Tag: 2010

Kansas Review – Open Paddock Podcast

Shaun

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Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadJoin Mike and Doug as they discuss the IndyCar race in Kansas. Doug was on hand for the weekend and took some amazing shots at the track and tells Mike all about the events over the weekend. Very special thanks to Doug for going out and taking some just beautiful shots of the IZOD IndyCar drivers and cars in anger! Be sure to also check out the photo gallery on a regular basis for the latest shots out of Kansas!

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IndyCar – Kansas Retrospective

Doug Patterson

Let’s be honest. We may have seen the last open-wheel race at the Kansas Speedway. The track is very capable of producing great racing. If you read my preview posts discussing the history of the IZOD IndyCar Series in Kansas City, you already know that. The track is the home of some of the closest finishes and most exciting racing in the history of IndyCar racing under Indy Racing League sanction. However, the event in recent years has been poorly promoted, and as a result its been poorly attended. Estimates…

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IndyCar – Live From Kansas: Quals Review

Doug Patterson

The rains from the morning finally ceased and the Kansas Speedway crew broke out the parade of trucks and the jet blowers to try and dry out the saturated track. As a result, IZOD IndyCar Series officials decided to push back the start time for qualifications from 4:30pm to 5:15pm. The delay was designed to allow teams and drivers to get at least two hours of practice time earlier in the afternoon, which was very welcome for all the competitors. Well, all perhaps except for Mario Romancini who backed his…

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IndyCar – Live from Kansas: Friday Morning

Doug Patterson

Wind, thunder, lightning, and hail. Welcome to springtime in Kansas! A line of storms are moving through the area this morning dumping copious amounts of rain on the speedway flooding most of the infield. Quarter-sized hail also pounded the track this morning. Expect the morning practice session to be terminated, and it’s not likely that the afternoon session will be a go, either. The storms should move out in time for qualifications, but with no practice time, drivers new and inexperienced with oval racing will be seriously disadvantaged. In fact,…

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Episode 36 – Open Paddock Podcast

Shaun

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Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadJoin Mike and I this week as we give a brief review of the Olympus Rally. We try to hash out IndyCar engine news and go over the landmark (yeah right) WRC 2011 calendar. We briefly talk F1 as the circus continues and Mike uses profanity…thats new! lol 🙂 Sorry Mike

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IndyCar – Kansas Preview: Revised aero could make for revived racing

Doug Patterson

The Story Thus Far The First Oval This weekends race at the Kansas Speedway will be the first oval event of the season, and will serve as the lead-in event to the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race at the end of May. Not only is this the first oval race of the this season, its also the first oval race for a number of rookie drivers to the series. [aside: it seems very strange to call Takuma Sato a “rookie”.] Takuma Sato, Simona De Silvestro, and Bertrand Baguette will compete for…

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IndyCar – Kansas Preview: Kansas Speedway 2007-2009

Doug Patterson

The Spring Years: 2007-2009 As exciting as the summer races at the Kansas Speedway were, the spring races have been lack-luster. During the 2007 race, the leaders ran away from the rest of the field. Dan Wheldon crossed the checkered and yellow flags ahead of the eventual season champion Indianapolis 500 winner Dario Franchitti as the race ended under caution. There was no doubt about who the winner was going to be, though. Dixon was definitely the class of the field that day. 3rd and 4th place finishers Helio Castroneves…

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IndyCar – Kansas Preview: Kansas Speedway 2001-2006

Doug Patterson

The Summer Years: 2001-2006 The first IZOD IndyCar Series race at the Kansas Speedway was held on July 8th, 2001. Those of you in the Midwest already know that no July 8th, surrounded by tarmac and concrete, it will be oppressively hot, and so it was for the first six races. Summertime in the Midwestern states, and especially in the central plains are brutal for both their high temperatures and high humidities. These conditions would challenge and tax both drivers and fans, but these years also produced some of the…

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IndyCar – Friday Night Sprints at Valley Speedway

Doug Patterson

Coming to Kansas City for the IZOD IndyCar Series race this weekend, or are you fortunate enough to live in the area? This Friday night, get in touch with the origins of open-wheel racing in the US, good ol’ fashion wingless sprint cars running around on a local 1/4-mile dirt track. On April 30th, Valley Speedway in Grain Valley, MO, will be featuring wingless 305 sprint cars, 1200cc lightning sprints, 600cc micro sprints, and Midwest mod-lites. Valley Speedway is a great small-town track with easy parking, great stands and facilities,…

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Rally – Who is the Bigger Media Circus?

Shaun

One of the exciting prospects we had heading into this year’s World Rally Championship was the two media circus drivers who would compete. Both Kimi Raikkonen and Ken Block had mega hype surrounding them as they announced their plans to compete at rally’s top flight, but the true question up to this point is who is the biggest of the media juggernauts? Kimi Raikkonen came over to the Citroen Junior Squad after a successful stint in Formula 1. The Finn would capture the 2007 championship during the first year of…

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