Once again, it’s been a good week for the newly titled Mazda Road to Indy program, although perhaps not AS packed as last week. We can’t always expect banner weeks like we’ve had recently, but still there are some big positives from this week’s news. We have the signing of a driver in Firestone Indy Lights, a couple of Firestone Indy Lights drivers graduating to the IZOD IndyCar Series, and some testing opportunities. Let’s start with the official driver announcements. Driver Announcements Charlie Kimball This Thursday, in a move we…
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Road To Indy – 2011 Schedules for The Road to Indy
The 2011 schedules are set for all three steps in the Road To Indy program and there are some significant changes from the 2010 schedule. First, lets look at just what the schedules are. US F2000 National Championship Date Venue Mar 17 Sebring Race #1 Mar 18 Sebring Race #2 Mar 26 St. Pete Race #1 Mar 27 St. Pete Race #2 May 28 O’Reilly Raceway Park Jun 18 The Milwaukee Mile Aug 5 Mid-Ohio Race #1 Aug 6 Mid-Ohio Race #2 Aug 19 Road America Race #1 Aug 20…
Read MoreEpisode 62 – Openpaddock.net Podcast
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Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadJoin Doug and myself as we talk about the IndyCar Downforce Banquet and announce some exciting news! We also talk about racing Justin Wilson on iRacing. We also get into actual events that took place this weekend with Rally Spain and the Korean Grand Prix. Both saw excellent off road action and the F1 title race has been put on its head. Sit back with your favorite beverage and listen to a great conversation even though news has been hard to come by!
Read MoreOpEd – Indy Downforce Banquet Exceeds Expectations
Every year in October, after the end of the IZOD IndyCar Series season, the official fan club of the league, Indy Downforce, has their year-end banquet and celebration. Every year that I’ve been a member of the club, I’ve read the comments by others about how much they’ve enjoyed the banquet, but unfortunately I was never able to attend. Well, this year I made it a priority to go, and wow did I ever pick the right year. This year’s event was much more than just an evening banquet. INDYCAR…
Read MoreVideo – Randy Bernard Discusses the USAC Scholarship to FIL
IndyCar – USAC Champ Gets Oval Ride in Firestone Indy Lights
I don’t normally do this, but it so interesting that I’m going to post the press release from IndyCar in its entirety. I’ll have some commentary regarding this scholarship for the USAC Champion to race the ovals in Firestone Indy Lights afterward. FIRESTONE INDY LIGHTS SCHOLARSHIP ADDED TO USAC NATIONAL DRIVERS CHAMPION’S PRIZE Wednesday Oct 20, 2010 INDIANAPOLIS (Wednesday, Oct. 20, 2010) – INDYCAR, the sanctioning body of the IZOD IndyCar Series and Firestone Indy Lights, will award the winner of USAC’s inaugural National Drivers Championship with a scholarship to…
Read MoreIndyLights – Vernay Wins the Firestone Firehawk Cup
As we mentioned in the podcast, all JK Vernay had to do to win the Firestone Indy Lights Championship and the Firestone Firehawk Cup was to turn a wheel in competition at Homestead. He did so, and took the title in his rookie year in the Firestone Indy Lights. The question now is what is next for this young hot shoe? Will he run another year in Firestone Indy Lights, or will he find a ride with an IZOD IndyCar Series team, or move on to some other series entirely?…
Read MoreEpisode 58 – Openpaddock.net Podcast
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Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadWe said last week that some pretty crazy stuff would have to happen for a podcast and well….you have downloaded it have you not? Mike and Doug fly solo this week (scary) and bring you news about HVM as well as Lotus. Doug feels bad that the new IZOD Indycar Series trophy is stacked..literally! They also cover WRC, Petit Le Mans and a number of other junior open wheel series. So sit back and enjoy the ramblings of Mike and Doug’s excellent adventure!
Read MoreEpisode 54 – Openpaddock.net Podcast
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Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadJoin Mike and myself as we review Chicago and a great race at Spa! We also have PT at DRR and Sarah Fisher taking Graham Rahal for Kentuckey, as well as a number of manufacturers wanting to go rally. So as always, sit back with a beverage of your choice and enjoy our humble ramblings on all things motorsport…and some things not!
Read MoreIndyCar – Chicagoland: That’s a Wrap, Folks.
Saturday night, we saw an epic Firestone Indy Lights race and equally epic IZOD IndyCar Series race. The racing action was top notch and we saw some people running at the front that we haven’t seen there in a long time. Sarah Fisher even had a good run up front for a while, leading several laps and holding off some of the best drivers in the league. Shaun was there and will have some thoughts for us later in the week including an interview with Takuma Sato of KV Racing…
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