The following article is a contribution by Mike Shaw, @oregonwings. Have something you’d like to contribute? Send us an email! After all, our motto is “Motorsports commentary for the fans, BY the fans!” As expected there was drama in the woods this weekend at the Waste Management Susquehannock Performance Trail Rally®. STPR isn’t a long rally, but it is no less exciting. With its wide nicely cambered and sweeping gravel roads, its many drivers’ favorite event. The flowing nature of the stages allows for high speeds and corner cutting, but…
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Episode 140 – OpenPaddock.net Podcast
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Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadShaun returns after a two week break to talk all about the 96th Indianapolis 500. Join Shaun and Mike as they talk all about the happenings this past weekend and break down what has been called one of the best Indy 500s ever. The show uses the new format with a primary focus on the IZOD IndyCar Series and Mazda Road to Indy. We do briefly cover a couple F1 and rally topics at the end. Given the new format, you may be disappointed…
Read MoreIndyCar – Indy Not Franchitti Bites Sato
It was a battle that lasted but one corner. However, it turned out to be THE battle for the 96th running of the Indianapolis 500. As Takuma Sato crossed the start/finish line to collect the white flag, all he could think about was getting around Dario Franchitti to be the first car to the checkered flag. It almost worked….almost. Coming off of a balls of steel pass on Scott Dixon the lap before, Takuma dove to the inside of Franchitti into turn one and bobbled. The car made massive impact…
Read MoreIndyCar – Live Blog Pole Day End of Day
Welcome to Pole Day at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Going to bring you the live blog again today after a one day absence. We will have group times updated and will also update the blog if a member pulls their time in an attempt to reach the top nine. Doug is on the grounds today and will be taking stunning shots of the cars as always as we try and decide pole position for the 96th running of the Indianapolis 500. 12:22 – So we are at the 11th car…
Read MoreEpisode 138 – OpenPaddock.net Podcast
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Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadJoin Mike and Doug as they are left in control of the show. Shaun was in transit to Indianapolis and gave up the controls for once. The boys talk about all things Spanish Grand Prix as well as look ahead to Pole Day at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Read MoreIndyCar – 18 May Live Blog End of Day
10:00 – Here we are for day six of practice. My second full day at the track. Unfortunately I had some administrative stuff that kept me from writing a final post after happy hour, but we will fix that today. Just a reminder that I will not be at the track tomorrow morning. I will be back for Pole day, but some personal matters need to be addressed tomorrow and it will keep me from the track. Bourdais has been on track this morning in the TrueCar entry. Katherine Legge…
Read MoreRally – Fan Perspective of Oregon Trail Rally Pt. 3
Editor’s Note: This is the 3rd and final part of Mike Shaw’s (@oregonwings) summary of the recent Oregon Trail Rally. As Shaun mentioned in Part 1, we are very happy to have great contributions and insights from fans like Mr. Shaw. After all, this is exactly what we at OpenPaddock are all about: motorsports commentary for the fans, by the fans! Enjoy Mr. Shaw’s Day 3 summary and be sure to check out the great collection of photos he captured at the rally. OREGON TRAIL RALLY – DAY 3 This…
Read MoreIndyCar – 16 May Live Blog Post CAO 15:48
Ok, so we are going to try this out. I am going to post all of today’s news in this story blog and just update the title to reflect the current as of time or CAO. So check back all day long for updates on Thursday practice. I will upload some photos as well using my hand dandy cell phone. All times are in the eastern timezone of course. 11:09 – Slow morning thus far. I finally got to the track and taken a seat on the 4th floor. Need…
Read MoreStar Mazda – The Mazda Road to Indy Isn’t Just for Drivers
Over the past couple of years, we’ve seen the great success of the Mazda Road to Indy ladder system created by Tony George, Jr. and Jason Penix. While much emphasis is placed on the graduation of drivers from one series to the next, they’re not the only ones picking up skills and looking to advance into the IZOD IndyCar Series. Drivers move up from karts or small formula cars such as the 1600cc Skip Barber machines into the USF2000 National Championship. From there, they step up to a higher-horsepower, more…
Read MoreRally – Fan Perspective of Oregon Trail Rally Pt. 1
Editor’s Note: Special thanks to Mike Shaw for his write up of the event as a fan. The article will be broken up by three parts to cover each day of the event! Enjoy! I’ve been a rally fan for a few years now. I had always heard of the rally racing heritage of the Subaru WRX, and I even bought a Subaru Outback back in 2005 with the same 2.5 Liter turbo engine. At the time I still thought it was something done in far away reaches of the…
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