EXCLUSIVE: Inside the Helmet – Takuma Sato Interview

Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadWelcome to our first installment of Inside the Helmet! A new audio source at Openpaddock.net that talks to your favorite drivers from any of the series we cover. Our first interview in this series is Takuma Sato. The KV Racing Technology driver was gracious enough to answer some of my questions as well as some of yours! The volume may be a little loud so scale back the volume a bit, and realize that we were outside in the Honda hospitality area during Firestone…

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IndyCar – Penske Power too Much

Roger Penske has taken his first IZOD IndyCar victory at Watkins Glen. Not often you here that phrase, Penske’s first win at a facility. It was on this Independence Day that the legendary car owner saw his drivers Will Power and Ryan Briscoe take a rather convincing 1,2 and reassert their dominance on the series. The three Penske drivers would occupy the first three spots at the start of the race with Will Power never looking back. The first incident of the day would see Scott Dixon and Helio get…

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IndyCar – Hello Loudon, Goodbye NASCAR

With the news that the IZOD IndyCar Series (IICS) will be returning to Loudon next year, the dreaded NASCAR track disease that we here at Open Paddock said was a series debilitating syndrome may finally be going away. It is true that we here at the site have been very critical of the IICS and their schedule that consists mainly of the cookie cutter NASCAR tracks. For one, they show next to no attendance figures, and they also do not promote “drivers” racing but instead a true test of engineering…

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IndyCar – Barber Motorsports Park Preview: History

Introduction: This weekend, the IZOD IndyCar Series heads back to Birmingham, Alabama and the Barber Motorsports Park. This visit will be very different than in times past. This time, they’re there to race! The league has been to Barber several times for testing, but this will be the first time we see the IndyCars compete at the track. As the third event on the 2010 IZOD IndyCar Series schedule, Barber also represents the third straight in a series of four twisty tracks on the schedule, although its the first natural…

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IndyCar – Milka Signs On Full-Time at Dale Coyne Racing

As we mentioned in this week’s podcast, Milka Duno will be driving for Dale Coyne Racing. The surprise, at least to me, is that she’s slated for a full-season effort. Although Milka has been in the series for three years now, she has never been a full-time driver. This could be a real boon for Milka. Not to make excuses, but it is difficult to find consistency when you’re not consistently on the track. Here’s Milka’s thoughts from the Dale Coyne Racing’s official press release, “I look forward to competing…

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IndyCar – More Drivers Confirmed for 2010

Today, we got confirmation that Viso and Mutoh were confirmed full-time drivers in the IZOD IndyCar Series for the 2010 season. E.J. Viso was announced today as the second full-time driver at KV Racing Technologies joining their other full-time driver, Takuma Sato, and part-time driver, Paul Tracy. Hideki Mutoh was announced as Newman-Haas-Lanigan Racing sole full-time entry for 2010. We had been expecting Mutoh’s confirmation for some time, but Viso’s confirmation is good news for a series that has really struggled for good news lately. KVRT Announces EJ Viso As…

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IndyCar – Takuma Sato Signs With KVRT

As we reported in an article from Feb 6th, former F1 BAR Honda and Super Aguri driver has signed with KV Racing Technologies for a full-time ride in the 2010 IZOD IndyCar Series. “We are very excited to have been able to put this deal together with Takuma and his group,” said KVRT co-owner Jimmy Vasser. “I can’t wait to see what I know will be a extremely fast pace by Taku on the road courses and look forward to working with him and getting him up to speed on…

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IndyCar – de Ferran Motorsports Teams with LRD

Luczo Dragon Racing released a statement today revealing that LDR and de Ferran Motorsports will join forces for the 2010 season. This is great news for the former Indianapolis 500 champion’s suddenly ailing team. Last year, Gil announced that 2009 would be his last year in the cockpit of a racecar and he was going to focus on being a team principal fielding both an ALMS prototype effort and a two-car effort in the IZOD IndyCar Series. As the season ended, and we got deeper into the off-season, it became…

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IndyCar – The Lola Project Revisited

Today, Lola followed their initial press release which revealed their intent to bid for the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series chassis contract with a second, more fulsome press release including sketches of their proposed chassis. It must be said that the outward appearance of the chassis is rather uninspired and stale. There’s nothing genuinely new, innovative or modern about the looks of the chassis. Lola does bring some very interesting concepts with their bid that could lower costs, and bridge the equipment gap between the IZOD IndyCar Series and the Firestone…

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