Episode 297 UMMM-Cast – OpenPaddock.net

Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadAfter a month of life interfering, Doug, John & Tom are back to recap the astounding finish at Le Mans that had us all gobsmacked, not to mention the Formula One soap opera from Toronto to Baku. The Verzon IndyCar Series gets more than a nod with four races that resulted in two solid hits, one strikeout and an out-of-the-park home run! (Sorry for the American baseball references, Tom!)

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Episode 296 UMMM-Cast (part 1) – OpenPaddock.net

Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadA while ago, we all connected to talk about what is arguably the greatest weekend of racing, which includes the Monaco Grand Prix and the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race. As you know, Mike, Dug and John were at Indianapolis for the historic event. We went on so long that I felt it prudent to break the podcast into two parts. Sorry it’s taken so long to get this out there, for our tens of fans. Life gets in the way, sometimes. Here’s the first…

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Episode 293 UMMM-Cast – OpenPaddock.net

Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadJohn, Doug and Tom wander the deserts of the world seeking exciting open-wheel racing. Was there any to be found in the oil-rich sands of Bahrain where the sheiks and the Eccelstones play? Perhaps thrills were afoot amidst the rocky crags around Phoenix International Raceway where IndyCar returned after over a decade! Come along on our nomadic journey of all things UMMM…. Don’t forget your canteen!

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F1 – It’s Come To This

I’m not one to rant on Twitter. But it needed to be said.   Come on @F1. The joke is over. You know the new qualifying format sucks. Put the idea out of its misery. Sincerely, F1 Fans. #F1 #BahrainGP — John The Race Fan (@JohnTheRaceFan) April 2, 2016 /micdrop OK, maybe not. But I’m one of many who has similar things to say about the effect of Formula One Strategy Group’s decision to retain the elimination-style qualifying system for Bahrain.  The Twisttersphere is awash with enough hate to make…

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IndyCar-Conor Daly enters Indy 500 with Foyt

Today, A.J. Foyt Enterprises and Conor Daly made the worst kept secret in IndyCar official; young Conor will pilot A.J.’s #41 entry at this year’s Indianapolis 500. Conor had a quite successful offseason test with the Foyt team, leading to speculation that he might do the entire IZOD IndyCar Series schedule as his European aspirations hung in the balance. Funding eventually materialized, leading Conor to return to Gp3 with the ART team, and even getting a shot at GP2 in Malaysia. Daly, a 21 year old from Noblesville, IN, is…

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Formula 1 – Ferrari Gamble and Lose

In a brief span of a couple laps, Fernando Alonso committed more mistakes than he had all of the 2012 Formula 1 season. It started by shoving Sebastian Vettel which led to a severely damaged front wing. The wing was completely diagonal compared to its usual horizontal position. The wounded wing shot sparks out as it made contact with the quickly drying tarmac. Common sense would say pit and change the wing. This situation was not common sense at all. The fact of the matter was the track was drying…

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Formula 1 – Post Australia Team Power Rankings

Not a lot changed amongst the top three teams after the Australian Grand Prix. While Lotus struck first blood, Ferrari had a strong team showing with Alonso and a resurgent Felipe Massa. Red Bull also performed well during the course of the weekend with tire struggles hampering their ability to take advantage of their 1-2 start. Williams had a primarily disappointing weekend. While Valtteri Bottas finished his first ever Formula 1 race, Pastor Maldonado looked like a rookie and complained all weekend about how the car was junk. Marussia surprised…

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Formula 1 – Successful Debut for Rookies

It was a weekend filled with chaos for the newest class of rookies to join the Formula 1 championship. This weekend had pretty much everything! Dry running during Friday practice, torrential rain and an interrupted qualifying session on Saturday, finish qualifying and then start your first round of the championship on Sunday in tricky conditions. At the end of the day however, all five rookies kept the car on the island and finished their first ever grand prix. Both Valtteri Bottas and Jules Bianchi showed a lot of promise as…

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Formula 1 – Grading NBC Sports Network

The first race of the 2013 Formula 1 campaign has come to a conclusion. Here in the States, it was the first race of the new NBC Sports Network era. After over a decade of the Fox run Speed TV, NBC won the bidding war last season to host the races. For those not familiar with NBC Sports coverage of the IZOD IndyCar Series, it was a pretty big change in presentation. NBC worked hard to keep the core of the broadcast very similar to what we had on Speed.…

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