F1 – Teams Vote Down KERS Again

Word is now coming out that the teams met over the Singapore GP weekend and voted to not use KERS in 2010. If you recall, this is the second such vote taken this season as FOTA voted to not use KERS in 2010 earlier this year. We were all wondering what would become of the system, but it was given new hope in the form of the finally released technical regulations for next year, which increased the weight minimum from 605kg to 620kg. This move was initially made so that…

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F1 – Eccelstone Doubts USF1

It has been known for what seems like eternity that Bernie Ecclestone is a very outspoken man. One to never let an opportunity in front of a microphone go, Bernie has now heaped scorn at the Peter Windsor/Ken Anderson USF1 entry claiming that he does not believe the team will be ready for 2010. The new Charlotte based team has worked methodically and round the clock to ensure their entry would hit the grid by 2010 and have done it all right in my opinion. They have their own chassis…

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IndyCar – Danica Back for Three More Years

Curt Cavin of the Indianapolis Star reported this evening that Danica Patrick has signed a three-year contract extension with Andretti-Green Racing (soon to be simply Andretti Racing). Much speculation has been thrown about the interwebs regarding her departure from open-wheel racing to seek even more fortune in NASCAR. Even we at Openpaddock.net has dabbled in such speculation. Although she may yet run a race or two (or several) with Tony Stewart’s team, she’s now committed to three more full-time seasons in the IndyCar series. Love her or loathe her, this…

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IndyCar – Danica May Do Double Duty

According to an article on ESPN.com, Danica to try NASCAR in ’10, Ms. Patrick will attempt to follow in Tony Stewart’s shoes by running a full-time IndyCar schedule while also running a significant number of NASCAR Nationwide and ARCA Series races for Tony Stewart’s team. In fact, it looks like she’s be running more races in the taxis than in proper race cars. As I see it, this is very unfortunate. The additional workload will certainly not help her racecraft in an open-wheel car, rather I’d say it will hurt…

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F1 – Schumacher/Ferrari Talk at Monza

With the silly season in full swing and the Italian Grand Prix coming up, what would be a week without a story out of Maranello. While we were lucky enough to acquire Fisichella from Force India to help finish this years campaign, we still have to focus on where we are going to be next year. So lets stir the silly season pot. Crash.net ran a story this morning indicating that both Ferrari and Michael Schumacher will be staging talks on Michael’s involvement in the team next year. However, what…

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IndyCar – 2010 Schedule Thoughts

The IndyCar series schedule for 2010 was release last Friday. By now you have probably already laid eyes on it, but I wanted to give my thoughts next years lineup of events. Date Venue Track Sunday, March 14 Brazil (city TBA) TBD Sunday, March 28 St. Petersburg, Fla. 1.8-mile street course Sunday, April 11 Barber Motorsports Park 2.48-mile road course Sunday, April 18 Long Beach, Calif. 1.968-mile street course Saturday, May 1 Kansas Speedway 1.5-mile oval Sunday, May 30 Indianapolis Motor Speedway 2.5-mile oval Saturday, June 12* Texas Motor Speedway…

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IndyCar – Sweet Home Alabama

As Bob Jenkins eluded to during Sunday’s broadcast from Edmonton and verified today at IndyCar.com, the IndyCar Series will be racing at Barber Motorsports Park next season April 9-11, one week before the traditional date for the Long Beach Grand Prix. The IndyCar Series has tested at Barber a few times in recent years, but drivers and league officials have stated that there must be some significant course changes before the venue would be suitable for a race, especially in establishing safe run-off areas. The track has proved to be…

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F1 – The Future of F1?

The WMSC took the opportunity of their McLaren meeting to put the final touches on their plans for 2010. The FIA also decided that there shall be cost capped teams and unlimited budget teams. Here is a summary of what they decided. Cost capped teams shall be limited to £40 million which is higher than the original amount of £30 million proposed by Max Mosley. They shall be allowed movable aero on the front and rear wings. No rev limit shall be imposed on their engines. No limits shall be…

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