The Flying Lizard Porsche team heads into Long Beach as one of, if the not favorite in the GT field. Drivers Joerg Bergmeister and Patrick Long have won the last two years and hope to score the hat trick this year. While Sebring is unlike any other circuit on the ALMS calendar, the Porsche teams seemed a bit off the pace. A few tweaks to the IMSA Regulations between races and the Porsche’s should be mixing it up with BMW, Ferrari and Corvette teams at Long Beach. Thomas Blam, Flying…
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Episode 83 – Openpaddock.net Podcast
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Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadReal easy show this week as we struggle for things to talk about. Run time is 63 minutes. Taking it easy on everybody after the two and a half hour Goliath shows we posted back to back! Sit back and enjoy as Shaun and Mike run down the week in motorsport news!
Read MoreIt’s About the Content, Not the Medium: The ALMS Gamble
Readying for Long Beach, the brain trust at ALMS are still wringing their collective hands over the negative fan backlash and media criticism of the ABC-ESPN3.com Sebring coverage. Even some of the teams are questioning the series organizer. After all, it wasn’t supposed to be like this. They, the ALMS, hyped their new ABC-ESPN Network package and world-wide, live coverage of their races via the web as groundbreaking. They were venturing into an exciting new digital medium, with a major network partner and opportunities to tap a fresh audience…
Read MoreEpisode 82 – OpenPaddock.net Podcast
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Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadBoys are back and talk all things motorsport. Portugal review, Australia review and all things St. Pete. Show is long, but sit back and relive the best moments of the weekend.
Read MoreOP-ed – Looking Forward to Sebring 60th Next Year
An OP-ed submitted by Barry Foster, aka “MisterMedia20”, aka “trackside”, detailing plans for next year’s 60th running at Sebring. We can start to look forward to it now and make our 2011 plans accordingly. It may seem like a long time away, but 2012 is actually right around the corner for a number of those preparing to celebrate landmark anniversaries in Sebring. Next year represents the centennial anniversary for the city of Sebring, the 75th year for the Highlands County Fair, the 70th annuversary of the Sebring Regional Airport and…
Read MoreAudi R18’s Complete Test
Two Audi R18 “Evolution 2” racers made their first public appearance following the 12 hours of Sebring. All ten Audi drivers were involved in the four day test and the R15 was used to set test benchmarks. According to Audi all three cars generated “thousands of test kilometers to generate important findings relating to vehicle setup, aerodynamics, tires, cooling, and reliability.” The R18’s were scheduled to arrive at Audi Sport in Ingolstadt, Germany, Monday and will be dismantled and analyzed. It’s been reported that one of the R18 “Evolution 2” bested Peugeots…
Read MoreBMW Announce ILMC GTE Contenders
BMW Team Schnitzer will contest the European and China rounds of the ILMC. Drivers for the Team Schnitzer No. 55 BMW M3 GT are Augusto Farfus (BR) and Jörg Müller (DE). ALMS BMW Team RLL driver Dirk Werner (DE) will join them at Le Mans. Lead driver for the second Team Schnitzer (No. 56) BMW M3 GT will be three time world touring car champion Andy Priaulx (GB). Priaulx will be reunited with his Sebring winning teammates, Dirk Muller and Joey Hand at Le Mans. Hand, winner at the Rolex…
Read MoreALMS – Michelotto Test Ferrari 458 at Sebring
While the Risi Competizione 458 that raced at Sebring was headed back to the team’s Houston shop to begin preparations for Long Beach in two weeks, another 458 Italia was being purposely “beat up” at the circuit this week. The unliveried 458 arrived at the track race week from Michelotto, Ferrari’s division responsible for GT and sports prototype racing efforts and development. The car was secured in the Risi transporter, out of sight from the throng of fans and media during the race. That is until Monday when the car…
Read MoreEpisode 81 – OpenPaddock.net Podcast
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Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadJoin the crew for the 81st episode of the show! We are honoured to have Martin Plowman on the show to talk about his 2011 plans and also gives an inside look into the processes involved when hunting sponsorship. Brilliant interview and we want to thank plowey for his time! We also have the latest in INDYCAR, ALMS, Rally and F1! Sit back with your favorite beverage and enjoy the show!
Read MoreALMS – The 12 Hours of Sebring in Pictures
OpenPaddock.net was fortunate enough to have both Brie Rentz, one half of the ALMSChicks, and Ken Poe down at the Sebring International Raceway providing photography for us of the 12 Hours of Sebring. Ken’s photos and some of Brie’s are on our site here under the Photo Galleries, and a TON of Brie’s pics are on our Flickr site. Here are slideshows of each of these sets. Enjoy! Photos stored locally by Ken and Brie 2011 Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring – Friday Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR. 2011 Mobil…
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