While I thoroughly enjoy the IZOD IndyCar Series and American Le Mans Series races at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, I must admit that my favourite parts of the weekend are the USF2000 and World Challenge races. The USF2000 races this year have seen a huge increase in participation level, with grid sizes routinely in the high 20s and sometimes in the 30s. The SCCA World Challenge has also seen a high level of participation in its three classes. The variety of machines, Championship, Formula Continental, and Formula Enterprise cars…
Read MoreTag: 2013
Episode 158 – OpenPaddock.net Podcast
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Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadWhile Mike is off playing with bears in the woods somewhere in the Smokey Mountains, Shaun and Doug talk about the confirmation of Red Bull Media House as the 2013 Promoter for the WRC, the reconfiguration of the WRC classes, Formula 1 silly season with Hamilton to Mercedes and Perez to McLaren, and we spend a lot of time talking about the IZOD IndyCar Series 2013 race schedule. Sit back and enjoy as we stagger, stumble, and stutter our way through this week’s motorsports…
Read MoreSpecial Edition – Spike’s Interviews at the Pocono Raceway
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Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadThis past Monday morning, the Pocono Raceway and INDYCAR invited the media out to the Tricky Triangle for an official annoucement of its return to open-wheel racing in 2013 as Round 11 on the IZOD IndyCar Series schedule on Independence Day weekend. Constable Spike Rogan took time off from defending the citizens of Tobyhanna, Pennsylvania from miscreants and ne’er-do-wells to attend the announcement ceremonies. Included among the dignitaries on hand were INDYCAR’s CEO Randy Bernard, CEO of the Pocono Raceway Brandon Igdalsky, and racing…
Read MoreIndyCar is back home to Pocono in 2013
More than just a chilly autumn wind blew into Pocono Raceway today–the IZOD IndyCar Series arrived with October at Long Pond today. For many this is an announcement of a lifetime 23 years in the making. To put it in perspective: Ed Carpenter was 8, Marco Andretti 2, Graham Rahal was just 9 months old, while Josef Newgarden was not born for 16 months when IndyCar last raced there. The excitement at Pocono Raceway today can not be put into words. Local newspaper reporters who have been covering…
Read MoreIndyCar – Pocono, The Tricky Triangle is Back!
Some of you in the eastern half of the US may have heard a loud detonation or felt a seismic event yesterday. That was the head out our own Spike Rogan exploding after his conversation with Christopher Mele, Executive Editor for the Pocono Record, about IZOD IndyCar Series’ return to Pocono Raceway. Spike has been leading a campaign for a LONG time advocating the return of open-wheel racing to the tricky triangle through various social-media outlets, including a dedicated page Bring IndyCar Back to Pocono. “Every chance I got to…
Read MoreUSF2000 – 2012 Champions, Changes to FE, and a New Presenting Sponsor
The Championship Class The National and Championship class titles were both decided last Saturday during Race #2 at the Virginia International Raceway, the final race of the 2012 Cooper Tires USF2000 National Championship Powered by Mazda, and it was a good weekend to be a Cape Motorsports driver! Spencer Pigot, thanks to his setting the fastest lap time on his way to a dominant win in Race #1, started from Pole in Race #2 and took that advantage all the way to the checkers, making it a sweep for the…
Read MoreEpisode 141 – OpenPaddock.net Podcast
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Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadJoin Mike and Shaun as they cover the IZOD IndyCar Series from Belle Isle in Detroit. It was a rough weekend with plenty of blame to go around. Shaun launches a tirade against the team owners and Mike tries to bring sanity back to the show…but it is too late. We also talk aero kits and China. Are we going to China? Are we not? We discuss. We also have the brief wrap up of events going on around the world. Enjoy the show!
Read MoreWRC- Volkswagen Announce Ogier
BREAKING: Hirvonen to Citroen!!
Massive news out of the WRC today as Citroen have secured the services of former Ford #1 Mikko Hirvonen going forward. In an uncharacteristic press conference held by the 2011 champions, Hirvonen was announced as teammate to 2011 drivers champion and arch rival Sebastien Loeb. If you can’t beat them, join them right? We all knew it couldn’t last from day one. Sebastien Loeb and Sebastien Ogier that is. The two had a very public falling out this season to which we have not seen since Lewis and Fernando a…
Read MoreRally – MINI Continues 2012 Preperations
This weekend marks the running of the Acropolis Rally in Greece. Typically recognized as one of the hardest rallies on both car and crew around. The MINI works team will not be competing in the event this year, but that has not stopped the team from travelling to Greece. The John Cooper works drivers took part in the typical rally recce today along with their 2012 championship competitors. While the team is not going to run their machines during the event, they did take down pace notes for next season’s…
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