LAHAINA – These are heady times for Lahainaluna High School and Napili Canoe Club paddling coach Joey Tihada, as both the Maui Interscholastic League and Hawaii High School Athletic Association State Championship regattas will be held at Hanakao’o Beach Park (Canoe Beach) on consecutive weekends.
The MIL event was held last Saturday, and the state championships – which will bring 24 Hawaii high school crews to Canoe Beach – is scheduled for this Saturday, Feb. 7.
But cool, collected Coach Joey is a veteran canoe paddling leader here on Maui, and he will be assisted by Mike Tihada and Kekoa Mowat in preparing for the big meets…Â More infoÂ
[ad#cor1]
2005 IndyCar Series champion Dan Wheldon and wife Susie welcomed their first child together Sunday, Feb 1st. Sebastian Daniel Wheldon weighed 6 pounds, 12 ounces and was born at Bayfront Medical Center in St. Petersburg, Fla., two weeks ahead of his due date. Both mother and son are “doing well.â€
“It was just the most unbelievable experience of my life,†said Wheldon. “It’s one of those things that, until you experience it, you’ll never be able to put into words how great the feeling is. The first time I saw the little baby… More info
>>>Danica Patrick: The series’ most popular driver wants a fast start to forget about the second half of 2008, when she slumped after her breakthrough victory last spring in Japan. Patrick, 26, also makes her debut in the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach on April 19, and will try again to win the prize she covets most: the Indianapolis 500.
>>>Ryan Briscoe: This could be a breakout year for the Australian, who won three races for Team Penske last year. Briscoe, 27, has proved he can win on both oval tracks and road courses, and with Penske’s strong cars, he could make a run at the series championship.
>>>Dario Franchitti: The Scotsman of Italian descent won the Indy 500 and the series title in 2007, made a brief attempt at NASCAR stock car racing last year and is back in IndyCar. Franchitti has the credentials and the team to be strong — he’s now with reigning series champ Scott Dixon at Target Chip Ganassi — but will Franchitti, 35, show any signs of being rusty?
>>>Dan Wheldon: Few burn with the intensity of this Englishman, but because he left Ganassi to join Panther Racing, it’s questionable whether …Â More info
[ad#cor1]
Ex-Champ Car drivers accustomed to curvier road courses struggled after ’08 merger with IndyCar. This year, with a better mix of road layouts and traditional Indy ovals, they should be more competitive.
The IndyCar Series enters its first full season of reunification with a shuffled list of racing venues and question marks involving several of its top drivers.
A year ago the series ended its long split with the nation’s other major open-wheel racing circuit, the Champ Car World Series, by absorbing Champ Car and some of its teams and tracks. But contractual obligations prevented IndyCar from immediately adding Champ Car’s crown jewel race, the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, in 2008…Â More info