RallyCast Episode 09 – An Interview with the American Rally Association

Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadIn this episode we have something special!  With all the questions and controversy surrounding the new American Rally Association we decided to call them up and find out the details!  We devoted the entire show to an interview with Chris Cyr, Vice President and Tim O’Neil the Chairman of the ARA. We wanted to know what makes the ARA different and how they plan on succeeding where other attempts at creating new sanctioning bodies had failed.  If you have any of your own questions, please…

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Kris Meeke Flies to Fastest Ever Victory at WRC Finland

WRC Finland.  Known as the Spiritual Home of Rally or the Grand Prix of the WRC due to its high speeds and massive fan base.  Regardless of what they call it, Finland is a special place for ralliests.  It is like going to Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Le Mans, or Monaco.  Steeped in history as the then Rally of 1000 Lakes, Finland has been on the World Championship calendar ever since the WRC was created.  The gravel roads here are as wide as a major thoroughfare, but are littered with crests, jumps,…

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RallyCast Episode 08

Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadIn this episode Mike, Matt, and Andrew Pascarella (a.k.a. Raced in Anger), review the New England Forest Rally from a week ago.  At the 1:26 mark we get a bit more local as Mike and Doug Patterson talk with special guest Kito Brielmaier of the Northwest Rally Association and about SCCA RallyCross and some new technologies being developed to bring RallyCross into a new era.  Thanks for listening!

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STPR 2016 – Review & Photo Gallery

By Andrew Pascarella   We were hoping the 2016 Waste Management Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally would provide a continuation of the close battles at the front we saw from the previous rounds that included Subaru Rally Team USA Teammates David Higgins and Travis Pastrana.  Coming into the event, Travis had won 100 Acre Wood while David won the Oregon Trail Rally.  They had one victory each with the two trading stage wins and gaps so close that each event was only decided on the final stages.  Unfortunately before STPR began the gap between Travis and David…

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Welcome Back Gravel – Rally in the 100 Acre Wood Preview

The extended wait is finally over. After nearly two months the Rally in the 100 Acre Wood is finally here and it’s looking to be a fantastic event. Rally regulars, off-road specialists, and tarmac professionals will be competing against each other on the Missouri stage roads this weekend. In total, nearly 70 entries are slated to do their best Christopher Robin impressions, a great turnout for the second Rally America national event of the year. Why such a long time between rallies this year? After two of the last three runnings of the…

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Episode 291 RallyCast – OpenPaddock.net

Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadWe have a massive show this week starting off with two special guests, Tino Fortunato of the All Fours Rally Team and Nick Roberts of the Nick Roberts Global Rally Team!  Then we move on to a preview of the Rally in the 100 Acre Wood, followed by a special review of the rejuvenated British Rally Championship from our good friend Tom Firth in the UK.  Then we finish it off with a bit of WRC Mexico. It’s a long show and I hope you…

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The View From the Right Seat by Niall Burns – Episode 4 – Blind Rallying

The adventures of world travelling co-driver Niall Burns never cease to amaze!  In this episode he takes us on a fascinating journey into a blind rally.   Episode 4 – The React Blind Rally by Niall Burns I am currently in South Africa preparing for the upcoming SA Championship series opener here at the Goldfields Rally. Today I took some time away from my preparations to take part in quite a unique event, The React Blind Rally. This event is for blind navigators, who use instructions given to them in braille to…

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Episode 290 RallyCast – OpenPaddock.net

Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadIn this week’s RallyCast we kick things off with special guest Anders Green of NASA Rally Sport!  NRS is known for their focus on grassroots rallying, but what you may not know is that they are also technical innovators when it comes to rally timing, scoring, registration, and organization.  Anders gives us the lowdown on all their new tech goodness as well as a preview of the upcoming Sandblast Rally which is only 8 days away!  Also in the program, Mike and Matt review WRC Sweden and…

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The View From the Right (err..Left?) Seat by Niall Burns – Part 3

In his latest in his series of “The View From The Right Seat” , our Irish co-driver friend Niall Burns tells us what it’s like back home where tarmac rallying on narrow roads at insane speeds is king!  Sit down, strap in, and enjoy the read!   The View From the Right Seat – Part 3 A couple weeks ago I was asked, “Hey Niall, I want to hear what it’s like rallying down those famous Irish tarmac lanes!”  This question is actually from Mike Shaw himself so I guess I better answer…

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The View From the Right Seat by Niall Burns – Part 2

Rally Co Driving Since my last article for Open Paddock I received a question via email asking, “Niall what’s it feel like in the car travelling down those forest roads flat out?”   Well let me try and answer that one.   Rally Co Drivers are sometimes the unsung heros in the car, the following is a statement I read before from Ian Harden, “the driver is only a show case for awesome navigating talent”, I remind myself of this statement sometimes at the end of events where I have…

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