Rally – New Super 2000 Class for WRC

Acquiescing to concerns from the teams that the Super 2000 and Group N performance gap was becoming too wide, the FIA has proposed separating the two specifications for the 2010 season. The current production class of the WRC, which allows for both S2000 and N4 cars, will be split into two distinct championships. The S2000 cars will compete in the S-WRC class and the N4 cars will compete in the P-WRC class. These two will join the two-wheel drive Junior Championship, J-WRC as support classes for the WRC next season.…

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Episode 17 – Open Paddock Podcast

Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadJoin Shaun, Mike, Doug, and Andy (aka Frantic) as we talk the IZOD IndyCar series and Danica Patrick. We also talk about RHR to Andretti Autosport. We offer our thoughts on Kimi to Citroen if the deal goes through and we also try and hammer the Formula 1 news out including a stupid entry list and Andy offers his opinion on Bernie and the British GP.

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Rally – WRC Highlight Shows on YouTube

The WRC has done the best thing ever to help assuage the off-season blues. All of their highlight shows from the 2001 through 2008 seasons are live on their YouTube Shows page. This is brilliant, and hopefully a trend that will get picked up by other racing series. I’m lookin’ at you IZOD IndyCar Series! I would also say I was lookin’ at F1, but lets be realistic, Bernie is too much of a troll to allow people to watch old seasons of his circus for free. Here’s the announcement…

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Episode 16 – Open Paddock Podcast

Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadJoin us this week as we talk about Jenson to McLaren, Mercedes GP as well as a whole host of F1 news topics. Will Power goes full time in the IndyCar series and Ford tells the IRC to get lost. As always we try to solve IndyCar’s problems because they obviously cannot do it themselves. **NOTE: I broke my headset 30 seconds before recording the show, so the sound may not be up to par…thats what happens when you try and act like Kimi.

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Rally – Kimi and Citroen

After snubbing Mercedes GP and confirming his temporary exit from F1, Autosport is reporting that Kimi is closing in on a deal that would see him in a C4 backed by Red Bull. While he will have little implications in any title fight, this raises a couple questions about the Kimsters career as a whole. We have to establish one thing up front and in the clear, Kimi Raikkonen will have no implication in the 2010 WRC title if he gets this deal. I know I know…Shaun, how do you…

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Episode 14 – Open Paddock Podcast

Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadJoin Mike and myself as we try and wrap our head around Toyota and Bridgestone pull outs. We talk about Renault and other ramifications of today’s huge news. We also talk RHR to AGR? as well as IndyCar title sponsor stuff. Gronholm may be back the WRC and Pirelli may not be. All huge news today and no signs of a slow down anytime soon.

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Rally – No Gurantees on Pirelli

While reading Autosport’s web page this morning for all of the latest F1 news, I noticed that the dominoes may start to fall in the WRC before long. The site had an article posted which states that Pirelli is not guranteeing anything to the FiA in regards to its WRC contract as sole tire supplier. “We will study the interest in the sport and gauge the effect of our current supply contract to the WRC. I can then present to the board of Pirelli, but it’s not a given that…

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Rally – Gronholm Looks at 2010 Options

The two time WRC champion Marcus Gronholm is said to be exploring options that would see him back in a car for more than one event in 2010. Gronholm performed in the Rally Portugal and was very quick until an incident seen him out of the rally early. Marcus stated during the rally Portugal that he did not want the responsibility of running a full rally season. Where have I heard that before Michael. At the moment, it would appear that Marcus is looking for two rallies including Sweden and…

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