The 2011 Formula 1 season has been nothing short of spectacular, and this week’s race in China was one of the most exciting Formula 1 races I’ve seen in a very long time. Best of all, there was overtaking! And not that silly meaningless back-n-forth type of passing you see in some left-turn-only races, but well planned, well executed, well defended passes for position and even the lead! For the past few years, the Pinnacle of Motorsports has been trying to find ways to enhance the ability of drivers to…
Read MoreINDYCAR – Conway Checks Out of Long Beach
The IZOD IndyCar series headed out west to the city streets of Long Beach this weekend. The Toyota Long Beach Grand Prix is the most prestigous street course race in America and one that every driver has on the checklist of must wins. Ryan Hunter-Reay and Will Power were the odds on favorites after qualifying on the front row, but some late race drama ensured that Mike Conway would take his first career win in the IICS at this historic venue. Instead of giving a lap by lap rendition of…
Read MoreIndyLights – Long Beach Qualifying and New Additions
The Firestone Indy Lights Series will be racing tomorrow in support of the IZOD IndyCar Series on the famous Streets of Long Beach, and today’s qualifying session was very exciting. Before we get to the qualifying results and the implications for the race, first let’s look at some very positive news for the series that broke this week. Two new drivers join the Firestone Indy Lights ranks, and if you’re a regular reader of OpenPaddock, you’ll know that the car count in this step on the Mazda Road to Indy…
Read MoreIndy Hump Day Report: PT, parties like the Dude in Long Beach
It is the rule now, so deal with it kids! So Barber was an unexpected eventful race. Aside from the dominance of the leader up front (Will Power) it was an event with plenty of passing. Mainly due to a crazy little thing called “double file re-starts”. While one writer from a national McNewspaper tries his hardest every week to craft “anti-double file re-start” quotes from the drivers, it is clear the action fans see of this new on-track product is working. I don’t get why Tony Kanaan keeps complaining,…
Read MoreEpisode 84 – Openpadock.net Podcast
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Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadJoin Shaun and Mike as they hash out the week’s rally news! Thats not all of it though..we had an F1 race in Malaysia and another race in China! Shaun also recaps his visit Barber! Want a recap of the Barber race? We got that too with our opinion to spice it up! Sit back as always and enjoy the show!
Read MoreIndyLights – Control! Control! You must learn control!
Yoda would be shaking his head in disappointment if he saw the carnage at Barber, and I don’t mean to only point at the Firestone Indy Lights drivers. There was plenty of carbon fiber shrapnel in the IZOD IndyCar Series race as well. During the Firestone Indy Lights race, a number of cars capable of victory or at least a podium were taken out by silly, over-aggressive moves. Even the qualifying for the Indy Lights drivers was a bit chaotic. Josef Newgarden, who had been so strong in testing and…
Read MoreALMS – Long Beach Preview
Flying Lizards Going for Long Beach Hat Trick
The Flying Lizard Porsche team heads into Long Beach as one of, if the not favorite in the GT field. Drivers Joerg Bergmeister and Patrick Long have won the last two years and hope to score the hat trick this year. While Sebring is unlike any other circuit on the ALMS calendar, the Porsche teams seemed a bit off the pace. A few tweaks to the IMSA Regulations between races and the Porsche’s should be mixing it up with BMW, Ferrari and Corvette teams at Long Beach. Thomas Blam, Flying…
Read MoreRally – MINI WRC Team is officially launched in Oxford
FROM: MINI WRC: Oxford/Munich, 11th April 2011. The return of MINI to one of the biggest stages in motorsport is approaching ever closer. On Monday, the MINI WRC Team was officially presented to the public at the Team Launch, which took place at the MINI Plant in Oxford (GB). This season, the team will contest six rounds of the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) with the MINI John Cooper Works WRC. The car will be tested against its rivals for the first time at the Rally d’Italia Sardegna from 5th…
Read MoreStar Mazda – Familiar Teams, New Faces on the Podium
The second round of the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear was contested this past Sunday at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, AL. The race on Sunday morning turned out to be an indicator of things to come as all three races this weekend, Star Mazda, Indy Lights, and IndyCar, would all follow the same pattern. Tristan Vautier started from pole and never looked back, leading all 33 laps of the race and taking the checkers a whopping 39.586 seconds ahead of 2nd place finisher, Nick Andries. “We knew that…
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