Mazda Road to Indy – Looking Forward to Milwaukee

Doug Patterson

On Memorial Day Weekend, the Mazda Road to Indy drivers all ran for the first time on ovals, albeit different ones. The Firestone Indy Lights series ran the Firestone Freedom 100 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Carburetion Day, while the Cooper Tires Presents the US F2000 National Championship Powered by Mazda, the Star Mazda Championship Presented by Goodyear, and the Mopar USAC Midget Series raced on the Night Before the 500 at the newly renamed Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis. This weekend all four series will again compete on…

Read More

INDYCAR – Texas Leaves Many Conflicted

Shaun

So here it is Monday morning and I am still conflicted as many other members of the INDYCAR Nation are with what exactly happened on Saturday night. I tried to sleep on it…then let all the other races finish before writing and I am still as conflicted over it as I was before. The idea was simple and yet has caused much debate about the future formatting of the event. The first round was typical Texas to a point. The cars ran qualifying and the most skilled and best set…

Read More

Audi Wins Le Mans

Mike Shaw

Benoit Treluyer, Andre Lotterer and Marcel Fassler won the 79th Le Mans 24 Hours in the #2 Audi Sport Team Joest R18, 13.854 seconds ahead of the #9 Peugeot of Simon Pagenaud, Sebastien Bourdais and Pedro Lamy. It was an exciting race as Audi and Peugeot battled throughout, exchanging leads several times during the night and early morning. The race was marred by two serious incidents that took out two of the three font running Audis, both involved slower cars from the GTE-Pro class. Allan McNish crashed out in the…

Read More

Second Audi Involved in Horrific Crash

Mike Shaw

The #1 Audi R18 of defending Le Man winner Mike ‘Rocky’ Rockefeller  has been involved in a violent shunt with a slower GTE  car at the high speed kink between Mulsanne and  Indianapolis corner. Audi Sport has confirmed that Rockefeller was able to get out of the car himself that he spoke to the team and has been taken to the hospital. Rockefeller was overtaking one the AF Corse Ferrari 458s on the straightaway leading up to Indianapolis when the Ferrari inexplicably started to move into the path of the…

Read More

McNish Survives Massive Crash

Mike Shaw

Allan McNish survived a massive crash that put the #3 Audi out of this year’s Le Mans 24 Hours in the first hour of racing. McNish was attempting to pass teammate Timo Bernhard for the lead in the esses after the Dunlop Bridge, but as he past Bernhard’s Audi the Luxury Racing #58 Ferrari 458 GTE of Anthony Beltoise, also racing for position, moved over and clipped the Audi sending both cars off course. McNish’s Audi appeared to glide and skipped across gravel trap, becoming airborne and slamming into the…

Read More

Rally – Ford Looks to Turn up the Heat as WRC Turns Tough in Greece

Shaun

FROM: Abu Dhabi Ford Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team faces the toughest round of the FIA World Rally Championship in Greece next week intent on extending its excellent record in one of the series’ classic fixtures. Intense heat and rocky mountain tracks make the Acropolis Rally (16 – 19 June) a gruelling test of man and machine, but Ford has won there seven times in the last 10 encounters. The rally returns to the series after a year’s absence and this seventh round marks the halfway point of the…

Read More

FIA Endurance Championship Official

Mike Shaw

More details of the 2012 FIA World Endurance Championship were shared today during an ACO   press conference at Le Mans. ACO President Jean-Claude Plassart and FIA President Jean Todt presented the main championships guidelines during. As recently reported on openpaddock.net the new Championship series will mirror the current ILMC series. There will be six races plus Le Mans. Two will be in North America, most likely at Sebring and Petit Le Mans at the Road Atlanta circuit. Two will be in Europe in addition to Le Mans, and two races…

Read More

Audi On Pole, Clinch Front Row

Mike Shaw

Frenchman Benoit Tréluyer set pole position for the 24 Hours of Le Mans piloting the #2 Audi Sport Team Joest. It is Audi’s first pole at Le Mans since 2006. Tréluyer benefited from a clear lap to best the #1 Audi Sport Team Joest of Timo Bernhard/Romain Dumas/Mike Rockenfeller. The Team Peugeot Total of Simon Pagenaud/Sebastian Bourdais/Pedro Lamy will start third. The Audis and Peugeots traded fast times but as often the case at Le Mans, traffic hampered flying laps for both teams.   The final session wasn’t without incident…

Read More