Category: Rally America

News and commentary on our domestic rally championship, the Rally America Series.

Episode 182 – OpenPaddock.net Podcast

Doug Patterson

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Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadOpen Paddock #182 – April 1st, 2013 All is quiet in motorsports we care about… Preview Indycar oval rookie testing & barber preview Loeb helping Kubica with WRC debut and Loeb takes on Pikes Peak Thailand for 2015 F1 date? Miscellaneous other stuff to keep us entertained…. Formula E says “a race in Monaco is going to happen” Michelin to supply Formula E LE MANS: Conway Lands WEC Drive With Delta-ADR GRAND-AM: Series Confirms DTM/ITR Agreement IndyCar Oval Rookies Turn Laps At Texas Daly…

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Antoine L’Estage Brings WRC Spec Mitsubishi to Rally America

Mike Shaw

At the end of last year a YouTube clip emerged of Rockstar Energy’s Antoine L’Estage and Nathalie Richard testing a British MML Sports prepared 2005 Mitsubishi Lancer WRC in the Czech Republic. L’Estage later confirmed that they were testing the car, but quickly downplayed any rumors that the car would ever come to North America due to the high cost to operate the machine. At that time L’Estage said that it was hard enough to find funding to compete in both Rally America and the Canadian Rally Championship with his…

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OP-Ed Rallycross: Does it Help or Hurt Stage Rally?

Mike Shaw

This Sunday is the season opener of the FIA European Rallycross Championship (a.k.a. RallycrossRX), which will be followed in just a couple of weeks with the Global Rallycross Championship opener at X-Games Brazil. I began to ponder what other motorsports, and particularly rally fans, thought of the sport of Rallycross. Do you think it helps or hurts stage rally? A quick overview of Rallycross for those not in the know. Rallycross uses what at first appears to be typical 4wd WRC type hot-hatches like the Ford Fiesta and Citroen DS3.…

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Flying High at the 100 Acre Wood Rally!

Mike Shaw

In the World Rally Championship their is Colin’s Crest in Sweden, and El Bronco in Mexico.  At the 100 Acre Wood Rally here in America we have the “Cattle Guard Jump!”  OpenPaddock’s professional photographer extraordinaire Doug Patterson trekked two miles (up hill both ways he tells me)  to capture the action at the Cattle Guard on film.  Here’s Doug’s description of the setting: I’ve been going to the Rally in the 100 Acre Wood headquartered in Salem, MO since 2009, and I’ve loved the experience every single year. Over those past…

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Review – 100 Acre Wood Rally 2013

Mike Shaw

Once again the Rally in the 100 Acre Wood had plenty of action. As everyone descended into Salem, Missouri (or at least attempted to), it wasn’t the teams or the drivers that everyone was talking about, instead it was the weather. On Thursday as everyone went out to do their Recce to adjust their pace notes on the stages, a freak winter storm brought a combination of freezing rain, sleet, and snow. In some places, the icy mix was deeper than the snow in the previous Sno*Drift event in Michigan.…

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Episode 177 – OpenPaddock.net Podcast

Doug Patterson

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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…

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Rally – Photos from the 100 Acre Wood

Doug Patterson

For the first time in a very long while, the Rally in the 100 Acre Wood in and around the Mark Twain National Forest in Southeastern Missouri saw snow-packed roads! It made it tough for many of the volunteers and some of the teams to make it to the event, but there were still a healthy number of folk who made it in before the snows hit. The benefit for us fans was that we were treated to a Sno*Drift Part II on Friday, and great strategy and racing as…

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Preview – 100 Acre Wood Rally

Mike Shaw

Last month we saw a back and forth battle between the factory Subaru team of David Higgins and Co-Driver Craig Drew against 5 time Canadian Rally Champion Antoine L’Estage and Co-Driver Natalie Richard. It all came down to the final stage in northern Michigan where their studless tires searched for grip on the snow covered roads. In the end, Antoine L’Estage came out on top with his Rockstar Energy sponsored Mitsubishi EVO X. This week teams forgo the frozen northern latitudes for the Ozark forest roads outside of Salem, Missouri…

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Episode 176 – OpenPaddock.net Podcast

Doug Patterson

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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!

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