I will preface this bit by saying this will only cover free practice 2 since that is all we in the US are legally capable of getting. I was happy to see that cars were on track for the first time in 2010. With all the depressing news on USF1 and the other teams as well as the return of Michael and all of the positive stories in the news, I was like a boy on Christmas Eve hardly able to sleep last night. Here are just a few things…
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Rally – FiA Stalls WRC Calendar
The FiA World Motor Sport Council met today with a number of issues on the agenda. One such item, was the 2011 WRC calendar that has been put forth by North One Sport. The calendar that was purposed has been under wraps and had a large amount of buzz surrounding it as we reported about a month ago. The FiA however has stalled the calendar in a very typical FiA fashion. The motorsport governing body asked North One Sport to further consider the calendar. One point that was debated revolves…
Read MoreEpisode 29 – Open Paddock Podcast
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Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadJoin Mike and myself this week as I call in from Washington DC and we discuss the Carl Edwards drama (make fun of it is a better description) and recap Rally Mexico. We also touch on the IRC and another victory for Kris Meeke. We also talk Rahal to Fisher for a short stint as well as offer our insight into Brazil and Bahrain for the grand kickoff of open wheel racing.
Read MoreRally – Corona Mexico Review
So ends the first proper gravel test of the year, and what a rally it turned out to be in Mexico! The clear favorites going into this weekend had to be Mikko Hirvonen and the BP Ford team, however it was not to be as the Citroens would prove to be too much. Day 1 was exciting as Petter Solberg would set a dominant pace all day long. Sebastian Ogier would run a clean and consistent second as the two factory Citroen efforts would take the third and fourth positions.…
Read MoreF1 – Humble Hamilton?…I’m Confused
Anybody who has followed F1 the last few years has come to understand that Lewis Hamilton sometimes has a way of making some pretty far out there statements. This is the man who “blew away” two time champion Fernando Alonso while both drivers were at McLaren together. However, Lewis has had a slightly different tone when discussing his on track action with Michael Schumacher. Autosport has recently ran a story where Hamilton describes his on track action at last weeks Barcelona test with the seven time champion as well as…
Read MoreEpisode 28 – Open Paddock Podcast
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Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadJoin the crew from Open Paddock this week as we discuss the 100 Acre Wood Rally in detail. No shortage on discussion with points of view from the photographer, a returning fan, and a first time rally attendee. Here from Travis Pastrana on what went wrong for his event as well as a number of interviews from John Cassidy on his adventure through the stages. We also get into the IndyCar silly season as things begin to accelerate towards the season opener as well…
Read MoreF1 – USF1 Told to Stop Work
Well it was fun while it lasted, but the news out of Charlotte today is finally the end of what has been one ugly situation. For the last few weeks USF1 has been the center of attention off the track. While teams tested and prepared for the season opener in Bahrain, the struggling American outfit has done nothing but sit in a stalled state. News of backers leaving and sponsors falling off has made for one ugly PR situation for the team that announced in February of 2009 their intentions…
Read MoreEpisode 27 – Open Paddock Podcast
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Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadThis week Mike and myself discuss the 100 Acre Wood Rally as we will be in attendance. Look forward to meeting up with john Cassidy from Last Ditch Racing as well as Travis Pastrana and Ken Block. We cover the IndyCar silly season and why many teams are looking to Sebring instead of Barber. We also get into Formula 1 and have a nice debate on Ferrari’s verbage as well as USF1 and the new look Campos Meta.
Read MoreOP-Ed – Ferrari the Crusader
There are times when Ferrari releases some crazy PR statements, and then there are times where the completely fall off the wagon with what can only be called ridiculous. Yesterday the team released one of those ridiculous statements. The troubles faced by the new teams on the grid have been well documented by openpaddock and many motorsport publications. Campos Meta’s near collapse teamed with the bloody and ugly falling of USF1 have driven traffic on internet sites through the roof as people search for any bit of news they can…
Read MoreOP-Ed – USF1 Denies; Stefan Delivers
The soap opera that is the new teams and the potential 14th grid slot has seen two updates the last 24 hours that doesn’t make the situation any easier. As of the middle of this week we all thought the USF1 project was in a serious state of collapse. This very well may be true but it has not stopped the boys based in Charlotte from refuting the rumors. According to USF1’s twitter account, the team is “not gone” and we are to “have news soon”. Are you serious? Less…
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