Tag: season

Rally – Mikko Hirvonen Announces Retirement

Mike Shaw

Mikko Hirvonen is one of the fastest drivers and one of the most beloved personalities the World Rally Championship has ever seen. He broke the mold of how most westerners saw Finns, as Mikko was unafraid to show his raw emotions and talk in detail about his successes and failures to the media. He also has one heck of a sense of humor that was well displayed in his travel videos he did with co-driver Jarmo Lehtinen in their first season with Citroen.  By far Mikko’s  greatest successes came from the…

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MRTI – Championship Battles Tighten After MidOhio

Doug Patterson

The Mid-Ohio IndyCar weekend is a special one to many of us here at OpenPaddock.net. Ok, two of us: Mr. Whitesell and myself. While we do enjoy the IndyCar action throughout the weekend, one of the true joys of the event is the variety and quantity of racing one gets to enjoy. The Mazda Road to Indy was fully represented with Indy Lights and Pro Mazda holding double-headers and USF2000 holding a triple-header. The multiple points-paying races meant that the championship standings could change dramatically, and there were indeed some…

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USF2000 – Three Races for Your Money!

Doug Patterson

The Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda will once again hold a triple-header on the lovely Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course this weekend in Lexington, OH. Mr. Whitesell and I will be on hand to enjoy all the action, and perhaps we should have brought a Belgian-style Tripel with us. …hindsight. RC Enerson dominated the early rounds of the championship, but the wheels began falling off when the series went to Indianapolis. The Cape Motorsports duo of Florian Latorre and Jake Eidson quickly closed the gap and overtook Enerson in…

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IndyLights – MidOhio Two-Fer Preview

Doug Patterson

It’s Mid-Ohio Weekend!!! Next to Indianapolis, the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course is my favourite track to visit. The IndyCar weekend is filled with activity and the circuit is never quite. Between the IndyCar Series, the Indy Lights, Pro Mazda, USF2000, and the SCCA Pro Pirelli World Challenge, there’s always someone circulating and there’s a variety of racing machines to enjoy. One of the biggest battles during the weekend will be the fight for the Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires 2014 Championship. Belardi Auto Racing’s Gabby Chaves and Andretti Autosport’s…

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Episode 238 – OpenPaddock.net Podcast

Doug Patterson

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadFearless Leader Mike Whitesell and the ever intrepid John Olsakovsky holdown the fort as Shaw and Patterson attend to real life issues. Formula 1 gets relegated to circus status until they get their act together, the IndyCar Houston Grand Prix offered two extremely different races and is now off to Pocono, and the boys relay Shaw’s comments on the Pikes Peak Hill Climb, the Mt. Washington Hill Climb, and Rally Poland. OpenPaddock.net Podcast, Episode 238 – Tuesday, July 1, 2014 Summer angst and illness…

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Episode 236 – OpenPaddock.net Podcast

Doug Patterson

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Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadMike, Mike, and John carry on this week as Doug is away to a conference. That means a sub 2-hour show without the Professor rambling on and on. Here’s what’s on tap this week: Le Mans – A Brief Review IndyCar – Bourdais fined, JV thinks IndyCar is just swell now Rally – Ken Block Podiums in Hell, Radical WRC revamp to go ahead, GRC DC Preview Formula 1 – Ferrari wants apple and google to fix F1 because the prancing horse isn’t winning,…

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Indycar-Grading the 2012 Season: Teams Edition

John Olsakovsky

With the 2012 season on the books, it’s about time to start breaking down the good and the bad. In this multi-part series, I’ll cover everything from races to drivers, taking an in-depth examination of exactly what went down. Today, let’s kick things off with a look at the teams of the 2012 IZOD Indycar Series. 1. Team Penske Will Power had a typical Will Power season, aside from the fact that he didn’t win another race after Sao Paulo. Once again, Will couldn’t quite find the handle on the…

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