Episode 37 – Open Paddock Podcast

Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadJoin Mike and me as we cover my thoughts on Kansas as well as some driver updates for the 500. We jump into a little F1 with Ferrari and China. Who doesn’t want to see more Chinese Grand Prix action! ;-P Sit back with one of your favorite beverages and enjoy our random rambling.

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IndyCar – Night Before the 500

This year’s Memorial Day weekend will be an even larger speedfest than usual for fans of open-wheel racing. For the past seven years, the Firestone Indy Lights series has had their Firestone Freedom 100 race on Carburetion Day at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. In addition, there’s also plenty of midget and sprint car action throughout central Indiana the weekend of the 500. Most famously are the Night Before The 500 USAC midget race at O’Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis and the Little 500 at Anderson Speedway in Anderson, IN. This…

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Kansas Review – Open Paddock Podcast

Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadJoin Mike and Doug as they discuss the IndyCar race in Kansas. Doug was on hand for the weekend and took some amazing shots at the track and tells Mike all about the events over the weekend. Very special thanks to Doug for going out and taking some just beautiful shots of the IZOD IndyCar drivers and cars in anger! Be sure to also check out the photo gallery on a regular basis for the latest shots out of Kansas!

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Episode 36 – Open Paddock Podcast

Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadJoin Mike and I this week as we give a brief review of the Olympus Rally. We try to hash out IndyCar engine news and go over the landmark (yeah right) WRC 2011 calendar. We briefly talk F1 as the circus continues and Mike uses profanity…thats new! lol 🙂 Sorry Mike

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Op-Ed – Making a Case for the World Engine

The recent concept from Lola of using the same tub for both the IZOD IndyCar Series and the Firestone Indy Lights series got me thinking. Why stop there? One of the most often used reasons for why multiple chassis and engine manufacturers are impractical for the IZOD IndyCar Series is that the loss of the economy of scale would drive up the costs too much for participation to be either attractive or profitable. Its a powerful and very well founded argument. If a manufacturer can spread the costs of development…

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Episode 28 – Open Paddock Podcast

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…

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IndyCar – Saavedra Joins Bryan Herta Autosport for 2010

Sebastian Saavedra who drove in the #27 AGR/AFS Firestone Indy Lights entry in 2009 has recently been announced as Bryan Herta Autosport’s second driver. Saavedra finished third in the 2009 championship after battling his teammate and eventual champion JR Hildebrand all season long. He had never raced on an oval, let alone a superspeedway, before coming to the Firestone Indy Lights series, yet he won his first oval race at Kansas in the most racing treacherous conditions I’ve ever seen. He backed up his strong oval performance with great run…

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IndyCar – Simona on the Sidelines as Stargate Worlds Goes Bankrupt

In an article by IGN.com, we find out that the game development company, Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment, filed for bankruptcy in Arizona’s Maricopa County Court. While the company is still up and running for now, they’re certainly not in a position to fork out the $3M+ that it would take to sponsor Simona di Silvestro in an IZOD IndyCar Series ride, or even the lesser level of sponsorship that it would take to place her in the Firestone Indy Lights series. Tough break for HVM since Simona had a fantastic test…

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IndyCar – …well, crap.

I tried to come up with a better, more professional title to this post than “…well, crap.”, but let’s be honest. Nothing else really works for a day like today unless I allow myself to decend into a explitive-laced tirade about the two major bombs that were dropped today. Let’s get this morning’s news out first… “It is with profound regret & heavy hearts that we share the following update with you all. Despite the team’s best efforts, Vision Racing will be suspending all racing operations. We have an amazing…

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Firestone Indy Lights – 2009 Season Review – Battle for the Championship

Battle for the Championship Kentucky Speedway: The Kentucky 100 at the Kentucky Speedway was the 100th race for the Indy Racing League sanctioned Firestone Indy Lights series, although it looked like weather might put a damper on the celebration. The track was dry for the race, but qualifications were rained out resulting in the grid being determined by points. That gave the AFS/AGR team the front row. Wade Cunningham started from P4, right behind his nemesis from Iowa and championship contender Sebastian Saavedra in P2. JR Hildebrand, although being awarded…

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