red Bull Media House as the 2013 Promoter for the WRC, the reconfiguration of the WRC classes, Formula 1 silly season with Hamilton to Mercedes and Perez to McLaren, and we spend a lot of time talking about the IZOD IndyCar Series 2013 race schedule. Sit back and enjoy as we stagger, stumble, and stutter our way through this week’s motorsports…

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Special Edition – Spike’s Interviews at the Pocono Raceway

Doug Patterson

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Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadThis past Monday morning, the Pocono Raceway and INDYCAR invited the media out to the Tricky Triangle for an official annoucement of its return to open-wheel racing in 2013 as Round 11 on the IZOD IndyCar Series schedule on Independence Day weekend. Constable Spike Rogan took time off from defending the citizens of Tobyhanna, Pennsylvania from miscreants and ne’er-do-wells to attend the announcement ceremonies. Included among the dignitaries on hand were INDYCAR’s CEO Randy Bernard, CEO of the Pocono Raceway Brandon Igdalsky, and racing…

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IndyCar is back home to Pocono in 2013

Mike Shaw

More than just a chilly autumn wind blew into Pocono Raceway today–the IZOD IndyCar Series   arrived with October at Long Pond today. For many this is an announcement of a lifetime 23 years in the making. To put it in perspective: Ed Carpenter was 8, Marco Andretti 2,  Graham Rahal was just 9 months old, while Josef Newgarden was not born for 16 months when IndyCar last raced there.   The excitement at Pocono Raceway today can not be put into words. Local newspaper reporters who have been covering…

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IndyCar – Pocono, The Tricky Triangle is Back!

Doug Patterson

Some of you in the eastern half of the US may have heard a loud detonation or felt a seismic event yesterday. That was the head out our own Spike Rogan exploding after his conversation with Christopher Mele, Executive Editor for the Pocono Record, about IZOD IndyCar Series’ return to Pocono Raceway. Spike has been leading a campaign for a LONG time advocating the return of open-wheel racing to the tricky triangle through various social-media outlets, including a dedicated page Bring IndyCar Back to Pocono. “Every chance I got to…

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Rally – Exciting Changes in WRC for 2013

Doug Patterson

Contributed story by Mike Shaw Today marks the end of what must be one of the most exciting weeks in WRC history!… and none of it had to do with a rally! It all started on Wednesday when rumors at the Paris Motor Show. The final confirmation came on Thursday morning that Hyundai will re-join the WRC as a manufacturer team with their new Hyundai i20 WRC. Also at the Paris Motor Show, there was release of the new Peugeot 208 R5. This caused much debate regarding the large number…

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Rally – Olympus Rally, a Fan’s Perspective

Doug Patterson

Editor’s Note: Mike Shaw has once again given us a remarkable rally article. He and his wife attended the final round of the Rally America National Championship, the Olympus Rally. This was Mike’s second rally of the year, having been to the Oregon Trail Rally earlier this year. In spite of the on-stage spectator areas being closed, the service park and super special stage still offered plenty of excitement. We welcome Mike’s contributions and encourage the rest of you to follow in his footsteps. Have an motorsports opinion, or been…

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Indycar-Silly Season: The First Installment

John Olsakovsky

The checkered flag has flown at Auto Club Speedway and Ryan Hunter-Reay has been crowned the new champion of the IZOD Indycar Series. More than likely, we face six months of no racing before the green flag flies again on the Streets of St. Petersburg, FL, ringing in the 2013 season. Nothing happens between now and then, right? Of course not! Right now is probably the most interesting season, being Silly Season. That’s when all the teams make moves, positioning themselves for the new season. Here’s a team by team…

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USF2000 – 2013 Winterfest Dates Announced

Doug Patterson

The Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda announced the dates for it’s preseason Winterfest. Winterfest is a six-race series that allows teams to evaluate prospective drivers during competitive racing situations. It’s also a time for drivers to get back into form and knock off the rust from the off-season. As they did last year, the six races will be split between Sebring International Raceway and Palm Beach International Raceway with each venue holding three races each. I always look forward to Winterfest. For me, it marks the beginning of…

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SCCA – Learning to DRIVE: A Look at the Kansas City Region SCCA Fall Solo Racing School

Doug Patterson

Twice every year, the Kansas City Region of the SCCA holds a Solo School in which thirty student drivers, mostly drivers with little or no experience in racing competitively, are paired with instructors to provide them with one-on-one instruction on the sport of Solo racing, or autocross, vehicle dynamics, racing lines, and the art of walking and learning a course. We followed rookie autocrosser Tim Steger through his second solo school experience. Tim attended the Spring solo school earlier in the year and competed in his Miata occasionally through the…

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Indycar-Grading the 2012 Season: Teams Edition

John Olsakovsky

With the 2012 season on the books, it’s about time to start breaking down the good and the bad. In this multi-part series, I’ll cover everything from races to drivers, taking an in-depth examination of exactly what went down. Today, let’s kick things off with a look at the teams of the 2012 IZOD Indycar Series. 1. Team Penske Will Power had a typical Will Power season, aside from the fact that he didn’t win another race after Sao Paulo. Once again, Will couldn’t quite find the handle on the…

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