Episode 33 – Open Paddock Podcast

Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadMike and I jump into Rally Jordan and the drug deals that went on. We also recap the Malaysian Grand Prix as well as all the news in the F1 realm. We also bring a short preview of things to come at Barber this weekend. Mike explodes on a rant right off the bat! Grab your favorite adult beverage, sit back and enjoy!

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Rally – MINI WRC News

As was mentioned a few months ago, MINI was looking to jump into the WRC arena with Prodrive given the S2000T regulations. MINI who was once involved with rally’s top flight looks to return on the wings of the Countryman crossover. Yesterday I had mentioned that with the news coming out of the Czech Republic on Skoda’s decision to develop the 1.6T and further its development its S2000 chassis, little had been heard from Prodrive or MINI aside from the facts that they were in Sweden on fact finding missions.…

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Rally – Skoda 1.6T in WRC

There are now reports surfacing out of the Czech Republic that home automaker Skoda will now develop a 1.6T engine and continue development on the Fabia S2000 chassis. While the details are a little thin at the moment, it would appear that the WRC will have at least the four manufacturers it was hoping for. There is currently no news on whether this will be a supply to privateers or a factory effort, but the Czech team has shown itself very well in the IRC at the factory level. From…

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F1 – Thoughts on Malaysia GP

It has been told to me a number of times that the third race is usually the first “actual” race of the season. A time where we start to see clearly where the teams stack up against each other. Sepang would be this third race and I was able to pull away some interesting ideas while also gathering a clear understanding of who the real contenders would be. Red Bull Racing used this weekend to put on yet another clinic. This time they were able to get the job done.…

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Rally – Jordan Gets Dirty

The dust was not the only thing that made things rather dirty on day 3 of Rally Jordan. There was tactics a plenty and some rather questionable moves by a few select individuals that would make the result a little sketchy. After the misfortune suffered by Mikko Hirvonen on day 2, Sebastian Loeb merely just needed to finish the event in order to collect a hefty points lead heading into Turkey. The Frenchman did just that by taking his 56th career victory over the factory Ford number 2 of Jari-Matti…

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Episode 32 – Open Paddock Podcast

Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadJoin the crew as we celebrate OP’s 1 year celebration that we almost forgot. We also break down Australia and St. Pete. We also break the hot news of the week and look ahead to Rally Jordan and the Malaysian Grand Prix. Sit back with one of your favorite adult beverages (or coffee if on your way to your job) and enjoy Episode 32.

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F1 – Torque Drive Ended Vettel’s Race

It has now being reported that the left torque drive was the reason for Sebastian Vettel’s retirement down under this weekend. This coming out as Brembo says their brake system was in fact not at fault for what happened to the 22 year old star. Below is a segment of the press release from Brembo: “With regard to the retirement of the Red Bull Racing’s driver Sebastian Vettel during the Grand Prix of Australia, Brembo communicates that the cause of his exit in Turn 13 was not caused by the…

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F1 – Australian Grand Prix Thoughts

Saturday night/Sunday morning brought us the second round of the Formula 1 2010 campaign and WOW! What a difference a wet track makes! Jenson Button would take an impressive victory and would actually get a couple respect points added in my book. The first corner clash of champions would prove too much for Michael Schumacher to overcome, but what about Fernando Alonso? What a dominant performance in the Ferrari after being spun completely around. I for one had wrote him off after that and he then showed me why he…

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