Tag: MRTI

Pro Mazda – Cooper Tire Replaces Goodyear for 2013

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…

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Episode 168 – OpenPaddock.net Podcast

Doug Patterson

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Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadKevin, Mike, Mike and Doug are happy to have Conor Daly as their guest tonight. Conor talks with the OP boyz about the different racing culture in Europe, having spent the past two years competing full-time in GP3. He also talks with us about his goals for 2013, his upcoming IZOD IndyCar Series test with AJ Foyt Racing, as well as a bit of rally. We need to start a campaign to get Conor into the X-Games RallyX event! Also, anyone have a car…

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MRTI – Star Mazda Becomes Pro Mazda Under Andersen Promotions

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…

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OpenPaddock Podcast – Episode 165

Doug Patterson

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Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadThis week on the OpenPaddock Podcast, we have a packed show and a full house! Mike, Doug, and Kevin are joined by our new Rally reporter Mike Shaw and friend of the show John Olsakovsky. We begin with analysis from Mike Shaw on Petter Solberg’s future in rally and the sad sorry state of M-Sport. Whitesell and Patterson get excited about the addition of GT3 cars in the SCCA Pirelli World Challenge, for our money, some of the absolute best sports car racing to…

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Edpisode 164 – OpenPaddock.net Podcast

Doug Patterson

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Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadKevin, Mike, and Doug stumble and stagger their way through the weekly news in Rally, Formula 1, and IndyCar. We recap Loeb’s unsurprising win at Spain, and preview the upcoming return of the USGP at COTA in Austin.

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Episode 163 – OpenPaddock.net Podcast

Doug Patterson

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Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadShaun makes his last appearence on OpenPaddock Live before being shipped out to Qatar to pound sand and watch MotoGP racing. Joining Shaun are Mike (as always), Doug, and the new Shaun, Kevin Neely. On the docket this week: Rally WRC – the future of M-Sport. Will Nasser Al-Attiyah’s Qatar money be the team’s saving grace? WRC – Sistemas Integrales de Telecomunicacion (SIT) slated to take over timing duties for 2013. Kubica will drive the WRC Citroen C4 in two rallies this month. Back…

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Star Mazda – Photos from Road Atlanta

Doug Patterson

If you’re a regular reader of OpenPaddock.net and a regular listener of OpenPaddock Live on Tuesday nights, you already know that our excellent photographer, Brian McKay was at Road Atlanta last weekend to cover the final round of the 2012 Star Mazda Championship Presented by Goodyear. Be sure to listen to his interview with Andretti Autosport driver Zach Veach. We’ve given teasers of Brian’s photos from the weekend in our coverage of the event, but here is his full gallery of Star Mazda images. Enjoy! Photos from the 2012 Star…

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Episode 161 – OpenPaddock.net Podcast

Doug Patterson

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Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadThis week on the OpenPaddock.net Podcast, Shaun and Doug welcome special guest Sage Karam, driver of the #88 Comfort Revolution Star Mazda car for Andretti Autosport this past season. He speaks to us about how he became connected with the Andretti’s, how his 2012 season went, and his recent testing of a Firestone Indy Lights car. Sage also talks about how important it is for him to lead a normal teenage life in a public school in spite of his full-time racing career. Doug…

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USF2000 – A Look at the 2013 Schedule

Doug Patterson

Earlier today, the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda announced its 2013 race schedule. There are some significant changes from the 2012 schedule, but in all, I think they’re good ones. The series competes along side the other series within the Mazda Road to Indy program and the IZOD IndyCar Series more frequently, and there’s less of a gap between races during the summer. Last year, there were no races in June or July, meaning that teams and drivers had to wait two and a half months after the…

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Star Mazda – Road Atlanta Recap

Doug Patterson

The final race of the 2012 Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear saw the checkered flags this afternoon putting a cap on the 2012 season. Gabby Chavez of JDC MotorSports won the pole position yesterday afternoon, edging out Andretti Autosports’ Sage Karam by a mere 0.05s! While the first two positions in the championship standings are already determined, Positions 3 and 4 are still hotly contested by Juncos Racing pilot Connor De Phillippi and Sage Karam. Going into this final round, Connor lead Sage by four points, 303 to 299.…

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