Welcome to the first installment of post-race Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup diaries written by the young men and women competing in the series.
(Welcome to the first installment of post-race reflections written for SPEEDtv.com by the young men and women who are pursuing their dreams of motor racing stardom by taking the first step in the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup. This first entry comes after Round 1 at Virginia International Raceway.)
Ryan Ellis
Wow, what a great weekend! This is my second Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup season and I have to say, coming to the season-opener this past weekend at VIR was a totally different experience than it was last year.
This year, I know the instructors and I know the cars, so it was like coming back to my second home. The rookies are getting used the every single detail of the Series and I just had to knock a little dust off – it was completely different from last year. I felt a bit like an “upperclassman” on the first day of school! Plus, I was racing in my home state of Virginia, which always helps your confidence level because it adds that level of familiarity that puts you at ease a bit.
Last season it was tough for me to get excited, I went to the track and wasn’t achieving the results I wanted. I wasn’t running up front and I never finished higher than seventh. It was such a new experience for me to not be doing well.
To come out this past weekend for the double header at VIRginia International Raceway and win both races and both poles was fantastic. That second race was really exciting – it was the closest, cleanest race that I can ever remember running.
Juan Pablo Sierra Lendle and I were racing hard all day and we were right on each other at every turn. He drove me as clean as could be and I have to say, it was very intense. We swapped the lead a couple times and I was able to make a last-lap pass to take the checkered at the end. I felt like I truly earned the win and that victory coupled with mine on Saturday marked my first two Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup victories. After that, I’m definitely starting the year with a lot of confidence, which is a fantastic feeling.
This season is a totally different ballgame for me – I know what these cars can do and I feel a lot more comfortable behind the wheel. I’m really excited that the 2010 season is underway and I can’t wait to head to New Jersey Motorsports Park on May 9.
Justine Jackson
This weekend at VIRginia International Raceway was my first time racing in a car after 6½ years of kart racing. It was such an awesome experience both on and off track. My dad and I got to the track on Friday afternoon, got fitted in my Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup car. Once I got in, I had to put the seat position at its maximum height and I still had to use 4 sponges so I could see!
Once we got fitted and our equipment was organized, we had a track walk. My goal for the weekend was to get comfortable in the car and I did just that! Throughout my time on track I improved my lap times from 14s off of the fastest driver in practice 1 to 2.5s off of the fastest lap in Race 2! I was pretty happy with those results, especially considering it was my first-ever race in a car!
I haven’t had this much fun racing in a long time! The driver coaches Jan Heylen, Andy Lee, Ryan Arciero and Mark Miller were so helpful in my on track progress and I had a blast working with them.
The Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup is all about driver development and throughout the weekend we were given our data from each track session along with the fastest driver’s data so that we could pinpoint exactly where we were losing time. This for me, aside from being on track, is the one of the best aspects of this Series and I continually improved because of it. I was also able to wear my driving suit for the first time, another highpoint of the weekend!
Another bonus was that I also got to spend a lot of time with my dad, something I don’t get to do too often because I am away at school in North Carolina while my family lives in Jamaica.
Despite some disappointing results, the weekend was by far my best racing weekend as a whole. A big thank you to my sponsors Project Podium, Jetcon Corporation, the support of the Helle Nice Foundation and my Heavenly Father, without whom none of this would be possible! I’m hoping for another great race in New Jersey and I can’t wait to get back in my car!
While I can’t wait to get back in the car, I do have to get through one more week of classes, four final exams next week and packing up everything to leave school for the summer! I think the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup race at New Jersey Motorsports Park on May 9 will be a great way to start my summer!
Jake Thompson
I’m returning to the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup for the second year, and it was great to be back among so many familiar faces last weekend. Last season provided a lot of unknowns and this year was like coming back to a bunch of old friends.
It was an interesting weekend for me and when I left the track on Sunday, I think I was somewhat relieved to be heading out. I usually never want to leave a racetrack, but this weekend I was ready to get out of there!
One of the reasons was that I think I put a lot of pressure on myself to win at VIRginia International Raceway – I won there last season as a rookie, so I had very high expectations going into the weekend.
I had a DNF during the first race, which I was clearly disappointed about. Then to add insult to injury, as I was getting out of the car I bent my arm in an awkward way and dislocated my shoulder! The good news was that the Volkswagen community is very close-knit and I had tons of people advising me on how to treat it overnight. I got some advice that I thought was solid and I put myself back in a position to race again on Sunday.
My shoulder was definitely tender and I wasn’t sure how it was going to hold up until we hit the track for our parade lap. Everything felt fine during pre-race and I knew I’d be good to go for the event. Fortunately, I had a solid race and was able to bring my car home in third place, which considering the previous events felt like a victory!
Coming back to the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup for a second year, I have my sights on one thing – winning the Championship, so being able to earn some solid points really helped a lot. Ryan (Ellis) did an amazing job all weekend, but I’m definitely in a good position with eight races remaining. I think we’ll be fine heading into New Jersey this weekend.
Ryan Ellis
Wow, what a great weekend! This is my second Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup season and I have to say, coming to the season-opener this past weekend at VIR was a totally different experience than it was last year.
This year, I know the instructors and I know the cars, so it was like coming back to my second home. The rookies are getting used the every single detail of the Series and I just had to knock a little dust off – it was completely different from last year. I felt a bit like an “upperclassman” on the first day of school! Plus, I was racing in my home state of Virginia, which always helps your confidence level because it adds that level of familiarity that puts you at ease a bit.
Last season it was tough for me to get excited, I went to the track and wasn’t achieving the results I wanted. I wasn’t running up front and I never finished higher than seventh. It was such a new experience for me to not be doing well.
To come out this past weekend for the double header at VIRginia International Raceway and win both races and both poles was fantastic. That second race was really exciting – it was the closest, cleanest race that I can ever remember running.
Juan Pablo Sierra Lendle and I were racing hard all day and we were right on each other at every turn. He drove me as clean as could be and I have to say, it was very intense. We swapped the lead a couple times and I was able to make a last-lap pass to take the checkered at the end. I felt like I truly earned the win and that victory coupled with mine on Saturday marked my first two Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup victories. After that, I’m definitely starting the year with a lot of confidence, which is a fantastic feeling.
This season is a totally different ballgame for me – I know what these cars can do and I feel a lot more comfortable behind the wheel. I’m really excited that the 2010 season is underway and I can’t wait to head to New Jersey Motorsports Park on May 9.
Justine Jackson
This weekend at VIRginia International Raceway was my first time racing in a car after 6½ years of kart racing. It was such an awesome experience both on and off track. My dad and I got to the track on Friday afternoon, got fitted in my Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup car. Once I got in, I had to put the seat position at its maximum height and I still had to use 4 sponges so I could see!
Once we got fitted and our equipment was organized, we had a track walk. My goal for the weekend was to get comfortable in the car and I did just that! Throughout my time on track I improved my lap times from 14s off of the fastest driver in practice 1 to 2.5s off of the fastest lap in Race 2! I was pretty happy with those results, especially considering it was my first-ever race in a car!
I haven’t had this much fun racing in a long time! The driver coaches Jan Heylen, Andy Lee, Ryan Arciero and Mark Miller were so helpful in my on track progress and I had a blast working with them.
The Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup is all about driver development and throughout the weekend we were given our data from each track session along with the fastest driver’s data so that we could pinpoint exactly where we were losing time. This for me, aside from being on track, is the one of the best aspects of this Series and I continually improved because of it. I was also able to wear my driving suit for the first time, another highpoint of the weekend!
Another bonus was that I also got to spend a lot of time with my dad, something I don’t get to do too often because I am away at school in North Carolina while my family lives in Jamaica.
Despite some disappointing results, the weekend was by far my best racing weekend as a whole. A big thank you to my sponsors Project Podium, Jetcon Corporation, the support of the Helle Nice Foundation and my Heavenly Father, without whom none of this would be possible! I’m hoping for another great race in New Jersey and I can’t wait to get back in my car!
While I can’t wait to get back in the car, I do have to get through one more week of classes, four final exams next week and packing up everything to leave school for the summer! I think the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup race at New Jersey Motorsports Park on May 9 will be a great way to start my summer!
Jake Thompson
I’m returning to the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup for the second year, and it was great to be back among so many familiar faces last weekend. Last season provided a lot of unknowns and this year was like coming back to a bunch of old friends.
It was an interesting weekend for me and when I left the track on Sunday, I think I was somewhat relieved to be heading out. I usually never want to leave a racetrack, but this weekend I was ready to get out of there!
One of the reasons was that I think I put a lot of pressure on myself to win at VIRginia International Raceway – I won there last season as a rookie, so I had very high expectations going into the weekend.
I had a DNF during the first race, which I was clearly disappointed about. Then to add insult to injury, as I was getting out of the car I bent my arm in an awkward way and dislocated my shoulder! The good news was that the Volkswagen community is very close-knit and I had tons of people advising me on how to treat it overnight. I got some advice that I thought was solid and I put myself back in a position to race again on Sunday.
My shoulder was definitely tender and I wasn’t sure how it was going to hold up until we hit the track for our parade lap. Everything felt fine during pre-race and I knew I’d be good to go for the event. Fortunately, I had a solid race and was able to bring my car home in third place, which considering the previous events felt like a victory!
Coming back to the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup for a second year, I have my sights on one thing – winning the Championship, so being able to earn some solid points really helped a lot. Ryan (Ellis) did an amazing job all weekend, but I’m definitely in a good position with eight races remaining. I think we’ll be fine heading into New Jersey this weekend.
thank you
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