SCCA — Copeland Sweeps MX-5 Cup Double Header at Road America

Mike Shaw

Rounds Nine and 10 of the Mazda MX-5 Cup Series came to a close this weekend at the renowned road course of Road America, located in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. Driver Dean Copeland had a great performance on his favorite track, finishing first in both races. During Round 10, Copeland made a great save after going over the curb in Canada Corner and injuring the car, resulting in the steering wheel being offset by almost 90 degrees, yet still managed to hold on to the lead and take the top step of the podium. In the…

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SCCA – Pirelli World Challenge at Mid-Ohio, Best Races of the Weekend

Doug Patterson

The IndyCar weekend at the Mid-Ohio SportsCar Course is a special one for myself and Mr. Whitesell. It’s a wonderful weekend of gorging ourselves on fried bologna sandwiches, tasty craft beers, and as much racing as you can pack into a 10-hour day. In addition to the Verizon IndyCar Series, the entire Mazda Road to Indy Program which includes Indy Lights, Pro Mazda, and USF2000, were on hand, as well as the best damn racing in North America the Pirelli World Challenge. Even when the weekend was shared with the…

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SCCA – Newgarden Moonlights in Formula Ford, Kicks Everyone’s Backside!

Doug Patterson

So what does a Verizon IndyCar Series driver do during an off weekend? How about going to a Formula Ford race and kicking everyone butt! That’s exactly what Josef Newgarden did this past weekend down at the Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, AL. I contemplated going to this event, and now I wish I’d done so! Here’s the official recap from the SCCA… Official Release from the Sports Car Club of America Newgarden Wins Formula F 45th Anniversary Feature Race at Barber BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (Aug. 10, 2014) – Taking a…

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MRTI – Championship Battles Tighten After MidOhio

Doug Patterson

The Mid-Ohio IndyCar weekend is a special one to many of us here at OpenPaddock.net. Ok, two of us: Mr. Whitesell and myself. While we do enjoy the IndyCar action throughout the weekend, one of the true joys of the event is the variety and quantity of racing one gets to enjoy. The Mazda Road to Indy was fully represented with Indy Lights and Pro Mazda holding double-headers and USF2000 holding a triple-header. The multiple points-paying races meant that the championship standings could change dramatically, and there were indeed some…

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Episode 243 – OpenPaddock.net Podcast

Doug Patterson

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadOpenPaddock.net Episode #243 for Tuesday, August 5, 2014   Preview Ummmm – Bernie gets out of trouble the only way he knows how, Conway in WEC at COTA, Milka in Nationwide because they need airbags IndyCar – Dixon teabags the field at Mid Ohio, 3 races left, and schedule talk for 2015 Rally – WRC Finalnd review and premium content on the web….  get a clue F1.  And some other news for GRC and WRX Ummmmmmmm – Unintelligible ‘malgamum of maniacal mixed motorsports musing…

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SCCA — Mazda MX-5 Cup Ready for Rounds Nine and Ten at Road America

Mike Shaw

As practice has ended for the Mazda MX-5 Cup Series at Road America, drivers look to tomorrow’s qualifying for a suitable starting position for the upcoming double-header. As teams and drivers decide how to secure a spot on the podium in Elkhart Lake, WI, the one strategy that everyone has been talking about is drafting. No, this isn’t NASCAR and these Mazda’s are not the futuristic looking machines of F1, but here at Road America, drafting will be the name of the game for the two MX-5 Cup Series races this weekend. The combination…

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IndyCar – The MidOhio IndyCar and MRTI Weekend in Photos

Doug Patterson

Wow. That took a while! I bought some larger cards and felt like I needed to fill them all. Ugh. I finally sorted through and edited all the open-wheel photos and have them posted below. I also have a ton of sports car photos that I’ve sorted, but haven’t finished editing. I’ll have those later along with recaps of the Mazda Road to Indy races and championships and of the Pirelli World Challenge races. You’ve heard Mr. Whitesell and I mention this on the podcast, and I’ll say it here…

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IMSA – Indy Wrap on to Road America

Mike Shaw

Action Express racing dominated the Grand Prix at the Brickyard this past weekend. Joao Barbosa and Christian Fittipaldi took the lead going into the first turn of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course and didn’t look back. With the win the two drivers have taken over the points lead heading into next weekends event at Road America. But as dominating of a victory it was I believe the real story coming out of Indy was that of Wayne Taylor racing. The driver combo of Jordan and Rickey Taylor, were virtually…

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USF2000 – Three Races for Your Money!

Doug Patterson

The Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda will once again hold a triple-header on the lovely Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course this weekend in Lexington, OH. Mr. Whitesell and I will be on hand to enjoy all the action, and perhaps we should have brought a Belgian-style Tripel with us. …hindsight. RC Enerson dominated the early rounds of the championship, but the wheels began falling off when the series went to Indianapolis. The Cape Motorsports duo of Florian Latorre and Jake Eidson quickly closed the gap and overtook Enerson in…

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Episode 242 – OpenPaddock.net Podcast

Doug Patterson

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadOpenPaddock.net Episode #242 for Tuesday, July 29, 2014 Preview unintelligible ‘malgamation of motorsport musings – F1 Hungary review, a brief review of the madness of Bernie E, and a wee bit o nascar Indy – Mid O preview, hinch in free agency, lights chassis testing, and some good/bad news for the lights series Rally – GRC charlotte, WRC 2017 tech changes, and a yumptastic preview of finland UMMM F1 – Hungaroring review Qualifying – Hamilton has a BBQ for Hungary fans in Q1 &…

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