Rally – OpenPaddock On-Site at Rally in the 100 Acre Wood

Mike Shaw

Today kicks off round 2 of the Rally America Championship at the storied Rally in the 100 Acre Wood.  Based in the foothills of the Ozarks around Salem, Missouri the roads here are very fast and wide consisting mostly of hard packed dirt.  In previous years open class drivers have been so fast that they eclipsed the maximum allowed average speed for a stage.  That won’t be happening this year as the conditions are going to be very slippery with the a couple of inches of snow that fell overnight and temperatures…

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Episode 263 – OpenPaddock.net Podcast

Mike Shaw

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadWe have a heck of a show this week with multiple special guests!  To kick things off we have FY Racing’s Brenten Kelly and his Irish co-driver Niall Burns to talk Rally America and help us preview the Rally in the 100 Acre Wood that takes place this weekend in Salem, Missouri.  We also have our good friend and favorite astrophysicist Doug Patterson on the line, who’s been off doing other endeavors but has come back to OpenPaddock to satisfy his rally fix.  We’ll…

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Rally – Subaru Rally Team USA New Livery & Wide Body Kit

Mike Shaw

Subaru released images today of the updated body kit for the #75 2015 WRX STi rally car driven by David Higgins and co-driven by Craig Drew.  Of note is the wider stance in the rear of the car adding stability and the narrowed and more aerodynamic front grill.  The new livery is also much improved in our opinion.  This updated edition of the Subaru Rally Team USA car will be competing at the Rally in the 100 Acre Wood this Friday and Saturday outside of Salem, Missouri.  What do you…

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MRTI – WinterFest Round 1: NOLA Motorsports Park

John Olsakovsky

It seems the racing world was dominated by NASCAR news surrounding driver drama and the Daytona 500, but it wasn’t the only racing going on. February 19-20 saw all three series that comprise the Mazda Road to Indy at NOLA Motorsports Park for Cooper Tires WinterFest.  USF2000 and Pro Mazda had three races each, while Indy Lights was able to get some needed test sessions with the new IL-15. WinterFest is unique in that the races accumulate points that don’t transfer to the series’ regular seasons and a WinterFest champion…

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Op-Ed – Daytona 500 isn’t about the fastest car or driver

Mike Shaw

As many of you that listen to our podcasts know, we are not too big on NASCAR and it’s primarily left turn only championship.  However there are always exceptions and the Daytona 500 with its historical significance is one of of those.  The “Great American Race” isn’t what it used to be though.  With the advent of restricter plates, template car bodies, and other strict regulations, it doesn’t matter if your car is a little bit faster than the other guy anymore.  The draft more than makes up for most…

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IndyCar – Beads, booze and bits for #IndyCarMediaDay

John Olsakovsky

Beads? Booze? What do beads have to do with the Verizon IndyCar Series? This is Mardis Gras season, which is what manufacturers o beads look forward to each year. Most people don’t know anything about the celebrations leading into Lent beyond drunken revelry in New Orleans’ French Quarter where ladies show off their…  ahem…  assets in exchange for a string of plastic beads. Without digging too much into the history of Mardis Gras (including the fact that Mobile, Alabama has the oldest Mardis Gras celebration in the country – Thanks…

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Episode 262- OpenPaddock.net Podcast

Mike Shaw

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadFrom Tuesday February 10th, 2015. This week in rally we review Rally America’s Sno*Drift Rally, preview Rally Sweden, and discuss Toyota’s return to the WRC.  In our miscellaneous motorports segment we talk about the awesomeness that is the Bathurst 12 hour race and kangaroo dodging, NISMO GT Academy, and a few bits regarding F1.  We finish up with IndyCar ranting and question whether they are on the cusp of a golden era, then have a whole lot of Mazda Road to Indy as they did a…

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WRC Rally Sweden – USA Live Coverage

Mike Shaw

For those that have MAVTV or WRC+, WRC Rally Sweden is offering up Live TV coverage of 3 of this week’s stages. My favorite has to be the one airing today.  Have you ever played DiRT3 and the Head2Head competition?  Or ever watched the Race of Champions?  That same over-under crossover of 2 cars racing at the same time going the same overall distance is what will be shown today at the Karlstad super special.  Fans voted to help create the head-to-head competitions, and it is always an exciting show.…

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LeMans – Who says video games are a waste of time?

John Olsakovsky

Mike and I spoke on the most recent podcast about the drivers from Nissan’s GT Academy and their stellar performance at the 12 Hours of Bathurst last weekend. If you’re unfamiliar with GT Academy, it is a competition backed by Nissan, Polyphony (the developers of the Gran Turismo games for Playstation consoles). Although the competition has been around since 2008, SpikeTV backed a reality show or the 2011 competition.  The show lasted only one season, but they continue to film episodes, and all seasons are available on Nissan’s YouTube Channel.…

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