The season opening Grand Prix of St. Petersburg is a mere 30 days out give or take. The first time that we will see the DW12 in action and new drivers in new places. Oriol Servia and James Hinchcliffe are two big names that have wound up in new cars, but there are a large crop of up and coming drivers that are still searching for rides. Names like Plowman and Mann are big fan favorites. The big news at the moment is the fate of Formula 1 names like…
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Mazda Road to Indy – Juncos Racing Showing the Way
A few years ago, Tony George, Jr. and Jason Penix worked on building a clear and proper ladder system, the Mazda Road to Indy, that would enable young drivers to move up through the formula car ranks in the US and Canada, and eventually become one of the lucky 33 drivers to compete in the Greatest Spectacle In Racing. Once a young driver is in the Mazda Road to Indy program, talent combined with business acumen (an unfortunate necessity in motorsports today) have allowed many to rise up through the…
Read MoreEpisode 125 – OpenPaddock.net Podcast
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Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadJoin Shaun and Doug as they cover all of this week’s great motorsport news. We cover Rally Sweden and finally hash out the MINI situation. We also address INDYCAR’s Stat of the Series speech. There is plenty of Mazda Road to Indy as well! Thanks for the download and we hope you enjoy the show!!!
Read MoreInside The Helmet – Jason Penix, King of the Mazda Road to Indy
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Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadWe had the opportunity to speak with INDYCAR’s Jason Penix. Jason was instrumental in the development of the Mazda Road to Indy Program which has grown by leaps and bounds, both in participation and in popularity. Now Jason serves as Director of Grassroots Initiatives, formally, but has been dubbed by Anders Krohn as the “Mazda Road to Indy King” during this year’s WinterFest. He gives us some insight into the history of the program, how it got started, and who the major players were…
Read MoreIndyCar – State of the Series Rebuttal
It was just around an hour ago that Randy Bernard and the heads of INDYCAR delivered their State of the Series address. The event was a little bit cheesy but at the end of the day was a fan experience. The main purpose of this address was to layout the very short term goals and accomplishments the series has been able to achieve. I will say that seeing the leadership and some drivers/team owners was a breath of fresh air given the way we left them in 2011. While in…
Read MoreUSF2000 – Winterfest PBIR Schedule
The final three races for the 2012 USF2000 Cooper Tire Winterfest take place this weekend at the Palm Beach International Raceway. Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing dominated the first three rounds at Sebring International Raceway earlier in the week, as they swept the podium in each race. Spencer Pigot leads the mini-championship thanks to his two wins in Race 1 and 2, and his second-place finish in Race 3. Teammate Matthew Brabham is right behind him with two seconds in Races 1 and 2 and a win in Race…
Read MoreIndyCar – New Blocking Rule, …no wait, it’s the same one.
Well, ok. The headline is a bit misleading if I’m honest. The blocking rule in the 2012 rule book, which the teams now have, but media and fans do not as of yet, is unchanged from the 2011 rule book. The interpretation of this rule, however, looks like it will change dramatically. 9.3.Additional Provisions and Guidelines B.Blocking – A Driver must not alter his/her racing line based on the actions of pursuing Drivers or use an abnormal racing line to inhibit or prevent passing. Blocking will result in a minimum…
Read MoreMazda Road to Indy – Juncos Racing and the Chilean Connection
The way into the Mazda Road to Indy program was broadened this week by Juncos Racing team principal Ricardo Juncos. In a recent trip to Chile, he was able to secure a deal that will give the Chilean Formula 3 champion the opportunity to come to the US, fully supported, and race for Juncos Racing in the Mazda Road to Indy program. As of now, Juncos Racing participates in the Star Mazda Championship Presented by Goodyear and the Firestone Indy Lights series, and presumably the incoming driver would be placed…
Read MoreEpisode 124 – OpenPaddock.net Podcast
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Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadJoin the guys this week as they present the weekly roundup for all of your favorite motorsport series. We talk car launches and day 1 of testing for Formula 1. Honda is up to its old tricks again with engine failures in IndyCar. We also try and make sense of all the bad things happening in the WRC. IndyCar fans beware, this may be a prophetic look into your future as well, or at least how fast good momentum can come apart. Mike brings…
Read MoreIndyLights – Goncalvez and Yacaman On The Podium at Daytona
Last weekend, Firestone Indy Lights journeyman Gustavo Yacaman and rookie Jorge Goncalvez teamed up with stock car veteran Michael McDowell and British Formula Three Champion Felipe Nasr in the #6 Michael Shank Racing Ford-Riley Daytona Prototype. McDowell qualified the car in 8th, but the squad quickly advanced and kept the car in the top-5 for much of the 24-hour race. One would expect with racers unaccustomed to multi-class endurance racing, that there would have been a mistake or three that would jeopardize the teams success. As it turned out, the…
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