So as we were sitting here just waiting for the season to end, we figured that most of the news bombshells would likely be waiting for after the Year-End Banquet. Well, we were wrong! There was a ton of stuff that went down yesterday, some of it not so good unfortunately. Here’s a quick rundown of yesterday’s events. Saavedra is Back After he jilted Bryan Herta Autosport on race day morning of the Firestone Indy Lights race at Chicagoland Speedway, it was assumed by most of us in the fandom…
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Episode 57 – Openpaddock.net Podcast
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Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadJoin all three of the Openpaddock boys this week as we review Motegi. We also talk a little F1 as we get ready for Singapore. Rally has some interesting news as well as information on a MINI test video that you can view on our main page.
Read MoreEpisode 56 – Openpaddock.net Podcast
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Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadJoin Mike and I this week as we spice things up with a new show format. We cover Rally Japan as well as the Monza race for the F1 circus. We get into the WMSC’s decisions on all things F1 and WRC. We also give a mini silly season preview for IndyCar and talk some of the schedule changes. So sit back with your favorite beverage and enjoy a night at the races!
Read MoreIndyCar – 2011 Schedule, Boon or Bust?
If you’ve read any of the IndyCar forums around, you’ll have noticed a lot of belly-aching about the 2011 IZOD IndyCar Series schedule. Of course, no matter what the schedule was there would have been complaining. It is, after all, the #1 passtime of those of us on the net. I want to take some time and examine this schedule and compare it to previous schedules keeping in mind that the goals of the league, and the preference stated by many fans, are for a balanced oval/twisty schedule with significant…
Read MoreEpisode 55 – Openpaddock.net Podcast
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Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadJoin Mike and I as we discuss Kentucky! A lot happened in quali and during the race and we break it all down. We also discuss some MINI rumors as well as the tire situation in the WRC. We also discuss a lot of F1 news as we go into th eMonza weekend. Sit back and enjoy another great bit of motorsport discussion!
Read MoreOpEd – The Potential Future of the Delta Wing
I think most of us here at OpenPaddock share the same opinion regarding the Delta Wing concept that was proposed by a group of team owners lead by Chip Ganassi. Its a hideously ugly car, but the engineering philosophy behind it is brilliant. While I’m happy that it was not selected as the direction for the 2012 IndyCar chassis, not that I’m entirely please with the direction that was selected, I would be very interested in seeing this experiment in automotive engineering actually make it to the track so that…
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 – Paul Tracy Back In The Saddle
Paul Tracy will be back in the #24 Dreyer & Reinbold Racing car at Kentucky and Motegi in replacement of the still convalescing Mike Conway. Tracy had ran at Watkins Glen for DRR earlier this year, and had driven for KV Racing Technologies in the two Canadian races. With as dodgy as the action was at Chicago, this weekend’s race at Kentucky could get extremely interesting with PT in the mix. I say this for a couple of reasons. First, because PT is …well… because he’s PT. Let’s face it,…
Read MoreEXCLUSIVE: Inside the Helmet – Takuma Sato Interview
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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…
Read MoreIndyCar – RM’s Article, Chicken Little, and Open Rebellion
Wednesday evening, Speed’s Robin Miller released an article hinting strongly that the team owners were on the verge of outright and open rebellion against the 2012 car. I read the article and had to pause to think about the veracity of the claims made within the article, or at the very least the commitment of the team owners mentioned to stick to their stated convictions. Here’s the meat of the allegations as told by Eric Bachelart. “The league decided to do a new car and never consulted the teams and…
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