The Pro Mazda Series Presented by Cooper Tires has the honor of being the first, and for this season, the only INDYCAR-sanctioned series to race at the new Circuit of the Americas in Austin, TX. The Mazda Road to Indy teams and drivers have been at COTA all week testing and practicing for qualifying and racing today, and a racing tomorrow in support of the Grand Am Rolex Sports Car Series. Testing earlier in the week provided few genuine surprises, as we mentioned on our most recent podcast, Episode 177.…
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The latest news from the IndyCar Series, Indy Lights, Pro Mazda, and USF2000!
Indycar-Zen and the Art of Relevance
Hooray for sinus infections. I’ve had one for the better part of this week. Instead of suffering through another day at the office, I elected to stay home and rest up a bit. On the tube right now is a replay of the Daytona 500. Undoubtedly, NASCAR is the benchmark of motorsports here in the United States. I can remember a time not so long ago when Indycar drivers were the household names and NASCAR was pretty much a regional series. Now things are pole shifted; NASCAR drivers are widely…
Read MoreEpisode 177 – OpenPaddock.net Podcast
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Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadTonight we’re happy to welcome to the show Peter Portante who will be piloting the #41 Intercity Lines/B&S/California Scents racing machine in the Cooper Tires USF2000 National Championship Powered by Mazda for Belardi Auto Racing. Peter won the Skip Barber Race Series Championship Shootout and the MAZDASPEED Scholarship to compete for a full-season in USF2000, and chose to join Belardi Auto Racing after heavy recruitment from a number of teams. What is truly unique about Peter’s entry into formula car racing in general, and…
Read MoreIndyLights – Peter Dempsey Announces Race Recap Partnership with OpenPaddock
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Read MoreEpisode 176 – OpenPaddock.net Podcast
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Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadOn Episode 176 of the OpenPaddock.net Podcast, the OpenPaddock quartet of Kevin, Mike, Doug, and Mike are joined by a surprise guest, Shaun Effin Pechin! We congratulate Danica on her pole, and banter about the latest F1, Grand-Am, and IndyCar rumors. Mike Shaw previews the upcoming Rally in the 100 Acre Wood, and Doug rants about INDYCAR’s decision to postpone the new Indy Lights chassis and engine. Oh, and with Shaun back on the show, there are firings all around!
Read MoreIndy Lights – No New Chassis for YOU!
So today, Curt Cavin broke the news on Twitter, and the press release from IndyCar followed not too long after, that the new chassis that we’d been expecting in 2014 will have to wait a little while longer. The current chassis and engine spec was originally laid out in 2002 when the series was reincarnated as the Menard’s Infinity Pro Series after the CART version of Indy Lights terminated at the end of the 2001 season. The series at the time was designed to provide a platform to develop drivers…
Read MoreIndyLights – Does the Signing of Gabby Chaves Cinch the Title for SPM?
That giant groan of despair that you heard was the rest of the Firestone Indy Lights grid finding out that they’re all just competing for 2nd in the championship this year as Schmidt Peterson Motorsports (SPM) signs Gabby Chaves to join his formal Star Mazda rival Jack Hawksworth for 2013. With Chaves and Hawksworth as teammates on the outfit that has won six Indy Lights championships, more than any other team, including winning the championship for the past three years running, the rest of the field is looking at pretty…
Read MoreEpisode 175 – OpenPaddock.net Podcast
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Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadThe whole crew, save for Shaun as we await his safe return from deployment, are on this episode of the OpenPaddock.net Podcast. Mike Shaw recaps the amazing Rally Sweden and the dominance Sebastian Ogier in his new Volkswagen Polo, and one of the best photos ever in the history of the WRC (of course it’s of Petter). Kevin Neely and Mike Whitesell share their opinions on the latest news from IndyCar, including the proposed tax incentive the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is seeking from the…
Read MoreUSF2000 – Alberico and Cape Motorsports Dominate Winterfest
After the dominance that Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing displayed last season in the Cooper Tires USF2000 National Championship Powered by Mazda, it’s really no surprise to see them dominate this year’s USF2000 Winterfest. The six-race mini-series that started with three races at the Sebring International Raceway last Tuesday and Wednesday, concluded this weekend with three races at the Palm Beach International Raceway. Californian Neil Alberico won all three of the races, followed immediately by his teammate Canadian Scott Hargrove in P2. That gave Alberico a strong lead headed…
Read MoreIndycar-Mugello added to schedule
The website for the Mugello Circuit in Mugello, Italy confirms a much rumored date for the IZOD Indycar Series has indeed come to fruition. It appears that American Open Wheel Racing returns to Europe for the first time in a number of years on September 15. There are currently no other details available. Keep checking back with us at OpenPaddock.net for more details as they become available. Information on the Mugello Circuit is available on their website, Mugellocircuit.it
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