Category: Pro Mazda

news and commentary on the Pro Mazda Championship racing series in the Mazda Road to Indy

OpenPaddock Podcast – Episode 165

Doug Patterson

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Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadThis week on the OpenPaddock Podcast, we have a packed show and a full house! Mike, Doug, and Kevin are joined by our new Rally reporter Mike Shaw and friend of the show John Olsakovsky. We begin with analysis from Mike Shaw on Petter Solberg’s future in rally and the sad sorry state of M-Sport. Whitesell and Patterson get excited about the addition of GT3 cars in the SCCA Pirelli World Challenge, for our money, some of the absolute best sports car racing to…

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Star Mazda – Photos from Road Atlanta

Doug Patterson

If you’re a regular reader of OpenPaddock.net and a regular listener of OpenPaddock Live on Tuesday nights, you already know that our excellent photographer, Brian McKay was at Road Atlanta last weekend to cover the final round of the 2012 Star Mazda Championship Presented by Goodyear. Be sure to listen to his interview with Andretti Autosport driver Zach Veach. We’ve given teasers of Brian’s photos from the weekend in our coverage of the event, but here is his full gallery of Star Mazda images. Enjoy! Photos from the 2012 Star…

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Episode 161 – OpenPaddock.net Podcast

Doug Patterson

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Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadThis week on the OpenPaddock.net Podcast, Shaun and Doug welcome special guest Sage Karam, driver of the #88 Comfort Revolution Star Mazda car for Andretti Autosport this past season. He speaks to us about how he became connected with the Andretti’s, how his 2012 season went, and his recent testing of a Firestone Indy Lights car. Sage also talks about how important it is for him to lead a normal teenage life in a public school in spite of his full-time racing career. Doug…

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Star Mazda – Road Atlanta Recap

Doug Patterson

The final race of the 2012 Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear saw the checkered flags this afternoon putting a cap on the 2012 season. Gabby Chavez of JDC MotorSports won the pole position yesterday afternoon, edging out Andretti Autosports’ Sage Karam by a mere 0.05s! While the first two positions in the championship standings are already determined, Positions 3 and 4 are still hotly contested by Juncos Racing pilot Connor De Phillippi and Sage Karam. Going into this final round, Connor lead Sage by four points, 303 to 299.…

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Star Mazda – Chavez On Pole at Road Atlanta

Doug Patterson

The final round of the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear takes place this afternoon at the Road Atlanta circuit outside of Braselton, GA. Jack Hawksworth, pilot for Team Pelfrey and 2012 champion, has stepped out of the car this week and is coaching Ryan Tveter who is taking his place in the #82. Jack has dominated the season, but there’s been one driver who has been consistently on his heels and on the podium, Gabby Chavez. Gabby drives the #19 CLARO/Marca Colombia/Tecpro Mazda car for JDC MotorSport and sits…

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Star Mazda – Zach Veach Interview at Road Atlanta

Doug Patterson

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Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadBrian McKay, one of our photographers here at OpenPaddock, is down at Road Atlanta this weekend, and it pulling double-duty for us. Since he’s the only one there for us, he’s working his magic with glass and film (ok image sensor), and he’s serving as our on-site reporter. Today he caught up with Andretti Autosport driver, Zach Veach to talk with him about his experience testing the Firestone Indy Lights car last week at the Chris Griffis Mazda Road to Indy Open Test at…

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Episode 160 — OpenPaddock.net Podcast

Doug Patterson

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Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadIf you missed it last night on ETV Live!, we had the honor of speaking with the newly signed pilot of the #9 Firestone Indy Lights racing machine for Belardi Auto Racing, Mr. Peter Dempsey. Peter shared with us his experiences struggling to find a stable ride through the end of 2011 with Andretti Autosport, racing and coaching in 2012 at Indianapolis and Detroit this past season with Younessi Racing, and ending the 2012 season with Belardi. We also asked him to do some…

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Star Mazda – Hawksworth is Your 2012 Champion

Doug Patterson

Sage Karam’s hopes of catching Team Pelfrey’s lightning fast rookie, Jack Hawksworth, ended in Race #1 of this past weekend’s double-header at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Hawksworth won the pole for Race #1, and as he has done so often this season, he took the checkers after leading every lap of the race. Karam started off the race on scuffed tyres which fell off more rapidly than expected causing Sage to run off course twice in Turn 6 on consecutive laps. Relegated to mid-pack, there wasn’t much else he could…

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Star Mazda – Hawksworth All But Champion

Doug Patterson

As with the two USF2000 races this past weekend on the Streets of Baltimore, the two championship contenders in the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear, Andretti Autosport’s Sage Karam, and Team Pelfrey’s Jack Hawksworth each took a victory, but a DNF by Karam would allow Hawksworth to stretch his lead. With three more races to go, it’s still a battle, but Hawksworth is definitely the favourite. Four drivers are still in contention, mathematically, but the two practical contenders are Jack and Sage. Star Mazda Race #1 Qualifying for Race…

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MRTI – USF2000, Star Mazda, & Indy Lights Photos from Baltimore

Doug Patterson

Our East Coast photography team of Tom and Brenda Turk of Piratical Photography were at the Grand Prix of Baltimore this past weekend and have supplied us with some remarkable images from the event! Here is their gallery of the Mazda Road to Indy photos from the weekend. If you’re in the DC/Baltimore area and need a photographer for your event, wedding, or portraits, be sure to give Tom and Brenda a call.

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