INDYCAR – Page 22 – OpenPaddock.net

Episode 169 – OpenPaddock.net Podcast

December 19, 2012 Doug Patterson

Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadThis week on the OpenPaddock.net Podcast Kevin, Mike, & Mike dissect new CEO of Hulman & Co. Mark Miles’ comments on the future direction IndyCar should take, recap the testing action at Sebring, and reexamine the prospect of Hoosier or Continental replacing Firestone. They also spend some time looking at developments in the Pro Mazda Championship as Andersen Promotions is already beginning to evolve the series, and they weigh in on Doug’s comments on the potential future direction of the series. Lastly, the trio…

Pro Mazda – Brabham Signs With Andretti Autosport for 2013

December 18, 2012 Doug Patterson

The 2012 Copper Tires Presents the USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda Championship Class champion (that’s a lot of championing!), Matthew “Matty Brabs” Brabham, has signed with Andretti Autosport to drive the #27 machine in the 2013 Cooper Tires Presents the Pro Mazda Championship. In 2012, Brabham raced Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing’s #83 Van Diemen in the USF2000 Championship Class, narrowly beating out his teammate, Spencer Pigot, by only seven points. 2012 was Brabham’s first season of racing in the United States after starting his career back in 2001…

Op-Ed – A Pro Mazda Carol: Part 3, The Future of Pro Mazda

December 17, 2012December 17, 2012 Doug Patterson

Finally, we come to last in our trio of articles on the new Pro Mazda Series which will succeed the Star Mazda Series as the second stage of the Mazda Road to Indy. We’ve seen the story behind the rise and fall of Star Mazda, and the phoenixal story of USF2000, now let’s put all the pieces together and see where Andersen Promotion may steer Pro Mazda in the coming seasons. Let me start with the caveat that the following speculations are solely my own based on the observations delineated…

Op-Ed – A Pro Mazda Carol: Part 2, The Present USF2000

December 16, 2012December 16, 2012 Doug Patterson

Part Two of my three-part series looking at the future of the new Pro Mazda Series focuses on the success the new owners of Pro Mazda, Andersen Promotions, has had with the revived Cooper Tires Presents the USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda. I feel safe in assuming that the leadership philosophy that has lead to a strong first step on the Mazda Road to Indy, the USF2000 series, will also be applied to the Pro Mazda Series in the coming seasons. The Evolution of USF2000 My thoughts on where the…

Op-Ed – A Pro Mazda Carol: Part I, History of Star Mazda

December 15, 2012 Doug Patterson

Star Mazda at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course -- Photo by Eric McCombs, Star Mazda

Ok, I know the new Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires is barely a week old, but given who has taken over the old Star Mazda series, I’m willing to offer some speculation on how the new series will evolve over the next few seasons. All of my speculation hinges upon observations of how Dan Andersen and his company Andersen Promotions have managed the Cooper Tires Presents the USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda over the past few seasons. This is a long article, so bear with me as I…

Pro Mazda – Cooper Tire Replaces Goodyear for 2013

December 13, 2012December 13, 2012 Doug Patterson

Dan Andersen’s influence is already being felt in the new Pro Mazda Championship as Cooper Tire replaces Goodyear as the official tire and presenting sponsor for the second step on the Mazda Road to Indy. Cooper Tire has been the official tire and presenting sponsor for the USF2000 National Championship since its return in 2010, and Andersen Promotions’ recent acquisition of the Star Mazda Championship has convinced the tire manufacturer to expand it’s involvement in INDYCAR’s Mazda Road to Indy development program. Cooper Tire has been a strong partner for…

Video – INDYCAR’s #TheOffseason: Episode 1

December 13, 2012 Doug Patterson

INDYCAR is producing a series of fun videos over the winter “#TheOffseason”. Here’s the first episode with James “The Mayor: Hinchcliffe, Charlie Kimball, Will Power, and Josef Newgarden manning the front desk at the INDYCAR offices. [youtube_sc url=http://youtu.be/hHqQ5De7gjM]

MRTI – Star Mazda Becomes Pro Mazda Under Andersen Promotions

December 9, 2012 Doug Patterson

We’ve known for a bit now that the Star Mazda Championship was to see a change in ownership. We also knew that this wasn’t something to be overly concerned about. Right from the start of all this, it was pretty clear that Mazda and INDYCAR both wanted the series to continue in some form, and that it was just a matter of finding the right group to take over. Turns out that the right group was already at hand, Andersen Promotions. Dan Andersen and his group were responsible for the…

Indycar-Fuzzy’s Triple Crown announced

December 6, 2012 John Olsakovsky

Indiana based Fuzzy’s Ultra Premium Vodka has announced they are sponsoring the revival of Indycar’s Triple Crown. If a driver can win the Indianapolis 500 Mile race, Pocono Indycar 400 and the MAVTV 500 at Auto Club Speedway, that driver is set to take home a $1,000,000 bonus from Fuzzy’s. If a driver can take two of the three events, the prize is $250,000. Fuzzy’s has previously been committed to the Indycar series as the official Vodka of Indycar and sponsor of Ed Carpenter’s racing efforts. The expansion of Fuzzy’s…

Indycar -Andretti Autosport unveils 2013 liveries

December 5, 2012December 6, 2012 John Olsakovsky

For the first time since 2007, the reigning champion of a U.S. open wheel series will run the number one. Ryan Hunter-Reay has elected to use the number for the 2013 campaign, but with a slight twist. On his 2013 DW-12 powered by Chevrolet, Hunter-Reay’s number is bisected by the number 28. Ryan’s connection with the number 28 is actually quite significant. The number 28 represents 28 million people worldwide living with cancer. Hunter-Reay because an outspoken supporter of cancer charities after the death of his mother from colon cancer…