Rally America – Ken Block Wins Sixth Rally in the 100 Acre Wood

Rally America PR: Salem, MO (February 26th, 2012) — Monster World Rally Team’s Ken Block and Alex Gelsomino piloted their 2012 Ford Fiesta H.F.H.V. to a sixth Rally in the 100 Acre Wood title on February 24-25th, 2012, in Salem, MO. The team won 15 of the 17 stages in a hard-fought battle on the extremely fast Ozark Mountain roads and squeaked out a 29.3 second victory over Subaru Rally Team USA’s David Higgins and Craig Drew. From the very beginning Block set a blistering pace outpacing his rivals to…

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Rally America – Leg 1 Complete at 100AW

It was finally time to see cars on stage and driving in anger for the Rally in the 100 Acre Woods. There were at least five cars on hand with a chance to win the event overall. All eyes were on three drivers however. Ken Block, David Higgins, and Antoine L’Estage were the leaders for their respected manufacturers. When the first car went live at 2:01pm, all gloves were off and the battle dubbed “Clash of the Titans” was under way. Ken Block and his HFHV would take the first…

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Rally America – Thursday Notes From 100 Acre Wood Rally

The OpenPaddock.net crew has finally landed in Salem, MO for the 100 Acre Wood Rally! While action does not start until tomorrow at 2:01 pm central time, the cars were out and about today for tech inspection. This weekend’s event boasts a large number of cars and some unbelievable driving talents which is sure to make the event one to remember! Ken Block’s Ford Fiesta had already passed through tech this morning before we were able to get on scene for photos, but Antoine L’Estage and David Higgins entries along…

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MRTI – USF2000 and Star Mazda TV Deal Announced

We’ve been talking about the possibility of a television package for Star Mazda and perhaps more in 2012 for some time now, but now the deal has finally been announced. The Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear, the Cooper Tires presents the USF2000 National Championship powered by Mazda, and the Playboy MX-5 Cup will be featured on 24-episodes of the Mazda Motorsports Hour on Discovery’s Velocity TV beginning this April. “Hardcore fans know that some of the most intense action can be found in the Playboy MX-5 Cup, Star Mazda…

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Episode 126 – OpenPaddock.net Podcast

Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadThis week the OpenPaddock trio prepare for their home event in southern Missouri. The 100 Acre Wood rally is back and better than ever with a great entry list of crews and cars. We give our opinions on Formula 1 including Trulli getting canned, and the launch of the new Mercedes W03. We discuss the Sarah Fisher engine situation and Doug gives us the weekly wrap up on the Mazda road to Indy. As always, thanks for the download and enjoy the show!

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MRTI – USF2000 and Star Mazda Grids Continue to Grow

While we still wait anxiously for announcements of more driver signings in the Firestone Indy Lights series, the Cooper Tires Presents the USF2000 National Championship Powered by Mazda and the Star Mazda Championship Presented by Goodyear continue to add new drivers and grow their grid sizes. This past week, two new drivers were announced, Henrik Furuseth for USF2000 and Ryan Tveter for Star Mazda. Let’s take a look at these two new Mazda Road to Indy drivers. Ryan Tveter Joins Team GDT in the Star Mazda Championship Ryan Tveter isn’t…

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IndyCar – Devolping Talent vs. Quick Fix

The season opening Grand Prix of St. Petersburg is a mere 30 days out give or take. The first time that we will see the DW12 in action and new drivers in new places. Oriol Servia and James Hinchcliffe are two big names that have wound up in new cars, but there are a large crop of up and coming drivers that are still searching for rides. Names like Plowman and Mann are big fan favorites. The big news at the moment is the fate of Formula 1 names like…

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Mazda Road to Indy – Juncos Racing Showing the Way

A few years ago, Tony George, Jr. and Jason Penix worked on building a clear and proper ladder system, the Mazda Road to Indy, that would enable young drivers to move up through the formula car ranks in the US and Canada, and eventually become one of the lucky 33 drivers to compete in the Greatest Spectacle In Racing. Once a young driver is in the Mazda Road to Indy program, talent combined with business acumen (an unfortunate necessity in motorsports today) have allowed many to rise up through the…

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