This week has prove to be most fantastic, and we had some key stories hit as we continue to shape 2011. The drivers market in the WRC has taken an interesting turn and the IRC looks to have finally released their schedule for 2011 Peter Van Merksteijn Secures Citroen Ride Who? That is probably what you are asking yourself after this weeks announcement that Merksteijn has secured a factory supported Citroen DS3. Peter does have WRC experience and has piloted a Ford Focus RS in previous rounds of the championship.…
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Rally – Sunday Sevice Park 12/6/2010
Welcome to the second edition of the Sunday Service Park. This week has been a little lighter than one would hope, but there are still drivers on the market and seats needing filled! In other news, felt my first rally withdrawal of the season the other day. Can it please be 2011 yet?!? SordoDani So I already touched on this story earlier in the week but it now looks as though MINI will be the choice for the Spaniard. While hoping for Ford to throw him a bone, it now…
Read MoreRally – Peugeot Starts Crying and Threatens to Leave
The Peugeot IRC effort has not really come close to the same dominance it had last year. Kris Meeke has crashed hard and often in his Peugeot S2000 and that has Olivier Quesnel upset and throwing toys from the pram. The team boss has went as far as to say Peugeot will be out of the IRC next year if Skoda fields a factory effort. In contrast to Peugeot’s terrible luck, Skoda has had an amazing year. They have had drivers on the podium at every event and lead the…
Read MoreRally – Monte Will Open IRC
The FiA has done the WRC in yet again as it was announced that the Monte Carlo Rally will again open the 2011 IRC championship. There was much speculation that the event would move back to the World Rally Championship for 2011 but the FiA has stood by its rally rotation theory and that has seen the event turn down the invite from Jean Todt and the boys. The event which will be run for the 100th time next season has seen a number of WRC drivers participate. Mikko Hirvonen…
Read MoreRally – Skoda 1.6T in WRC
There are now reports surfacing out of the Czech Republic that home automaker Skoda will now develop a 1.6T engine and continue development on the Fabia S2000 chassis. While the details are a little thin at the moment, it would appear that the WRC will have at least the four manufacturers it was hoping for. There is currently no news on whether this will be a supply to privateers or a factory effort, but the Czech team has shown itself very well in the IRC at the factory level. From…
Read MoreEpisode 31 – Open Paddock Podcast
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Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadJoin myself and Mike as we get into the lack of news this week. We wrap-up Sebring and get into a small portion of rally news. We talk about the IndyCar 2012 panel as well as some news regarding the potential Baltimore Grand Prix. F1 is on tap and we preview both St. Pete and Melbourne. McLaren “snorkel” debate is heated!!! Grab your favorite adult beverage, sit down and enjoy! Be sure to post your opinion on the McLaren “snorkel” debate…we are going to…
Read MoreRally – Skoda Dominates Argentina
The third round of the IRC championship was held this weekend in the beautiful settings of Argentina. The stages that usually play host to the WRC would be ran with names like Meeke, Hanninen, and al-Attiyah and cars like Peugeot and Skoda. All eyes would be on Kris Meeke after a dominant win in Brazil a couple weeks ago, but it was not to be for the British star. Skoda, who has put together a very formidable effort would take a dominating 1-2-3 in the event and further strengthen their…
Read MoreEpisode 29 – Open Paddock Podcast
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Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadJoin Mike and myself this week as I call in from Washington DC and we discuss the Carl Edwards drama (make fun of it is a better description) and recap Rally Mexico. We also touch on the IRC and another victory for Kris Meeke. We also talk Rahal to Fisher for a short stint as well as offer our insight into Brazil and Bahrain for the grand kickoff of open wheel racing.
Read MoreEpisode 28 – Open Paddock Podcast
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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…
Read MoreRally – Proton Closes in on Driver Selection
Malaysian based Proton is reportedly close to signing another driver for its 2010 IRC campaign. Alister McRae delivered a solid finish for Proton at last year’s Rally Scotland and is set to be one of the drivers in the car this year. The question then remains who is in line for the second seat? Francois Duval is one of the names mentioned as well as former factory Subaru ace Chris Atkinson. The latter of the two has just completed a test for the Malaysian squad and is currently without a…
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