So I know what you are thinking…”Shaun, rally is by far NOT manufactured results like some of our other favorite series.” I agree to you 100% minus the sly tactics the teams pull on occasion. I am talking about the grand scheme of things to be honest and my point is that rally is a sport of manufacturers…or at least it used to be! Audi, MINI, Lancia, Porsche, Peugeot, Ford, Subaru, Mitsubishi, and all the rest were at one time battling it out through the history of rally as full…
Read MoreTag: Solberg
Episode 76 – Openpaddock.net Podcast
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Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadJoin the Paddock crew as they discuss Rally Sweden. An exciting weekend in the WRC and we do the best we can to break down all the madness. We also hit F1, Le Mans, MRTI, and the IZOD IndyCar Series. So sit back and enjoy the rants and debates. Should also throw out that we don’t hate NASCAR fans…just the series. Enjoy!
Read MoreRally – Ford Fiesta RS WRC claims podium clean sweep on rally debut
FROM ABU DHABI FORD WORLD RALLY: Ford’s all-new Fiesta RS World Rally Car made a dream debut by powering to a 1-2-3 finish in Rally Sweden today. Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team’s Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen won a thrilling opening round of the FIA World Rally Championship by just 6.5sec from Mads Østberg and Jonas Andersson. Hirvonen’s team-mates Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila were third. It was Ford’s first podium clean sweep since Rally Sweden in 2008, when Latvala claimed his maiden WRC win and was followed home…
Read MoreRally – Hirvonen Takes Back to Back Sweden Victories
The 2011 season got started with one of the craziest rallies in recent memory! Way to usher in a new era for the Fiesta and DS3. The previous two days of the rally were unpredictable except for one point. Whoever was first on the road usually lost time due to fresh snow. Mikko Hirvonen was to be first on the road this morning and he would prove that to be false as he set some blistering times in the mornings stages on what was really nothing more than fresh ice.…
Read MoreRally – Co-Driver Chris Patterson Drives Solberg’s D3 at Rally Sweden
Rally – Sweden Day 2 Review
While the 1st leg of Rally Sweden had all the excitement of the new cars and teams taking to the stages proper for the first time, the second leg would be business as usual. Mads Ostberg was the surprise of the first day, how much time would he lose and how far could Mikko stretch the lead? We found out the answer to those questions in what was one amazing day on the stages. Mikko Hirvonen would move quickly to take the lead from Day 1 leader Mads Ostberg. As…
Read MoreRally – Sweden Day 1
Finally the 2011 season proper has kicked off and what a first leg! Snow had fallen all night and was still roaring in the morning as the cars lined up for the start. Sebastien Loeb would be first on the road due to last year’s title standings. The French ace would suffer massive time loss as his DS3 struggled for grip on the loose powder. Jari-Matti Latvala would set a time over 40secs faster! Biggest loser in the first stage would be P-G Andersson who had been tipped to do…
Read MoreRally – iRally Colin Clark and Seb Marshall look at conditions for Sweden
Episode 75 – Openpaddock.net Podcast
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Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadThe 75th “diamond” edition of the Openpaddock.net podcast is packed full! We have Mike Cockrall (@TeamCanada1) on to talk the new Edmonton track layout. Kristi talks IZOD IndyCar and Doug with the Mazda Road to Indy. We preview Rally Sweden as the WRC calendar kicks off and talk the aftermath of the Robert Kubica accident. What’s next for Lotus Renault? What is next for teams and their drivers during the offseason? We talk about it all, so sit back and enjoy the diamond addition!
Read MoreEpisode 74 – Openpaddock.net Podcast
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Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadHere we are a couple days later and a few painful hours of editing for the 74th Episode of the podcast. Show is a little long this week at a cool and crisp two hours, but we cover Sno* Drift, WRC, IndyCar and the toss in a little sports car and technical F1 talk! Thanks for the download as always and sit back this weekend and listen to some good discussion as we all wait for the season to get here!
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