Episode 62 – Openpaddock.net Podcast

Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadJoin Doug and myself as we talk about the IndyCar Downforce Banquet and announce some exciting news! We also talk about racing Justin Wilson on iRacing. We also get into actual events that took place this weekend with Rally Spain and the Korean Grand Prix. Both saw excellent off road action and the F1 title race has been put on its head. Sit back with your favorite beverage and listen to a great conversation even though news has been hard to come by!

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Rally – Leg 1 in Spain

Sebastien Loeb has taken it easy this weekend and is still leading Rally Spain by 3.8secs over future teammate and Citroen Junior driver Sebastien Ogier. Loeb’s lead does come as a surprise as the first leg has a mixture of both tarmac and gravel. The Frenchman was first on the roads and sacrificed little time because of it. Jari-Matti Latvala is currently in third which is slightly below what the team were hoping. The idea was to have JML utilize his fast gravel pace to put a lead over the…

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Rally – Loeb Cruising in France

Sebastian Loeb has started his France homecoming the only way he knows how by coming out and opening a 22sec lead after the first leg. Loeb is in prime position to take home the title this weekend and that has been the aim of Citroen the whole time. Take the C4’s last championship on home soil. Other notable happenings this weekend has been Ken Block’s return too tarmac and the overall Ford implosion that has been 2010. Fortunately for the Ford team, Jari-Matti Latvala was able to take two stage…

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Rally – Loeb Wins Germany

Sebastian Loeb has won Rally Germany for the eighth time and has all but sured up the title with four events left. The Citroen ace was never in question of losing this event as he continues to destroy the competition on tarmac. The French ace now has 191 points to Sebastian Ogier’s 133. Ogier would finish on the final step of the podium while factory driver Dani Sordo would finish an impressive second. A result the Spaniard needed after coming back to the Total team after being demoted to the…

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Rally – Loeb Extends Through Panzerplatte

Sebastian Loeb continues to dominate Rally Germany as he further extended his lead over Citroen Total teammate Dani Sordo during today’s second leg. The French ace was able to extend the lead to 35.7 seconds over his Spanish teammate over the always treacherous Panzerplatte arena section of the rally. There were also two key retirements as Mikko Hirvonen would fail to finish the day with a transmission issue and Stobart stand in Francois Duval would roll his Ford on the second run throught the Panzerplatte stage. Of course you guessed…

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Rally – Loeb and Ogier Extend @ Citroen

Citroen look set to dominate the WRC for at least another three years as they have resigned Sebatian Loeb and phenom Sebastian Ogier. We can only hope that the new cars upset the balance as Citroen now have THE driver lineup that every Ford fan cringes at (including this one). It was thought that a small chance existed that Ford would be able to shanghai the Frenchman Ogier, but it took next to no time for the phenom to make up his mind. Ogier will replace Sordo next season on…

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OP-Ed – The future is in Ogier’s hands

By Alasdair Lindsay The WRC Silly Season may not be as buzzing with action as the F1 equivalent – but arguably it has one mover that can change the entire shape of the sport for years to come, simply by choosing between two teams. It’s not just Sebastien Ogier who’ll be affected by his own decision between Citroen and Ford, the implications will change the careers of many around him as well. From Ogier’s perspective, you’d expect the choice to be a simple one – stay at the marque which…

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Rally – Bulgaria Thoughts

Rally Bulgaria is now in the books and while a lot of the action was off the stages between Citroen, Ford, and Sebastian Ogier, we had another dominant performance from Sebastian Loeb. The now 58 times winner in rally’s top flight increases his amazing stretch on tarmac while the Ford duo slip back into obscurity. The weekend gave Citroen a 1-2-3-4 finish with Sordo finishing runner up to his teammate and Petter Solberg finishing in the third position. The man making most of the headlines (Ogier) finished in the fourth…

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OP-Ed – Everybody Hates Citroen – but they shouldn’t

Editors Note: Welcome our first OP-ED Contributor Alasdair Lindsay! He has wrote a brilliant piece that is a must read for all rally fans. While this is an outside source, the opinion expressed in this op-ed is that of the author. Then agian, they make us say that! 😉 By Alasdair Lindsay In the WRC, all-conquering teams and drivers usually come in pairs – Miki Biasion and Lancia, Carlos Sainz and Toyota, Tommi Makinen and Mitsubishi, Marcus Gronholm and Peugeot to name a few of them. However all of these…

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