Rally – PR: Van Merksteijn Motorsport to Support Charity with “Drive for KiKa”

Van Merksteijn Motorsport is going to raise money for KiKa (Children Cancerfree) through its participation in the World Rally Championship. With the slogan “Drive for KiKa”, the team will set aside an amount of money per stage kilometer for this charity and it will approach the sponsors and partners of the team to contribute to this fund raiser as well. Van Merksteijn Motorsport will enter Peter van Merksteijn junior in ten rounds of the FiA World Rally Championship. For his participation in the WRC he has a Citroën DS3 WRC…

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Rally – 2012 Calendar Problems Remain

Think back to about this time last year and we were discussing the same thing for the WRC. What is the calendar going to be and when will it be released? Are we going to drop the silly rally rotation rule the WRC has? As we know with the FiA however, the same problems always crop up and are never resolved. So here we sit in 2011 and we are waiting for the 2012 calendar. The events and dates are set to be announced later this month or early next…

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Rally – Marcus Grönholm to compete in Global RallyCross Championship

West Hollywood, CA (March 14, 2011 | GLOBAL RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP) – Two-time World Rally Champion Marcus Grönholm will travel to the United States to compete in the first round of the Global RallyCross Championship: The Revolution, taking place March 25-26 at Irwindale Speedway on the outskirts of Los Angeles. Grönholm, who will pilot a 600-hp all-wheel drive Best Buy Ford Fiesta in the contest, joins a list of top-ranked international motorsport and action sport stars racing in the Global RallyCross Championship. Also planning to compete are three-time X Games Rally…

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MSP – Once Upon a Time in Mexico

So it is all over. The first gravel test of 2011 and an all too familiar ending for fans of the WRC. Sebastien Loeb claimed victory south of the border and in pretty dominant fashion. The weekend was not without its issues however. Here are a few points I was able to take away from Round 2. Tires Michelin had a rough showing this weekend. While the brand has been away from rally’s top flight for sometime, there were a number of punctures on the hard rocks of Mexico. The…

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Episode 78 – OpenPaddock.net Podcast

Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadJoin Shaun and Mike as they talk this weeks hot INDYCAR news. Texas Duels, FAZZT/Schmidt race team, and all the rest! We also briefly recap the 100 Acre Wood Rally and preview Rally Mexico. The crew makes their fantasy Rally championship predictions and the all important country queen comes up for grabs again. So sit back and enjoy the weeks important motorsport news!

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Rally – Stobart Goes Big for Mexico

The M-Sport Stobart team had a weekend to remember in Sweden with Mads Ostberg giving the team their best ever result of 2nd. The team also led a rally for the first time ever. So what is the next logical step? Go even bigger in Mexico! The team is set to run with four M-Sport Stobart powered Ford Fiestas. Mads Ostberg and Henning Solberg are the nominated points drivers for the first gravel test of the year. Joining them in a non points capacity will be Matthew Wilson and Evgeny…

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Rally – Red Bull Skoda Ready to Attack SWRC

One of my top story lines for Rally Mexico is going to be the arrival of the Red Bull Skoda outfit and 2010 IRC champion Juho Hanninen. A seat that was previously held by Patrik Sandell now goes to one of the top all around drivers in rally and they will be looking to win south of the border. Skoda is currently fielding one factory level entry with their man Juho at the wheel while a second car will be fielded by Baumschlager Rally Racing. Hermann Gassner jr will be…

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Rally – Manufactured Product?

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…

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