So what do you do when you have won two American Le Mans series titles? Take your program IndyCar racing of course. The back to back champions Highcroft Racing are preparing for a select program for the 2011 season. While nothing is wrote in stone, the team has the ambition and will look at a couple of rounds for next year. Who said that all of the news after the finale had to be bad? Duncan Dayton had this to say in a SPEED article posted yesterday: “We are aware…
Read MoreTag: Indianapolis 500
Episode 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 MoreOpEd – Top Five Most Influential Racing Circuits
Previously, I posted a rebuttal to the Fast Lane Daily Top Five Most Influential Drivers, and we had a good discussion about it. That conversation got me thinking, though. Drivers weren’t the only ones to have a significant influence on the motorsports landscape. Many of the circuits upon which those five drivers battled with their fellow competitors have a life and history of their own that make a single driver’s career seem insignificant by comparison. Here’s my top five, and I post these in no particular order of importance, merely…
Read MoreOpEd – How important are aesthetics anyway?
Discussion of the DeltaWing concept has arisen once again, and also once again at the instigation of Gordon Kirby who wrote an article Rediscovering racing’s true self, and Peter De Lorenzo via his article IndyCar’s death warrant. In these articles, Kirby and De Lorenzo dote on the DeltaWing and its superior engineering concepts. When one talks with a typical race fan about the DeltaWing, however, what one hears most often is something along the lines of, “It’s a brilliant engineering exercise, but …well… it’s ugly isn’t it.” Is the look…
Read MoreOpEd – Thoughts on FLD’s Most Influential Drivers
You’ve already seen this video, because you already watch Fast Lane Daily religiously, right? RIGHT? Well, if you don’t you should! In their latest episode, they go through the history of motorsport and select the top five most influential drivers. If you missed it, here’s the vid. In summary, the top five most influential according to FLD: Aytron Senna Rodger Penske Dale Earnhart, Sr. Dan Gurney James Garner as Pete Aaron I think they make some compelling arguments, but I also think they got it a bit wrong if we’re…
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 MoreEpisode 52 – Openpaddock.net Podcast
IndyCar – Lotus Jumps on for 2012
The first manufacturer has jumped into the 2012 body kit fray. Lotus which had indicated that they would think about creating a kit for the series has confirmed that they will develop a kit for purchase when the new rules come into affect. Lotus brass cited this as a continued evolution of the brands involvement in the sport. The team has given a large amount of financial backing to KV Racing Technologies and even put their name and logo on the car piloted by Takumo Sato. This now means that a…
Read MoreIndyCar – OpenPaddock.net @ Future Car
That is correct folks! Be sure to have your Facebook and Twitter ready today as OpenPaddock.net will be at the Future Car Announcement later at the Indianapolis Art Museum. We will be celebrating the historic day with tweets, Facebook photos, and hopefully some video that will be located on YouTube right after the announcement. Rumor has it that CEOs from Lola and Dallara will be present, but as Randy Bernard said at Watkins Glen, you won’t know for sure until it is announced. Be sure to visit Openpaddock.net all day…
Read MoreIndyCar – 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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