The People Want Green Racing - Part 2

As I headed to VIRginia International Raceway for Rounds 1 & 2 of the Volkswagen Jetta TDI cup I really had no expectations. Having never raced anything besides a kart, and having never been to VIR before it would be a weekend of too many ‘firsts’ to put any pressure on myself. I set myself some realistic goals: qualify in the top half of the field, keep my nose clean and bring home a top ten finish.

In the week leading up to the event I managed to get some additional practice time with the help of a local pro from Vancouver, Tony Morris Jr. Through his business Morrisport Advanced Driving, Tony was able to set me up with an Acura Integra to run during a practice day at Mission Raceway Park. Although not as fast as my Jetta TDI, given my limited car experience it was helpful to get some extra laps under my belt. Tony, a former champion in FWD race cars was there to give me tips on both driving and race preparation. The damp weather in the morning definitely helped me get accustomed to driving at the limits of the car, and as the track dried in the afternoon I was able to get some experience in all types of track conditions.

In the days before my flight I went through some final preparations, which included getting JakeThompson.ca decals and logging a few extra practice laps on Iracing.com. My itinerary had me leaving straight from work on Wednesday afternoon to catch a flight to Phoenix, AZ where I spent the night in Scottsdale with my parents who live there for the winter (snowbirds, they can’t take the Canadian winter anymore!). My Dad would be traveling with me for the weekend and we had an early morning flight to Raleigh, NC. After getting our rental car we had an hour drive through the beautiful North Carolina countryside to our hotel in Reidsville, NC about 45 minutes south of VIR. This was my fault as I had left booking a hotel way too late, and consequently couldn’t get anything closer to the track. As we arrived, my Dad and I decided no one else could be stuck this far from the track. Just then a number of people from Team Penske checked in right behind us. I guess we weren’t the only ones.

Friday morning our wake-up call came at 4:30AM, which is actually 1:30AM back on the west coast, and needless to say VERY early. I had been making an attempt during the previous week to wake up early and get my body accustomed to Eastern Time, but it was still a completely uncivilized hour. We arrived to VIR in the dark just before 6 to receive our credentials and sign in for the weekend. At this point I also met up with David Jurca, who myself and fellow competitor Nick Boulle had hired as a driver coach for the weekend. David is a former karting team mate of mine who finished 4th overall in the TDI Cup last year and I figured his experience would be invaluable. This was also our first chance to check out the incredible VW Hospitality Center. With several flat screen TV’s, full catering, open bar, driver’s briefing room, lounge area and seating for at least 100 it is the envy of the entire paddock. After a quick coffee and a muffin, I was off to find my car.

Over in the VW Tech Center I found 30 perfectly prepared race cars ready to start the season, including my white Vion sponsored #19. I took the opportunity to climb in for the first time and get accustomed to my new ‘office’. I threw a couple of ‘www.JakeThompson.ca’ decals on the car and headed back to the Hospitality Center to meet up for the track walk.

Although the forecast called for mid 80’s, it felt more like the mid-30’s as we jumped into a pack of golf carts and headed out onto the track. This was my first chance to see the layout at VIR and I was blown away by the elevation changes. In particular from corners 14-17 (dubbed the ‘Roller Coaster’) there must be at least 7 stories of drop! It was obvious that it’s a fast track and we all knew that would lead to tight packs racing in the draft.

During the track walk I also got the chance to meet free skier and X-Games gold medalist Simon Dumont, who would be racing with us as a guest driver (along with Ward Burton’s son Jeb, and automotive journalist Dan Carney). Living near the mountains my whole life I’ve always loved skiing so it was cool to hang out with one of the top guys in the world. Or in ski terms it was “totally sick brah”.

After our first driver’s briefing of the season we finally got to hit the track for our one and only practice session. As we belted up I was hoping that everyone would keep it on the asphalt as the last thing I needed was a full course yellow to end the session early. Luckily for the new driver’s we got our full 30 minutes of practice. I definitely started out a little tentative, running lap times in the 2min20 second range, but every lap I managed to go a little bit quicker. Around mid session defending race winner Mark Pombo went by me which turned out to be a big help as I was able to see where he was picking up time. After that I really managed to drop the lap times and noticed I was all of a sudden catching cars in front of me. Towards the end of the session I ran a few laps chasing chief driving instructor Jan Heylen and was able to put in a 2min14.8. The Jetta TDI was an absolute blast to drive around VIR, I had total confidence to attack the kerbs through the multiple esses and the nearly 300ft-lbs of torque launched us out of the hairpins.

The important thing was that I had found ways to go faster throughout the session. I felt like I was quick through turns 4-5 as well as 16-17 where I seemed to be running more kerbs than most of the other driver’s. At the same time I knew I needed to be better through the incredibly fast ‘south bend’ (110mph) and I was having trouble getting the car down to the apex in turns 1 & 3. After I got out of the car David told me I had run the 4th fastest lap, wow! From going into the weekend hoping to qualify in the top half I knew I definitely had to reset my expectations. To be in the top 5 in my first official session as a race car driver was a huge boost to my confidence. David also had a couple area’s that he knew right away I could go faster in, so together we definitely felt optimistic that I could qualify well. After going through the data, we decided I wasn’t using the car to its full braking ability. This was amazing to me as it already felt like I was stopping on a dime, but David explained that last year he felt the same thing and it took him a while to realise just how hard these cars stopped. He also showed me some video footage of how Jan was taking the downhill turn 14. Almost all of the other cars (myself included) were exiting in the middle of the track to setup for turn 15, but Jan was using the whole track on exit of 14, and then using the kerb to still get through 15 flat out. With a lot of things to work on I got ready to hit the track for qualifying.

We would have two separate 30 minute qualifying sessions on Friday afternoon, the first for Saturday’s race and the second for Sunday’s race. As I rolled onto the track for first qualifying I made the conscious decision to go out at the back of the pack and find some clear track. I knew that the draft helped, but I also learned in practice it was extremely hard to time it just right and not cost yourself time. I figured I was better off to just ensure that I got some good clean laps in. With added pressure on myself after the strong showing in practice I definitely started to over drive the car and early in the session I even had a big 4-wheel off in turn 3. This forced me to calm down and put in some more consistent laps. When the chequered flag flew I was disappointed to only run a 2min14.7, a mere tenth faster than practice. As I drove back to the pits though, I got a big thumbs up from both David and my Dad. I was 3rd! Clearly the mid afternoon heat had slowed the track up, in fact I was less than 2 tenths off pole sitter Joey Atterbury.

There was not much time before we were back out to qualify for race 2, so David and I quickly went over the data. In addition to my own telemetry, after each session we get the data from a randomly chosen driver in the top 5, in this case series veteran Taylor Broekemeier. Looking at the data we could see I still wasn’t using the brakes hard enough. David also recommended I run some more kerb through turn 3, and that would hopefully be enough to put it on pole.

Again I chose to go out alone at the back of the pack for Q2. With the sun getting low in the sky and the track temperature down, I could tell right away the track was faster. Standing on the brakes as hard as I could and putting my inside wheels on the dirt in Turn 3 I managed to put in a 2min14.0. After a few laps I felt were very tidy, I couldn’t manage to go faster, so I slowed right down to cool the tires. As I cruised around at half speed I noticed AJ Nealey (who qualified 2nd for Race 1) coming up in my mirrors, and I decided to jump in his draft. I slotted in about ten car lengths behind AJ and set to work with a 2min13.9 on my next lap. Crossing start finish I was now five car lengths behind AJ and new this had to be the lap. I braked as hard as my foot could push into turn 1, on the gas nice and early, gobbled up the kerb through turn 3, using all of the rumblestrips on the exit. Turning in very early for 5a I launched over the kerbs and got a massive run heading into the 6th gear uphill esses. I took south bend with just a slight lift, and was right on AJ heading into Oak Tree. This was perfect, all I had to do was get a good run out of Oak Tree and I could draft by AJ down the long back straightaway. Then I got it all wrong. I locked up the brakes and missed my last downshift, leaving the car in 4th. As I bogged out of the corner I knew I had blown my pole lap. I still managed to get through the last few corners well and drafted right up behind AJ as we crossed start finish to record a 2min13.8, good, but it could have been so much better. With my tires spent I headed for the pits early to see where I ended up. I was happy to see my Dad waiting with another thumbs up, P2! I guess I had been on pole until the last minute when Timmy Megenbeier timed the draft perfectly and grabbed the top spot. Still, it had been an outstanding first day of the season. We had some dinner at Hospitality and then exhausted from a long day, headed back for the hotel.

Our Race on Saturday was relatively early (11am) which was good because I was looking forward to watching the Daytona Prototype race that afternoon. Michael Valiante, driver of the Michael Shank #6 DP car, is an old karting mentor of both David and I, and we were able to chat with him in the morning before the race. His team-mate would be starting the race from p7, and Michael was optimistic that he would be able to challenge for the win once he got in the car.

At 10am we were given the order to drive over to pre-grid. After the cars were put in order, we were able to get out of the cars to escape the heat. The documentary crew was around filming interviews with the drivers, and after mine I tried to pace off my escalating nerves. Clearly you could tell how nervous I was because veteran Mark Pombo stopped to remind me to have some fun. Eventually, we were given the 10 minute call and I belted back into the car. The start procedure would see us head onto the track for one warm-up lap before stopping in our grid spots for 5 minutes while they did driver introductions over the PA. We would then do one more pace lap, before gridding up for the standing start. Once all the cars are lined up they sound the air horn, followed by the 5 second board. Once the 5 second board goes down the red lights come on for 2-6 seconds, and as soon as they’re off, game on.

Foot on the brake, car in first, I floored the gas and waited for the lights... Green! I got a great jump, and looked to the inside of both polesitter Joey Atterbury and 2nd place AJ Nealey into turn 1. Using my head, I backed out of it and slotted into 3rd place for the first lap. Heading into turn 5 I completely underestimated the cold tires, and had a massive moment over the kerbs, full opposite lock, snapping the car both directions, I just managed to save it. Coming onto the front straight the first time I used the advantage I had all weekend in turn 17 to get a massive run and was able to take Atterbury for 2nd. The next lap, I got a similar run on Nealey, and by lap 3 of my first car race I was in the lead. AJ managed to get a good run out of Oak Tree and took the spot right back later that lap, but again I was fast through 17 and took the lead back into 1. This time I managed to get though South Bend really well and had a few car lengths as I exited Oak Tree onto the back straight, this was my chance to try to break the draft. As I braked at the end of the straightaway for turn 14 I wanted to really push so I could take advantage of my speed through the last few corners. I jumped on the gas really early... too early, I understeered into the grass at the exit and before I knew it I was sideways snapping back across the track. As I spun down through the grass, hands flailing wildly to keep the car out of the wall I knew I had blown it. Eventually I pulled back on, angry and down in 13th position. I used that anger in the best way possible, setting the track record the next lap, and soon I was grabbing positions and working my way back through the field.

With a few laps to go I was back in 8th position and running in the same pack as the leaders. I was about to learn a lesson about racing in the draft. When I was running 2nd it had been almost easy to pass for the lead, I just had to get a decent exit onto the straights and draft my way by. When I caught the pack I expected to be able to do the same thing, but no matter how good of a run I got, I just could not pass for 7th. Every time I pulled out of the draft it felt like I was hitting a brick wall. I finished a disappointing 8th, convinced I had picked up a late race motor ailment. When I sat down a few hours later I was able to think things through a little bit better. It makes sense to be able to draft by the leader because he is pushing the wind, but when trying to pass for 7th, that guy is drafting off 6th, who is drafting off 5th etc, and there is just no way you are going to be able to pull out and launch past the whole train. My motor was fine, and I knew in a similar situation (deep in a large draft pack) I had to stay in the draft for the whole straightaway and try to pull out at the very end to pass under braking. With a valuable lesson learned, it was nice to know I was starting on the front row the next day with a good chance to make up for my rookie mistake. A track record helps too! Also, congratulations to winner Joey Atterbury, as well as AJ Nealey and Timmy Megenbeier who rounded out the podium.

The temperatures were up near the 90’s and it had been an incredibly physical race. As soon as I got the chequered flag, I loosened my belts, my helmet, and took off my gloves. It had only been 30 minutes yet I was drenched with sweat and both physically and mentally exhausted. I had a new respect for the professional drivers around the world who constantly deal with much more demanding conditions.

I needed to walk off my disappointment so I took a cruise through the Rolex Grid before the start of the race. I got to catch up with Dane Cameron (yet another old karting friend) who was starting 2nd in GT, and then joined my Dad over at turn 4 to watch the start of the race. The long fast layout at VIR is a great showcase for the Daytona Prototypes, in particular watching them scream down the hill exiting 14. The record crowd of 35,000 people got a good show as Alex Gurney, Valiante, and Scott Pruett battled for the win separated by only a few seconds in the closing stages of the 2hr45min race. Pruett was taken out on a late race restart (leading to a confrontation that made for awesome TV!), while Gurney held off Valiante for the win. Talking to Michael afterwards, he was clearly disappointed to have lost the win due to lapped traffic, but was still happy to be on the podium in his 2nd race with the team. That evening VW had organized a cocktail party for the series sponsors and a group of journalist. After eating a dinner sized portion of hors d’oeuvres, my Dad and I headed back to the hotel for some much needed sleep.

It was a long night dwelling on the fact I had driven off while leading, so I was anxious to get to the track on Sunday morning for my shot at redemption. As we drove up Sunday morning, a helicopter was also arriving, to pick up an unfortunate Skip Barber driver who had gone for a rumoured 8x roll-over. Luckily, word was that he was basically ok. Our morning was highlighted by having Derek Daly give a speech to all of the drivers, further proof VW was pulling out all the stops, giving us the tools to move forward with our careers.

Finally, at 2:00pm we were back in the car. Starting 2nd behind Timmy Megenbeier, I was determined to get to the inside of the track when the lights went out. As we finished our final pace lap I tried to angle into my grid spot pointing towards the inside of the track. I put the brakes on and planted the gas, initiating the launch control. Green! The TDI motor powered off the line, and I immediately grabbed 2nd gear, then 3rd as I moved across the track slotting in behind Timmy. I protected the inside and took off in chase of the lead. Once again I had an advantage through turn 17, and got a great run as we approached start/finish for the first time. In fact it was probably too good of a run as I was right on his bumper before the kink in the front straight, forcing me to back off and kill my momentum. The next time by I got it right and was through into the lead. Nice and easy I kept telling myself; yesterday I had pushed too hard trying to break the draft. Today I was just going to settle in and drive my own race, if that meant the pack stayed with me, so be it. Sure enough Timmy stayed glued on my bumper. I was faster through part of the track and could pull out a few car lengths, but I was losing it all under braking for Turn 1. I had developed brake fade and just couldn’t get in there as hard as everyone else.

At the midpoint of the race Mark Pombo dived inside of Megenbeier into Turn 4, and their ensuing battle let me build up a 10 car length lead. Free of the draft I thought I was gone, but as I continued to struggle with the brakes I saw the pack come right back into my mirrors. Now I had the defending race winner 3 inches off my bumper. With Mark pushing me from behind we were able to break free from the draft and with 3 to go it was a two car race. With just 2 laps left, I made a mistake in 17 and went WAY up on two wheels, giving Pombo a good run onto the front straight. As we passed the kink at the flag stand I stayed to the inside and protected my line into turn 1. Pombo dived to the outside but I was able to hold the spot. As we took the white flag for the last lap, my mirrors were filled by the grey #20. Pombo had passed Megenbeier into Turn 4 earlier, so I knew to protect the inside into that tight left hander. Flat out one last time through the climbing esses, I tried to take south bend right at the limit to take away any passing opportunity into Turn 10. On the entrance to Oak Tree, I did my best to over slow the car under braking, forcing Mark to check up right when he was trying to get on the gas. This gave me a slight jump onto the back straightaway. As we headed down into Turn 14 and the last passing zone on the track I had about a half car length lead, so I moved over to the middle of the track to try to discourage a last lap dive bomb. As I braked hard and turned in, all of a sudden I saw Pombo sideways in my mirrors headed through the dirt. In a last ditch effort he had gotten in a little too deep and hooked two wheels off the track. At that moment I knew I had it won. I cruised through the last 3 corners nice and easy, and headed up the front straight to take the chequered flag!

On the cool down lap I managed to pick out my Dad among the fans in turn 3, running down the hill pumping his fists, which was a pretty cool moment for me. As I pulled the car back to the pits and up to the podium in front of VW hospitality, I got congratulations from Jurca, and Clark Campbell (head of Volkswagen of America Motorsports). Then I got my ‘Nascar’ moment, getting to climb out of the car in front of the podium to give it a big dorky yell & fist pump. Pombo had managed to save the car and still bring it home in 2nd, which I was happy to see because he had raced me so clean, when I know he probably could have forced the issue. Taylor Broekemeier rounded out the podium. The next 20 minutes were a bit of a whirlwind between spraying champagne substitute (apple cider), celebrating with my Dad, and doing about a half dozen media interviews, I definitely got caught up in the moment. After it was all over I had to remind myself that this is still just the minor leagues and I have a long way to go before I get where I want to be with my career.

For my first weekend racing cars, it had blown away my hopes and expectations. I suppose it also confirmed what many already know, that karting is the best training ground to prepare you for almost any kind of racing. Of course I have to give a lot of the credit to my coach David Jurca, who had valuable advice after each session, which is why I was able to move farther up the order every time out. The Volkswagen driver coaches (Jan Heylen, Mark Miller & Ryan Arciero) also did an outstanding job, which was apparent by how few incidents there were, and how tight the field was. Finally thanks to Tony Morris Jr and Joey Guyon who have been big supporters of me this year.

The next race in the series is May 17th at Miller Motorsport Park in Tooele, UT as part of the ALMS Weekend and I go into the weekend tied with Joey Atterbury for the points lead. I will definitely have my expectations set higher as I try to build off the momentum and mount a serious challenge for the championship. In the meantime I will be hitting the gym to work on my fitness, and continuing to bang on doors looking for sponsorship. Until next time.

Jake Thompson, #19
www.jakethompson.ca
www.vwmotorsportusa.com