The View From the Right Seat by Niall Burns – Episode 4 – Blind Rallying

Mike Shaw

The adventures of world travelling co-driver Niall Burns never cease to amaze!  In this episode he takes us on a fascinating journey into a blind rally.   Episode 4 – The React Blind Rally by Niall Burns I am currently in South Africa preparing for the upcoming SA Championship series opener here at the Goldfields Rally. Today I took some time away from my preparations to take part in quite a unique event, The React Blind Rally. This event is for blind navigators, who use instructions given to them in braille to…

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Episode 290 RallyCast – OpenPaddock.net

Mike Shaw

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Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadIn this week’s RallyCast we kick things off with special guest Anders Green of NASA Rally Sport!  NRS is known for their focus on grassroots rallying, but what you may not know is that they are also technical innovators when it comes to rally timing, scoring, registration, and organization.  Anders gives us the lowdown on all their new tech goodness as well as a preview of the upcoming Sandblast Rally which is only 8 days away!  Also in the program, Mike and Matt review WRC Sweden and…

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The View From the Right (err..Left?) Seat by Niall Burns – Part 3

Mike Shaw

In his latest in his series of “The View From The Right Seat” , our Irish co-driver friend Niall Burns tells us what it’s like back home where tarmac rallying on narrow roads at insane speeds is king!  Sit down, strap in, and enjoy the read!   The View From the Right Seat – Part 3 A couple weeks ago I was asked, “Hey Niall, I want to hear what it’s like rallying down those famous Irish tarmac lanes!”  This question is actually from Mike Shaw himself so I guess I better answer…

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The View From the Right Seat by Niall Burns – Part 2

Mike Shaw

Rally Co Driving Since my last article for Open Paddock I received a question via email asking, “Niall what’s it feel like in the car travelling down those forest roads flat out?”   Well let me try and answer that one.   Rally Co Drivers are sometimes the unsung heros in the car, the following is a statement I read before from Ian Harden, “the driver is only a show case for awesome navigating talent”, I remind myself of this statement sometimes at the end of events where I have…

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WRC – Are They Really Arguing About Safety?

Mike Shaw

The safety argument. It’s such an easy thing to use as the basis for an argument because nobody wants to say they are against safety right?   This week is the Rally Sweden, round 2 on the WRC calendar and the only true winter rally on the schedule (although Wales has had its share of surprises with a bit of the white stuff).  Unfortunately mother nature wasn’t cooperating and unseasonably high temperatures had melted all the snow for many of the stages.  In a desperate move to keep the rally on, organizers cancelled…

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Episode 289 RallyCast – OpenPaddock.net

Mike Shaw

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Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadWe continue our segregated podcasts with episode #289, what we’re calling the Rally-Cast.  This week for your listening pleasure Doug Patterson joins Mike Shaw and Matt Kalish as we interview special guests Troy Miller and Steve Harrell who showed just how close a rally can be decided, and that sportsmanship among competitors can be more important than a victory.  We also discuss the rest of the results from Sno*Drift as well as other Rally America news.  We finish off with a short preview of WRC Sweden which…

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All Fours Rally Team – Marathon Rallying Across The Continent

Mike Shaw

One of the stories you probably haven’t heard from Sno*Drift was about a Pacific Northwest entrant Agatino (Tino) Fortunato of All Fours Rally Team.  You may recall when we discussed on our podcast the 2016 Subaru Contingency Program.  The program centers around the Super Production Class and encourages competitors to purchase and race the newer Subaru WRX and WRX STI platforms.  It offers a combination of discounts for entry fees, a start bonus, as well as cash rewards for podium finishes.  All Fours Rally Team are the first to take full…

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Rally America – The View From the Right Seat and Across the Pond by Niall Burns

Mike Shaw

Irish rally co-driver extraordinaire and friend of the show Niall Burns wanted to give us Americans some insight into how he sees rallying in the USA as both a co-driver and as a rally fan.   The View From the Right Seat and Across the Pond by Niall Burns As it is Super-Bowl weekend, I feel it is only fitting to start this article with a field sport image. You have built the best stadium in the world and you have got the top players in the sport ready to do…

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Episode 289 UMMMMCast – OpenPaddock.net Podcast

Mike Shaw

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Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadContinuing with our segregated shows this week is Episode 289 of UMMMCast focusing on what we like to call the Unexplainable Mixed Malgamation of Motorsports Mayhem.  John takes the helm as we review the 24hrs of Daytona which saw close battles in damn near every class. In F1 news there’s a thankful driver change at Renault and finally engines get the development time they need.  We wrap it up with IndyCar news where they had a media day that apparently barely made the media.

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