Here's a trailer for the documentary about the Jetta TDI Cup.
(Check Perry out around 1:15 and 2:00)
The compete one-hour documentary film will be aired multiple times across Discovery Communications’ networks (All times Eastern, check local listings for channel information).
January 18th, 2010 @ 2 AM on DISCOVERY CHANNEL
January 19th, @ 9 ...PM on PLANET GREEN
January 22nd, 2010 @ 7 AM on SCIENCE CHANNEL
January 24th, @ 10 PM and 1 AM on HD THEATER
January 25th, @ 6 PM HD THEATER
January 29th, @ 3 PM and 5 AM HD THEATER
January 30th, @ 8 AM HD THEATER
Monday, December 28, 2009
Monday, September 7, 2009
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Background on the Jetta TDI Cup series
Check this great film footage out to learn more about the series
Friday, August 28, 2009
To Canada I Go
August 27, 2009
This morning I woke up excited to head to Canada’s Mosport International Raceway. Thankfully, I was all packed & ready to go this time around unlike some mornings before travel. I fed my fish and began my morning routine of shower, shaving, breakfast, and this morning, reviewing the media information I had gathered for Adam Hoover of VW to go over.
Soon it was 10:00 AM and I was out the door with my father Bruce on the way to San Jose International Airport. When I arrived, I met David Arken and passed out our boarding passes then checked to see if I had everything I needed for this journey, especially my passport so I could actually be accepted into the lovely country of Canada.
I've only been to Canada once before, for the Canadian Grand Prix back in 2003 which was one of the greatest racing experiences I have ever had. The sheer noise of the Formula 1 cars was ear shattering and the standing start the Ferraris and Schumacher made that trip was incredible. I still have a Ferrari flag hanging in my bedroom from that trip.
Today David and I only had to catch two airplanes. Our first was a little out of our way as we flew down to Phoenix, Arizona. At least I got two very awesome people to sit next two. One was Kate, a college rower Kate out of Buffalo, New York who had just visited California for the first time in her whole life. We spent most of the less then 2-hour flight talking which is always nice from time to time.
Things only got better when we arrived in Arizona. I managed an amazing feet: I bought lunch and spent less then $5 on everything (I even managed to get a free water). After lunch I walked up to the counter to get my passport checked and a US Airways employee named Bill managed to get me terrified in one easy step. After looking at my passport Bill informed me that it was not a valid passport and a state of panic came over me. As he turned it around and I noticed, I had not yet signed my passport to make it legal. Bill started chuckling and I even had to laugh. So I signed my passport he stamped my boarding pass and I thanked him for the scare and we were laughing as I walked away.
Shortly after the scare of a lifetime, we began boarding our flight to Toronto. The ramp to the plane was 108۫ !!! I also noticed that all the airplanes on the ground in Phoenix had covered their windshields, probably to keep the heat out. On the way back to our seats, I was thankful I found an empty overhead bin as I had my unabashedly over-sized duffel bag that does not fit conveniently in the compartments.
Dave and I then grabbed our seats and I promptly started my iPhone and blasted some wonderful "hyper crush." The temperature finally began to equalize and as it cooled, I fell asleep but it only lasted for about two hours before my phone was beeping at me from low battery. I shut my phone off and enjoyed the remainder of the flight sitting with my eyes closed thinking about all the different things I have to do this weekend and how excited I was to be driving in Canada - I was going to be an international racecar driver!
Our landing in Toronto was one of the smoothest landings I can remember. I grabbed my duffel bag, backpack and Defnder neck brace and said goodbye to the airplane. As we got to immigrations, I was waiting in line looking at all the workers in the booths and noticed they were sitting in bulletproof vests. Was that really necessary? It would take a miracle to get a gun on board an airplane in the first place. I guess traveling to Canada is pretty dangerous these days…
After being interrogated by a young bullet-proof man, I began the hunt for a rental car. We ended up with a lovely Mercury Crown Victoria! Next we grabbed some grub. A few minutes after Dave and I placed our orders I looked behind me saw the kid that stamped my passport at customs! There was a whole group of customs agents with him - one of them had stamped David’s passport - and they were all sitting right behind me drinking beers. Well I found this hilarious and after talking to them, I think we made their night funny as well. Upon leaving we said goodbye to our new custom agents friends and from there began our half our drive to our hotel. During most of it, I slept and found myself in the driveway to the hotel. We both checked in and passed out, my head filled with dreams about the race this weekend and maybe even checking out Niagara Falls! Cannonball!!!
Later Everyone,
Perry
This morning I woke up excited to head to Canada’s Mosport International Raceway. Thankfully, I was all packed & ready to go this time around unlike some mornings before travel. I fed my fish and began my morning routine of shower, shaving, breakfast, and this morning, reviewing the media information I had gathered for Adam Hoover of VW to go over.
Soon it was 10:00 AM and I was out the door with my father Bruce on the way to San Jose International Airport. When I arrived, I met David Arken and passed out our boarding passes then checked to see if I had everything I needed for this journey, especially my passport so I could actually be accepted into the lovely country of Canada.
I've only been to Canada once before, for the Canadian Grand Prix back in 2003 which was one of the greatest racing experiences I have ever had. The sheer noise of the Formula 1 cars was ear shattering and the standing start the Ferraris and Schumacher made that trip was incredible. I still have a Ferrari flag hanging in my bedroom from that trip.
Today David and I only had to catch two airplanes. Our first was a little out of our way as we flew down to Phoenix, Arizona. At least I got two very awesome people to sit next two. One was Kate, a college rower Kate out of Buffalo, New York who had just visited California for the first time in her whole life. We spent most of the less then 2-hour flight talking which is always nice from time to time.
Things only got better when we arrived in Arizona. I managed an amazing feet: I bought lunch and spent less then $5 on everything (I even managed to get a free water). After lunch I walked up to the counter to get my passport checked and a US Airways employee named Bill managed to get me terrified in one easy step. After looking at my passport Bill informed me that it was not a valid passport and a state of panic came over me. As he turned it around and I noticed, I had not yet signed my passport to make it legal. Bill started chuckling and I even had to laugh. So I signed my passport he stamped my boarding pass and I thanked him for the scare and we were laughing as I walked away.
Shortly after the scare of a lifetime, we began boarding our flight to Toronto. The ramp to the plane was 108۫ !!! I also noticed that all the airplanes on the ground in Phoenix had covered their windshields, probably to keep the heat out. On the way back to our seats, I was thankful I found an empty overhead bin as I had my unabashedly over-sized duffel bag that does not fit conveniently in the compartments.
Dave and I then grabbed our seats and I promptly started my iPhone and blasted some wonderful "hyper crush." The temperature finally began to equalize and as it cooled, I fell asleep but it only lasted for about two hours before my phone was beeping at me from low battery. I shut my phone off and enjoyed the remainder of the flight sitting with my eyes closed thinking about all the different things I have to do this weekend and how excited I was to be driving in Canada - I was going to be an international racecar driver!
Our landing in Toronto was one of the smoothest landings I can remember. I grabbed my duffel bag, backpack and Defnder neck brace and said goodbye to the airplane. As we got to immigrations, I was waiting in line looking at all the workers in the booths and noticed they were sitting in bulletproof vests. Was that really necessary? It would take a miracle to get a gun on board an airplane in the first place. I guess traveling to Canada is pretty dangerous these days…
After being interrogated by a young bullet-proof man, I began the hunt for a rental car. We ended up with a lovely Mercury Crown Victoria! Next we grabbed some grub. A few minutes after Dave and I placed our orders I looked behind me saw the kid that stamped my passport at customs! There was a whole group of customs agents with him - one of them had stamped David’s passport - and they were all sitting right behind me drinking beers. Well I found this hilarious and after talking to them, I think we made their night funny as well. Upon leaving we said goodbye to our new custom agents friends and from there began our half our drive to our hotel. During most of it, I slept and found myself in the driveway to the hotel. We both checked in and passed out, my head filled with dreams about the race this weekend and maybe even checking out Niagara Falls! Cannonball!!!
Later Everyone,
Perry
Monday, August 24, 2009
Oh Canada!
 |
| From Road America |
My next Jetta TDI Cup race is on the horizon. This Thursday I leave for Toronto - that's Canada people, America's top hat. I've been reviewing footage of the course and studying its turns all week. All that's between me and the road is a bit of packing and arranging a rental car, the bane of a serious driver's exitence.
At my last race at Road America in Wisonsin, I had minor breakthrough that I hope will lead to drastic improvements this weekend in Toronto. Don Tebbe, Project Manager for the Arciero Miller Racing group that helps with the TDI Cup, told me to be softer on the wheel. The Jettas are front wheel drive and much heavier than what I'm used to driving. As such, the suspension takes longer to respond to shifting weight than I expected.
The upcoming race is round seven of the ten race series and I've enjoyed (nearly) every moment of my time with VW (just check out the ballin' gear I get to sport. Chicks dig it). Wish me luck this weekend and make sure to follow all of my social networking online - it gets me points!
Cheers,
Perry
http://www.perryrichardson.com/
Facebook Fan Page
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Road America Raceday
August 15, 2009
We started off today with another 5:30AM wake up. Despite the early hour, I woke up refreshed and looking forward to qualifying. Upon arrival I began unloading my racing gear in the tech tent and saying good morning to the mechanics. I talked to Travis, my lead mechanic, about my tire selection then I went for breakfast in the VW hospitality tent now as it was finally 6:00AM and they were serving food. I had staved off my hunger with some eggs and sausage and noticed that I was feeling pretty sore (I think I’ve been running too much. Never thought I’d say that!).
We started the pre-driving exercises with a qualifying session at 8:00am. As I got dressed, I chatted with snow mobile racer Levi LaVallee, about what he hopes to work on this race. He felt was not using the breaks as much as he should and my words of advice were to smash the brake pedal in three crucial breaking zones and find out what his car can do. We wished each other the best of luck and parted ways to our respective Pirelli VW Jettas.
As I was getting all of my racing equipment situated, Dave and I quickly reviewed my goals and spoke about keeping my mind focused on specific improvements I am hoping to make during qualifying. I had my ceremonial pre track restroom break and intense water consumption just before Dennis announced that drivers need to get into their cars. I finished my last glass of water, climbed aboard my Jetta and strapped in which is quite an involved process. First, I dawn my Defnder neck brace and helmet. Next I cinch my lap belts and finally I yank on my shoulder straps till we are rolling out of pregrid. I started my Jetta and briefly enjoyed the diesel racecar shake. It's interesting to watch the whole dash shake ever so slightly at idle and as soon as you introduce a little bit of throttle the car smoothes out tremendously. Clearly this car does not enjoy sitting still as much as I do!
When we finished navigating the pits and pulled out into pit lane, I reminded myself of my goals and traced my path around the racetrack, trying to visualize the line I wanted to drive. I made 7 laps in my head before it was time to start doing the real things. The green flag waves and the qualifying session began.
I went out and started lapping the car all the while enjoying the cold tires as the car to rotated and easily slipped sideways. It was exciting and got me in a good mood, so I decided to go a bit faster. I ended up going 3 seconds faster then my practice time but that was only good for 18th spot on the grid. Bummer! My data acquisition system also didn’t collect any lap times, which means that I could not compare data with the rest of the field.
Shortly after the race I was introduced to Don Tebbe who works as a Project Manager for the Arciero Miller Racing and my spirits were raised. He told me he could help me go through my data and find out what it was I could do to go faster and I told him I would come find him after the autograph session we had coming up.
I love the autograph sessions. Kids and even older race fans show up to ask for our signatures. The interesting part about this autograph session is the amount of VW guests that come by. Typically I don’t get the chance to meet these people and the autograph sessions give me a chance to chat to them. That and the kids that are too shy to say hello and ask for autographs, so the parent often have to walk up and say “this is for my child” that is standing 5 feet behind them. It's too funny sometimes.
After about an hour of autographs and other drivers yelling at me to hurry it up, we began our journey back to VW hospitality. At that point I learned some sad news. He was enjoyable to talk to ill miss seeing him but I wish him luck.
After arriving back at the tent, I found Don and asked if he could assist me in analyzing my clustered data. I climbed into the VW tech trailer and we began going over data. We soon realized I was working on trying to carry more speed through a corner and Don offered me an amazing amount of advice on how to get the Jettas to turn better. He explained that these cars are not like the ones I have driven in the past. They take a more time to transfer their weight, especially to the rear wheels which are just along for a wild ride since the Jettas are front wheel drive car. It was the light bulb I needed! Now I knew how I was losing the 2mph in the middle of the corner. It was not from breaking or the misuse of the gas pedal, it had to do with how fast I was moving my hands. It was unbelievably exciting to hear.
Soon preparations started for the race and all the drivers filed into the drivers meeting. The VW staff reminded us to have a clean race and Jan also instructed us that blocking was unacceptable and will be penalized. When the meeting concluded we all filed out and began finishing our pre-race rituals. For me that includes a lot of talking to myself and reading over my notes. I put on my racing suit drank my glasses of water and listened to the IMSA Lites zoom by. All of a sudden Steve walked by and said Dale Earnhardt was here. Sure enough I looked over and saw his signature Bow-Tie and 5 o’clock shadow talking to John. I wandered over and said a few words to John about the race and introduced myself to Dale.
As the light disappeared, I climbed aboard for the race that was going to be dark enough we were required to run with our headlights. Dennis made the announcement that it was time for the drivers to start their cars and for us to file out into our starting positions. They pulled us out of the tent, put us in line and lead us out to grid.
We started our warm up lap and began getting our breaks and tires up to temperature. During the warm up lap, I tried to run the line I had planned for the race and I also tried the later entry into 5 like Don had suggested. I managed to keep a incredible amount of speed and also get the car rotated and exited much better.
Finally I pulled into my start box. I kept resetting the car and beginning to get on the gas for our standing start. The horn sounds and I look at the lights waiting for them to turn on. All I see is red as the lights turn on I mash the gas getting the RPM's up and waiting to launch the car. The lights go off and I let go of the break and away I went. Already I felt it was a much better than my last race in Chicago. I edged forward until I was door to door with the car in front of me down the main strait.
On the exit of turn one, Jake Thompson spun which force me to abandon my current position and drive around him as wide as possible to leave room for the car next to me to pass him wide as well. I came back onto the asphalt and quickly looked at the dash to make sure the car wasn’t screaming bloody murder about anything and thankfully it wasn’t.
Soon enough there was another problem. I noticed a clump of cars going wide into turn 5. I prepared myself to dive close to the inside of the racetrack and somehow everybody made it through without any major contact. The pack of cars right in front of me really slowed one another up and I capitalized on that by closing the gap going through turn 6.
By turn 8, however, I saw Juan Pablo Delgado spinning on the exit of the track. Instinctively I drove the car wide through the dirt for the least hazardous way around him. Thank goodness these Jetta's have the ground clearance to get away with it!
On the way through the carousel and towards the kink I put two wheels off to the outside of the exit. Thankfully I did respond how I typically do in those situations and not like I did back at Mid Ohio. I brought the car back on the racetrack carefully and continued to maintain an excellent strait away speed.
We all mustered our way through “Canada Corner” and began our climb up the hill towards the main strait. I checked my mirrors and Nicky Boule was drafting up my rear with a tremendous speed advantage going down the strait. By the time we got to turn one, he had passed me with a fraction of an inch to spare. We went through turn one less then a couple inches apart with a recovered Jake Thompson on my tail, but by this point the full course caution was out. We got into line to see Gunn Tucker off in the dirt outside of turn 8 which was very sad to see however he looked for the most part undamaged and fine which is all that matters.
After two pace laps we restarted and I managed to pick up a tow from Nicky down the strait. By turn three, Jake had tucked in rather tight and managed to get by me going into turn five. From there I stuck to Jake as the rest of the lap progressed all the way to Canada Corner where all I saw was a giant cloud of dust - it was Devin Cates getting deep into the kitty liter. I just drove by it to see the full course caution flags again. So we all filed into line as I watched Jake ahead of me pounding on his helmet upset about his blunder on the first lap.
We patiently worked our way around the racetrack to Canada Corner and I couldn’t believe what I saw. Devin Cates had somehow managed to put a dent in the roof of the car and destroy the windshield. They had the car craned into the air getting it onto a flatbed. I passed it hoping that Devin was alright and knowing that we had at least one more lap of caution.
Eventually the pace car shut its lights off and we began to climb the hill. I saw the green and let her rip, leaving the car behind me and holding onto Jake. Sadly, I just marinated in my position for the last three laps. I finished 16th across the checkered flag and I was satisfied.
I realized the last few laps I was not working on smooth steering wheel movements which are why I could not catch Donny. But, considering all the carnage I was happy with getting out alive and with no damage!
After pulling into the pits and parking the car I found Devin and asked if he was alright. He reassured me he was and I headed to check on John as he was just pulling in. I talked to him through his window net for a little bit just before Dale got there. At which point I walked away and let the old friends chat. I got undressed, packed my driving suit and walked outside in time for the end of the trophy ceremony. Then, I grabbed some food ate and head into the driver debrief in which all of SCCA and VW displayed their disappointment with the race. There had been 3 hazardous of track excursions and they announced that they were going to be distributing penalties. Finally, we were excused and I began the goodbye process so we could get on the road back to Chicago and get ready for the early flight home.
I found Dave and we both discussed how happy we both were with how the weekend turned out. We both learned a lot and I found a way to make myself faster that you can't see in data.
We started off today with another 5:30AM wake up. Despite the early hour, I woke up refreshed and looking forward to qualifying. Upon arrival I began unloading my racing gear in the tech tent and saying good morning to the mechanics. I talked to Travis, my lead mechanic, about my tire selection then I went for breakfast in the VW hospitality tent now as it was finally 6:00AM and they were serving food. I had staved off my hunger with some eggs and sausage and noticed that I was feeling pretty sore (I think I’ve been running too much. Never thought I’d say that!).
We started the pre-driving exercises with a qualifying session at 8:00am. As I got dressed, I chatted with snow mobile racer Levi LaVallee, about what he hopes to work on this race. He felt was not using the breaks as much as he should and my words of advice were to smash the brake pedal in three crucial breaking zones and find out what his car can do. We wished each other the best of luck and parted ways to our respective Pirelli VW Jettas.
As I was getting all of my racing equipment situated, Dave and I quickly reviewed my goals and spoke about keeping my mind focused on specific improvements I am hoping to make during qualifying. I had my ceremonial pre track restroom break and intense water consumption just before Dennis announced that drivers need to get into their cars. I finished my last glass of water, climbed aboard my Jetta and strapped in which is quite an involved process. First, I dawn my Defnder neck brace and helmet. Next I cinch my lap belts and finally I yank on my shoulder straps till we are rolling out of pregrid. I started my Jetta and briefly enjoyed the diesel racecar shake. It's interesting to watch the whole dash shake ever so slightly at idle and as soon as you introduce a little bit of throttle the car smoothes out tremendously. Clearly this car does not enjoy sitting still as much as I do!
When we finished navigating the pits and pulled out into pit lane, I reminded myself of my goals and traced my path around the racetrack, trying to visualize the line I wanted to drive. I made 7 laps in my head before it was time to start doing the real things. The green flag waves and the qualifying session began.
I went out and started lapping the car all the while enjoying the cold tires as the car to rotated and easily slipped sideways. It was exciting and got me in a good mood, so I decided to go a bit faster. I ended up going 3 seconds faster then my practice time but that was only good for 18th spot on the grid. Bummer! My data acquisition system also didn’t collect any lap times, which means that I could not compare data with the rest of the field.
Shortly after the race I was introduced to Don Tebbe who works as a Project Manager for the Arciero Miller Racing and my spirits were raised. He told me he could help me go through my data and find out what it was I could do to go faster and I told him I would come find him after the autograph session we had coming up.
I love the autograph sessions. Kids and even older race fans show up to ask for our signatures. The interesting part about this autograph session is the amount of VW guests that come by. Typically I don’t get the chance to meet these people and the autograph sessions give me a chance to chat to them. That and the kids that are too shy to say hello and ask for autographs, so the parent often have to walk up and say “this is for my child” that is standing 5 feet behind them. It's too funny sometimes.
After about an hour of autographs and other drivers yelling at me to hurry it up, we began our journey back to VW hospitality. At that point I learned some sad news. He was enjoyable to talk to ill miss seeing him but I wish him luck.
After arriving back at the tent, I found Don and asked if he could assist me in analyzing my clustered data. I climbed into the VW tech trailer and we began going over data. We soon realized I was working on trying to carry more speed through a corner and Don offered me an amazing amount of advice on how to get the Jettas to turn better. He explained that these cars are not like the ones I have driven in the past. They take a more time to transfer their weight, especially to the rear wheels which are just along for a wild ride since the Jettas are front wheel drive car. It was the light bulb I needed! Now I knew how I was losing the 2mph in the middle of the corner. It was not from breaking or the misuse of the gas pedal, it had to do with how fast I was moving my hands. It was unbelievably exciting to hear.
Soon preparations started for the race and all the drivers filed into the drivers meeting. The VW staff reminded us to have a clean race and Jan also instructed us that blocking was unacceptable and will be penalized. When the meeting concluded we all filed out and began finishing our pre-race rituals. For me that includes a lot of talking to myself and reading over my notes. I put on my racing suit drank my glasses of water and listened to the IMSA Lites zoom by. All of a sudden Steve walked by and said Dale Earnhardt was here. Sure enough I looked over and saw his signature Bow-Tie and 5 o’clock shadow talking to John. I wandered over and said a few words to John about the race and introduced myself to Dale.
As the light disappeared, I climbed aboard for the race that was going to be dark enough we were required to run with our headlights. Dennis made the announcement that it was time for the drivers to start their cars and for us to file out into our starting positions. They pulled us out of the tent, put us in line and lead us out to grid.
We started our warm up lap and began getting our breaks and tires up to temperature. During the warm up lap, I tried to run the line I had planned for the race and I also tried the later entry into 5 like Don had suggested. I managed to keep a incredible amount of speed and also get the car rotated and exited much better.
Finally I pulled into my start box. I kept resetting the car and beginning to get on the gas for our standing start. The horn sounds and I look at the lights waiting for them to turn on. All I see is red as the lights turn on I mash the gas getting the RPM's up and waiting to launch the car. The lights go off and I let go of the break and away I went. Already I felt it was a much better than my last race in Chicago. I edged forward until I was door to door with the car in front of me down the main strait.
On the exit of turn one, Jake Thompson spun which force me to abandon my current position and drive around him as wide as possible to leave room for the car next to me to pass him wide as well. I came back onto the asphalt and quickly looked at the dash to make sure the car wasn’t screaming bloody murder about anything and thankfully it wasn’t.
Soon enough there was another problem. I noticed a clump of cars going wide into turn 5. I prepared myself to dive close to the inside of the racetrack and somehow everybody made it through without any major contact. The pack of cars right in front of me really slowed one another up and I capitalized on that by closing the gap going through turn 6.
By turn 8, however, I saw Juan Pablo Delgado spinning on the exit of the track. Instinctively I drove the car wide through the dirt for the least hazardous way around him. Thank goodness these Jetta's have the ground clearance to get away with it!
On the way through the carousel and towards the kink I put two wheels off to the outside of the exit. Thankfully I did respond how I typically do in those situations and not like I did back at Mid Ohio. I brought the car back on the racetrack carefully and continued to maintain an excellent strait away speed.
We all mustered our way through “Canada Corner” and began our climb up the hill towards the main strait. I checked my mirrors and Nicky Boule was drafting up my rear with a tremendous speed advantage going down the strait. By the time we got to turn one, he had passed me with a fraction of an inch to spare. We went through turn one less then a couple inches apart with a recovered Jake Thompson on my tail, but by this point the full course caution was out. We got into line to see Gunn Tucker off in the dirt outside of turn 8 which was very sad to see however he looked for the most part undamaged and fine which is all that matters.
After two pace laps we restarted and I managed to pick up a tow from Nicky down the strait. By turn three, Jake had tucked in rather tight and managed to get by me going into turn five. From there I stuck to Jake as the rest of the lap progressed all the way to Canada Corner where all I saw was a giant cloud of dust - it was Devin Cates getting deep into the kitty liter. I just drove by it to see the full course caution flags again. So we all filed into line as I watched Jake ahead of me pounding on his helmet upset about his blunder on the first lap.
We patiently worked our way around the racetrack to Canada Corner and I couldn’t believe what I saw. Devin Cates had somehow managed to put a dent in the roof of the car and destroy the windshield. They had the car craned into the air getting it onto a flatbed. I passed it hoping that Devin was alright and knowing that we had at least one more lap of caution.
Eventually the pace car shut its lights off and we began to climb the hill. I saw the green and let her rip, leaving the car behind me and holding onto Jake. Sadly, I just marinated in my position for the last three laps. I finished 16th across the checkered flag and I was satisfied.
I realized the last few laps I was not working on smooth steering wheel movements which are why I could not catch Donny. But, considering all the carnage I was happy with getting out alive and with no damage!
After pulling into the pits and parking the car I found Devin and asked if he was alright. He reassured me he was and I headed to check on John as he was just pulling in. I talked to him through his window net for a little bit just before Dale got there. At which point I walked away and let the old friends chat. I got undressed, packed my driving suit and walked outside in time for the end of the trophy ceremony. Then, I grabbed some food ate and head into the driver debrief in which all of SCCA and VW displayed their disappointment with the race. There had been 3 hazardous of track excursions and they announced that they were going to be distributing penalties. Finally, we were excused and I began the goodbye process so we could get on the road back to Chicago and get ready for the early flight home.
I found Dave and we both discussed how happy we both were with how the weekend turned out. We both learned a lot and I found a way to make myself faster that you can't see in data.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Monday, August 17, 2009
Another day at Road America
August 14, 2009
Today started even earlier then my wildest dreams 5:00am is a wild adventure in my stupor of stumbling out the front door I did observe even at such an early hour. I guess going hunting in the morning is not that un doable. After all, it was 3:00am my time. As we, Dave and I were walking to the car we discovered that Gun Tucker and Andy Lee were staying at the same hotel as us. This proved to be very useful because we were loosing faith in our GPS to get us to our destination. Especially after the nightmare in Milwaukee yesterday, that costs us a half-hour of traveling. Even though our GPS wanted to take us a different way, we followed Andy and found our way to the racetrack, with plenty of time to spare. Along with proving to be, a very scenic route of the countryside and one man's yard filled to the brink with classic cars that unfortunately see nothing but snow. It was very disappointing to find machinery that is on its way to such a grim fate. However, I cannot control what another man does with his cars. Nevertheless, I was cheered up to see Road America down the road. As we entered the facility, it went off without a hitch and we ended up getting a fantastic parking spot right in front of Volkswagen Hospitality. The morning had begun so I started enjoying getting the tech check in going along with getting ready for the track walk. Sure, enough without a minute to spare Jan showed up to begin getting the track walk in order. As soon as they looked around, they noticed that they did not have enough cars for all the drivers. Therefore, for the first time I have to drive for a track walk. Not only did I get to drive but also I did get to drive in the new VW Jetta TDI Wagon. This was enjoyable mainly because I have never driven A TDI road car in a relaxed setting not whipping one around an autocross course. I was actually amazed on how relaxed they are to drive. Even with one of VW hospitality’s staff sent to ride along and make sure that, we did not abuse the car I think but hey after all were just kids. After getting through the track walk and trying to figure out what I know from what I need to learn. Not to mention I got the chance to meet two of the guest drivers, John Prather who is a very successful iracing driver and Jamie Vondruska who started the website VW Vortex. After the track walk, we headed in for the SCCA meeting for our practice session at noon. After being scolded for the contact, they saw in the last event. After that, we went over what we needed to know about the track and from their me and Dave had a long discussion with Jan about how to find my 2/10ths of a second I was loosing in the middle of the corners. From there he enlightened us both and we began planning what I was going to do for that session as we had breakfast. From there we began getting ready for the practice session and we began getting into the cars and our hot (literally) VW racing suits. As we were doing this I got a chance to meet our other guest driver the Red Bull Sponsored Snow cross racer and Snowmobile freestyle rider Levi LaVallee, who is a really laidback individual along with doing not to bad of a job getting around with a broken ankle. Considering he actually got pins pulled out of his ankle to race in the TDI cup this weekend. After we finished our conversation Dennis, the head of VW mechanical tent made the announcement to get into our cars. As I got in I was reminded by the tape on the steering wheel that I needed to bed the break pads. Even brake pads have a break in procedure that is critical because if you do not do it right the pads glaze over and you do not have the maximum breaking potential. Which was unfortunate because their goes 7 minutes of my session you cannot rush. So on the out lap I began the process of bedding the pads and began being the slow one bedding the pads on the side of the road. After the first two laps of casually coasting around the racetrack, I hit turn 14 and giddy upped! After the first lap, I noticed that my data logger was not logging lap times. This means that all the data was a waste if I did not get it fixed so I pulled into the pits to see if Arron the data person for VW could pull off a miracle fix. However, it was all in vain and I was sent out with a hopeless review of this sessions laps. I began falling into a rhythm and trying to work on making the biggest improvement in rolling the car into the turn. I was fighting the urge to over break the car that was haunting me this whole season. Except it was the only thing I have left to improve on which was my sigh of relief. All I began doing was trying to get my exit speeds as high as possible and find the smoothest way around the racetrack. After a few more laps, I saw the checkered flag and began the slowdown process and saluting the corner workers. After arriving in the VW Tech Tent, I could not believe my time and found myself in 23 positions. The most discouraging spot I have ever found myself in during racing but the just means that I was trying something different that was not working. However, I was very discouraged but thankfully; VW had the cure for my condition with an (Blank) mile run. As we began the run, I was excited because I was wearing my lucky shorts and from their found myself compelled to run harder then I ever had. I was rather impressed with how I managed to run harder and faster then I ever had. The hour and a half or so went by and from there I finished the exercise with one pissed off eye. My eye was having some sort of allergy attack and was itching and red. Therefore, I was terrified of waking up with pink eye and not being able to see in the morning qualifying. However from their Dave and I started are trip back to Sheboygan and during the drive I saw something that made me laugh uncontrollable and helped pick my spirits up. I grew up with Cadishack and some how we were driving by Bushwood Country Club. I could not believe that somebody actually named something after that place especially considering the only thing that came to my mind was a quote during a movie, “BBBBBBB BUSHWOOOD A DDDDDDD DUMP” I was laughing insanely. However, it is funny how sometime the small things that cheer you up. From there Dave and I had dinner at a place called Urban which turned out to have one of the most fantastic burgers I have ever had. Not to mention the service was wonderful and I enjoyed looking around the building at the almost Victorian architecture. This was exciting because it was reminding me of my childhood and growing up in the Victorian house we had in Los Gatos. Diner didn’t last as long as I thought it would and from their we wandered around Sheboygan a little longer and then returned to the hotel and began the falling asleep process to get up tomorrow at 5:00 am yuck. Oh well that’s racing, later everyone
Perry
Today started even earlier then my wildest dreams 5:00am is a wild adventure in my stupor of stumbling out the front door I did observe even at such an early hour. I guess going hunting in the morning is not that un doable. After all, it was 3:00am my time. As we, Dave and I were walking to the car we discovered that Gun Tucker and Andy Lee were staying at the same hotel as us. This proved to be very useful because we were loosing faith in our GPS to get us to our destination. Especially after the nightmare in Milwaukee yesterday, that costs us a half-hour of traveling. Even though our GPS wanted to take us a different way, we followed Andy and found our way to the racetrack, with plenty of time to spare. Along with proving to be, a very scenic route of the countryside and one man's yard filled to the brink with classic cars that unfortunately see nothing but snow. It was very disappointing to find machinery that is on its way to such a grim fate. However, I cannot control what another man does with his cars. Nevertheless, I was cheered up to see Road America down the road. As we entered the facility, it went off without a hitch and we ended up getting a fantastic parking spot right in front of Volkswagen Hospitality. The morning had begun so I started enjoying getting the tech check in going along with getting ready for the track walk. Sure, enough without a minute to spare Jan showed up to begin getting the track walk in order. As soon as they looked around, they noticed that they did not have enough cars for all the drivers. Therefore, for the first time I have to drive for a track walk. Not only did I get to drive but also I did get to drive in the new VW Jetta TDI Wagon. This was enjoyable mainly because I have never driven A TDI road car in a relaxed setting not whipping one around an autocross course. I was actually amazed on how relaxed they are to drive. Even with one of VW hospitality’s staff sent to ride along and make sure that, we did not abuse the car I think but hey after all were just kids. After getting through the track walk and trying to figure out what I know from what I need to learn. Not to mention I got the chance to meet two of the guest drivers, John Prather who is a very successful iracing driver and Jamie Vondruska who started the website VW Vortex. After the track walk, we headed in for the SCCA meeting for our practice session at noon. After being scolded for the contact, they saw in the last event. After that, we went over what we needed to know about the track and from their me and Dave had a long discussion with Jan about how to find my 2/10ths of a second I was loosing in the middle of the corners. From there he enlightened us both and we began planning what I was going to do for that session as we had breakfast. From there we began getting ready for the practice session and we began getting into the cars and our hot (literally) VW racing suits. As we were doing this I got a chance to meet our other guest driver the Red Bull Sponsored Snow cross racer and Snowmobile freestyle rider Levi LaVallee, who is a really laidback individual along with doing not to bad of a job getting around with a broken ankle. Considering he actually got pins pulled out of his ankle to race in the TDI cup this weekend. After we finished our conversation Dennis, the head of VW mechanical tent made the announcement to get into our cars. As I got in I was reminded by the tape on the steering wheel that I needed to bed the break pads. Even brake pads have a break in procedure that is critical because if you do not do it right the pads glaze over and you do not have the maximum breaking potential. Which was unfortunate because their goes 7 minutes of my session you cannot rush. So on the out lap I began the process of bedding the pads and began being the slow one bedding the pads on the side of the road. After the first two laps of casually coasting around the racetrack, I hit turn 14 and giddy upped! After the first lap, I noticed that my data logger was not logging lap times. This means that all the data was a waste if I did not get it fixed so I pulled into the pits to see if Arron the data person for VW could pull off a miracle fix. However, it was all in vain and I was sent out with a hopeless review of this sessions laps. I began falling into a rhythm and trying to work on making the biggest improvement in rolling the car into the turn. I was fighting the urge to over break the car that was haunting me this whole season. Except it was the only thing I have left to improve on which was my sigh of relief. All I began doing was trying to get my exit speeds as high as possible and find the smoothest way around the racetrack. After a few more laps, I saw the checkered flag and began the slowdown process and saluting the corner workers. After arriving in the VW Tech Tent, I could not believe my time and found myself in 23 positions. The most discouraging spot I have ever found myself in during racing but the just means that I was trying something different that was not working. However, I was very discouraged but thankfully; VW had the cure for my condition with an (Blank) mile run. As we began the run, I was excited because I was wearing my lucky shorts and from their found myself compelled to run harder then I ever had. I was rather impressed with how I managed to run harder and faster then I ever had. The hour and a half or so went by and from there I finished the exercise with one pissed off eye. My eye was having some sort of allergy attack and was itching and red. Therefore, I was terrified of waking up with pink eye and not being able to see in the morning qualifying. However from their Dave and I started are trip back to Sheboygan and during the drive I saw something that made me laugh uncontrollable and helped pick my spirits up. I grew up with Cadishack and some how we were driving by Bushwood Country Club. I could not believe that somebody actually named something after that place especially considering the only thing that came to my mind was a quote during a movie, “BBBBBBB BUSHWOOOD A DDDDDDD DUMP” I was laughing insanely. However, it is funny how sometime the small things that cheer you up. From there Dave and I had dinner at a place called Urban which turned out to have one of the most fantastic burgers I have ever had. Not to mention the service was wonderful and I enjoyed looking around the building at the almost Victorian architecture. This was exciting because it was reminding me of my childhood and growing up in the Victorian house we had in Los Gatos. Diner didn’t last as long as I thought it would and from their we wandered around Sheboygan a little longer and then returned to the hotel and began the falling asleep process to get up tomorrow at 5:00 am yuck. Oh well that’s racing, later everyone
Perry
Sunday, August 16, 2009
August 13, 2009
Sadly today started way too early. My father misunderstood what time I needed to get up this morning and burst through my door at 5:00AM. Cringe!
From there the trip began. At
After lounging in some “power chairs” (La-Z-Boys with power outlets – jackpot!) we boarded and I got a window seat that overlooks the wing. The mechanics of the wings and all the flaps, ailerons, and slats and how they move in unison fascinates me every time, but this Southwest 737’s had an all the more exciting vapor trail that arked over the wing on takeoff and landing. Shortly after takeoff, the vapor trail was on longer there and I spotted the fire in the
I managed to get a few precious moments of sleep and the flight went by quickly. We landed, grabbed some grub and our rental car, and watched the old brick buildings pass by. At times like these I catch myself just wishing that I had more time to sit around and explore the wonderful places my racing career is taking me to. Alas, maybe next year it will prove to be much more relaxed (I doubt it).
Shortly after getting into
As for now, my belly is full and it’s time for sleep. Just like every East Coast race this season, it is an early day tomorrow. Until then arevaderche!
Perry
Thursday, July 30, 2009
July 25, 2009...still in Chicago
July 25, 2009
The morning came much earlier than I was prepared for. Thank goodness I had showered and set up the night before for today, cause out the door Dave and I went and boy was it early. We were on our way at 5:30 am and on the road listening to the infamous voice of the GPS, who never fails to lead us astray. This time not into a body of water but into a newly planted cornfield. Dave and I found our way with little dilemma or inconvenience. After the 10 minute drive we became even more fortunate as we ran into Kelly the hospitality “hostess with the mostest’’ which made getting into the event as painless as possible. I had told Kelly rather late that I was going to have Dave on my guest list I expected a bit of turbulence about getting him in. All and all every thing was off to a positive start, including the track walk. Yeah, a 60- minute track walk of all 21 turns, I couldn’t believe it myself.
The morning drivers meeting ended early so from there I decided to seek out the guest drivers. One of the drivers, Glen Plake is on my dad’s list of heroes, and one of the most successful ski bums on the planet. Glen was actually the first man I ever saw who had a mo hawk. Anyways, after meeting the guest drivers I enjoyed a bit of relaxation planning out what way I wanted to attack the track at 10:00 am. From their Dave and I both agreed that my biggest problem was trying to go to fast in the beginning. I would simply over drive the car, then have to come back and slow everything down dramatically for the second session and start over from scratch. From there went out, under drove the car and just tried to build up a rhythm to the 21-turn Autobahn facility. However you guess I was not as successful as I was aiming for, but I did have some shinning qualities about my morning drive more like 4 of 21 turns. I was rocket quick the rest of it well, I was losing a lot of time. While my practice times were not what I would have hoped they would have been I felt surprisingly good about my 9 laps around Autobahn so far. I will say I was disappointed but with racing you have to keep that positive attitude otherwise you will find your lap times heading backwards fast. From there Dave and I sat down and went over my data from there we saw what was happening to all of my time. Which was fantastic to see because it was what I saw made me realize my in car driving instincts were correct. I felt in the same spots that I was over slowing the car and a few turns did not have the most proper line through some turns as well.
Our list was than created of things I was going to do differently. As the day went on and our break turned out to be a little longer then any other race we went to life was extremely simple. It gave us plenty of time to keep scrounging through my data looking for more time and keep looking and seeing what I was doing right and what happened to be going terribly amuck. However, being the Volkswagen Jetta TDi Cup you never get a chance to take a break for to long. They always keep you moving.
One of the major tasks I had, was to take some time out of our day and learn a bit about some of the VW vehicles that they have recently introduced, including two of my favorites those being the 2010 GTI which is a gorgeous car from the front to the back. It even had plaid interior, yes I am crazy but it was awesome. They also showed us the V6 Toureag and Jetta TDi’s along with the new VW CC. all phenomenal cars even though the CC is more of a luxury car which isn’t my style but still for a sticker of 29,500 not bad at all. Plus the car told me I was 2160 miles from my house in Los Gatos, which is always kind of surreal to know how far away from home I truly am. But that moment was shortly shattered by Joey Attabury and Ryan Ellis pulling some childish antics in the back seat. All of a sudden the hazard lights were on, the radio was blasting some sort of uncomfortable 90 slow rock jam, plus somebody had left a two way radio in the cup holder so half the time the poor call button was getting pushed.
I had a suggestion to VW to get the drivers for next year into leased TDI Jettas for their daily drivers, would be sticker up to look just like there racecars. Instead of just having the kids driving and promoting Jetta’s on the weekend they would be promoting it all season. This was my suggestion mainly because I kind of need a dependable car since my Camaro threw a connecting rod a week and a half ago. So I am getting a little desperate for transportation.
Getting ready for the next session! Qualifying! Which again all I was doing was going over my piece of paper and from there got me ready chatted with a few other drivers and peacefully got myself into my racecar. We pulled out of the 8,000 sq ft tech tent and lined up single file waiting for the track to clear. A few people stopped to take pictures of the cars even some VW staff considering we were so close. We then moseyed out to pit lane to line up for our session. At the start I let everybody by and began at the back looking for room to drive slow right and work heat into the tires. After a while I realized I was making the corrections I set out to do in my driving. Just as I began driving faster, I ended up doing a 2:48.6, which were 4 seconds faster then my morning session I found that to be fantastic. However from there I don’t think I improved very much after that lap. Mainly because I kept trying to over drive the car again. I guess I am a creature of habit however I did succeed and felt good even though 4 seconds was only good for 4 spots on the grid but who cares. I made goals I set out to make changes in my driving and I did just that I was thrilled. Except for one misstep I made that caused Mark Pombo to cover Juan Paublo Serria Lendle’s entire car with mud. At least as a favor I helped him clean his car because I felt bad but all only mud no rocks thank god.
The day winded down after that and slowly came to a halt especially after the chicken kabobs. Oh man did VW hospitality have the best chicken ca bobs ever tonight. So good I got a chance to skip dinner. And go strait to the hotel and type this. So that I where my night ended. Hope I have some exciting story for you guys later.
Until then Arevidarchi
Perry
The morning came much earlier than I was prepared for. Thank goodness I had showered and set up the night before for today, cause out the door Dave and I went and boy was it early. We were on our way at 5:30 am and on the road listening to the infamous voice of the GPS, who never fails to lead us astray. This time not into a body of water but into a newly planted cornfield. Dave and I found our way with little dilemma or inconvenience. After the 10 minute drive we became even more fortunate as we ran into Kelly the hospitality “hostess with the mostest’’ which made getting into the event as painless as possible. I had told Kelly rather late that I was going to have Dave on my guest list I expected a bit of turbulence about getting him in. All and all every thing was off to a positive start, including the track walk. Yeah, a 60- minute track walk of all 21 turns, I couldn’t believe it myself.
The morning drivers meeting ended early so from there I decided to seek out the guest drivers. One of the drivers, Glen Plake is on my dad’s list of heroes, and one of the most successful ski bums on the planet. Glen was actually the first man I ever saw who had a mo hawk. Anyways, after meeting the guest drivers I enjoyed a bit of relaxation planning out what way I wanted to attack the track at 10:00 am. From their Dave and I both agreed that my biggest problem was trying to go to fast in the beginning. I would simply over drive the car, then have to come back and slow everything down dramatically for the second session and start over from scratch. From there went out, under drove the car and just tried to build up a rhythm to the 21-turn Autobahn facility. However you guess I was not as successful as I was aiming for, but I did have some shinning qualities about my morning drive more like 4 of 21 turns. I was rocket quick the rest of it well, I was losing a lot of time. While my practice times were not what I would have hoped they would have been I felt surprisingly good about my 9 laps around Autobahn so far. I will say I was disappointed but with racing you have to keep that positive attitude otherwise you will find your lap times heading backwards fast. From there Dave and I sat down and went over my data from there we saw what was happening to all of my time. Which was fantastic to see because it was what I saw made me realize my in car driving instincts were correct. I felt in the same spots that I was over slowing the car and a few turns did not have the most proper line through some turns as well.
Our list was than created of things I was going to do differently. As the day went on and our break turned out to be a little longer then any other race we went to life was extremely simple. It gave us plenty of time to keep scrounging through my data looking for more time and keep looking and seeing what I was doing right and what happened to be going terribly amuck. However, being the Volkswagen Jetta TDi Cup you never get a chance to take a break for to long. They always keep you moving.
One of the major tasks I had, was to take some time out of our day and learn a bit about some of the VW vehicles that they have recently introduced, including two of my favorites those being the 2010 GTI which is a gorgeous car from the front to the back. It even had plaid interior, yes I am crazy but it was awesome. They also showed us the V6 Toureag and Jetta TDi’s along with the new VW CC. all phenomenal cars even though the CC is more of a luxury car which isn’t my style but still for a sticker of 29,500 not bad at all. Plus the car told me I was 2160 miles from my house in Los Gatos, which is always kind of surreal to know how far away from home I truly am. But that moment was shortly shattered by Joey Attabury and Ryan Ellis pulling some childish antics in the back seat. All of a sudden the hazard lights were on, the radio was blasting some sort of uncomfortable 90 slow rock jam, plus somebody had left a two way radio in the cup holder so half the time the poor call button was getting pushed.
I had a suggestion to VW to get the drivers for next year into leased TDI Jettas for their daily drivers, would be sticker up to look just like there racecars. Instead of just having the kids driving and promoting Jetta’s on the weekend they would be promoting it all season. This was my suggestion mainly because I kind of need a dependable car since my Camaro threw a connecting rod a week and a half ago. So I am getting a little desperate for transportation.
Getting ready for the next session! Qualifying! Which again all I was doing was going over my piece of paper and from there got me ready chatted with a few other drivers and peacefully got myself into my racecar. We pulled out of the 8,000 sq ft tech tent and lined up single file waiting for the track to clear. A few people stopped to take pictures of the cars even some VW staff considering we were so close. We then moseyed out to pit lane to line up for our session. At the start I let everybody by and began at the back looking for room to drive slow right and work heat into the tires. After a while I realized I was making the corrections I set out to do in my driving. Just as I began driving faster, I ended up doing a 2:48.6, which were 4 seconds faster then my morning session I found that to be fantastic. However from there I don’t think I improved very much after that lap. Mainly because I kept trying to over drive the car again. I guess I am a creature of habit however I did succeed and felt good even though 4 seconds was only good for 4 spots on the grid but who cares. I made goals I set out to make changes in my driving and I did just that I was thrilled. Except for one misstep I made that caused Mark Pombo to cover Juan Paublo Serria Lendle’s entire car with mud. At least as a favor I helped him clean his car because I felt bad but all only mud no rocks thank god.
The day winded down after that and slowly came to a halt especially after the chicken kabobs. Oh man did VW hospitality have the best chicken ca bobs ever tonight. So good I got a chance to skip dinner. And go strait to the hotel and type this. So that I where my night ended. Hope I have some exciting story for you guys later.
Until then Arevidarchi
Perry
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Friday's Travels
Today started a lot earlier then I thought when I woke up at 3:00am my time and was struggling to go back to sleep. I just could not believe I had slept so well with the hotel being part of the takeoff route for Chicago O’Hara International airport. I was very amazed that I got myself up and rolling a 9am I was fed and ready to attack the day. I enjoyed a nice complementary breakfast at the holiday inn express. After downloading the iphone update before I left the hotel and started wondering towards Midway Airport on the outskirts of Chicago to meet up with David Arken my friend and driving coach that was flying in later tonight.
After checkout however I met a man by the name of Berry who was a cargo pilot who was one of those guys who could through his life story in 15 minutes. But interesting lives involving starting his professional career as an aircraft manufacture building the 747’s for Boeing in Washington. But from there moved up to Alaska and became a pilot and worked his way into the freight industry. Now he is Captain of some of the airplanes he built for Boeing flying the 747’s with freight all over the globe. In the next three days he will have been in 4 country’s all of them being clearly across the globe from there home base in Anchorage Alaska.
Berry was also very interested in me and my racing ambitions and asked me the classic question. He asked me if I was ever scared and for the first time I could tell him yes. I have gotten scared in a racecar just at the last Ohio event with the Jetta TDi cup. I told him about how just by turning left I got my car to go from being happy on 4 wheels to being completely happy on 1 wheel. He was astonishes as I was using my body and words to best explain what was happening to me and just explaining that one turn which in reality only lasted about 15 seconds took about several minutes to explain the whole scenario to him. He was astonished with the fact that a car could get to that point and the only uncomfortable point about that was me seeing grass. He was impressed. He also was asking about our safety equipment and asked to see my defNder neck brace. From there he started talking about how this single device could have saved Dale Ernheartt Seniors life. We both agreed that it was a shame. But by this point we had arrived at his stop on the bus ride back to Chicago O’Hara and we said goodbyes and I left him with a card so he can brag to his niece and nephews that he met a racecar driver. Plus I had to drop the line that “In the future if your company could be interested in sponsoring a racecar hand them my card.”
The bus driver after chatting me up about racing cars and wanted to check out my website as well as he was dropping me off outside the Hilton O’Hara hotel. From there the ABC bus lines had a charter bus running to Midway International Airport that costs me $16. What was amazing after I was on board it turned out that I was the only one on the bus and it made me think. I hope this $16 covers this bus driver’s pay and the bus’s gas. Although the pretty young lady was walking down the sidewalk and ended up boarding my bus. She appeared very coordinated considering how she was managing 5 bags with her two hands wheeling them down the sidewalk with her snowboard bag over her shoulder and made it appear effortless. She hoped on the bus and after talking for a bit I found out she was just getting in from Argentina and Chile. I was rather impressed with how awake she was after a flight like that. Shortly after that the bus driver and she realized that she was on the wrong bus, so much for being awake and aware. But Mike the bus driver and I ended up having a good conversation without her. Especially considering he was telling me all about his life and the enjoyment and anguish he has seen. The commute to this job after getting laid off and beginning driving busses. So for him he has an hour and a half commute every morning and night. He had two kids that sounded like they were what truly mattered to him and was rather sad to listen to how he was struggling but doing the best he can. Mike had an accent that reminded me of something out of a movie and talked about his trip out to California and he was one of the few people I have talked to about California that had made the trip out to Yosemite national park. This for any body that has not really seen mountains at all turns it into a breathtaking adventure. He talked mostly about the road into Yosemite and how amazing that drive was with the wall next to you and the cliff to the other side. Its something you can only see in the western united states and thank god for it.
From there we finally arrived at Midway airport where I preceded to find myself a bathroom, a coke, and a power outlet where I could write all this while I wait for Dave’s plane. About six hours later after two PowerAde’s and a bag of Doritos Dave arrived and we rented our car and headed out to Juliet. During that drive I am still amazed seeing brick buildings which are all but extinct in California. Especially after the lomapreatta earthquake. Plus people in middle America people have some of the most impressive lawns I have ever seen. The largest lawns and front yard ever it’s really amazing and now I finally understand the need for a lawn mowing tractor. After about a 45 minute drive we arrive at what turned out to be the most confused front counter ever. This gentleman struggled for a half an hour to find out he was trying to check me in under the wrong guest. Oh well at least I was happy to see that my package had made it there that had all my driving equipment in it. After settling in the room Dave and I figured that out everything went smoothly and walked to a ____________ for a quick byte to eat. Boy I never though I could get a full thanksgiving dinner for two for less then $20 dollars. I was amazed and on that note wandered back to the hotel with Dave and called it a day after all 5:15am wasn’t to far away.
After checkout however I met a man by the name of Berry who was a cargo pilot who was one of those guys who could through his life story in 15 minutes. But interesting lives involving starting his professional career as an aircraft manufacture building the 747’s for Boeing in Washington. But from there moved up to Alaska and became a pilot and worked his way into the freight industry. Now he is Captain of some of the airplanes he built for Boeing flying the 747’s with freight all over the globe. In the next three days he will have been in 4 country’s all of them being clearly across the globe from there home base in Anchorage Alaska.
Berry was also very interested in me and my racing ambitions and asked me the classic question. He asked me if I was ever scared and for the first time I could tell him yes. I have gotten scared in a racecar just at the last Ohio event with the Jetta TDi cup. I told him about how just by turning left I got my car to go from being happy on 4 wheels to being completely happy on 1 wheel. He was astonishes as I was using my body and words to best explain what was happening to me and just explaining that one turn which in reality only lasted about 15 seconds took about several minutes to explain the whole scenario to him. He was astonished with the fact that a car could get to that point and the only uncomfortable point about that was me seeing grass. He was impressed. He also was asking about our safety equipment and asked to see my defNder neck brace. From there he started talking about how this single device could have saved Dale Ernheartt Seniors life. We both agreed that it was a shame. But by this point we had arrived at his stop on the bus ride back to Chicago O’Hara and we said goodbyes and I left him with a card so he can brag to his niece and nephews that he met a racecar driver. Plus I had to drop the line that “In the future if your company could be interested in sponsoring a racecar hand them my card.”
The bus driver after chatting me up about racing cars and wanted to check out my website as well as he was dropping me off outside the Hilton O’Hara hotel. From there the ABC bus lines had a charter bus running to Midway International Airport that costs me $16. What was amazing after I was on board it turned out that I was the only one on the bus and it made me think. I hope this $16 covers this bus driver’s pay and the bus’s gas. Although the pretty young lady was walking down the sidewalk and ended up boarding my bus. She appeared very coordinated considering how she was managing 5 bags with her two hands wheeling them down the sidewalk with her snowboard bag over her shoulder and made it appear effortless. She hoped on the bus and after talking for a bit I found out she was just getting in from Argentina and Chile. I was rather impressed with how awake she was after a flight like that. Shortly after that the bus driver and she realized that she was on the wrong bus, so much for being awake and aware. But Mike the bus driver and I ended up having a good conversation without her. Especially considering he was telling me all about his life and the enjoyment and anguish he has seen. The commute to this job after getting laid off and beginning driving busses. So for him he has an hour and a half commute every morning and night. He had two kids that sounded like they were what truly mattered to him and was rather sad to listen to how he was struggling but doing the best he can. Mike had an accent that reminded me of something out of a movie and talked about his trip out to California and he was one of the few people I have talked to about California that had made the trip out to Yosemite national park. This for any body that has not really seen mountains at all turns it into a breathtaking adventure. He talked mostly about the road into Yosemite and how amazing that drive was with the wall next to you and the cliff to the other side. Its something you can only see in the western united states and thank god for it.
From there we finally arrived at Midway airport where I preceded to find myself a bathroom, a coke, and a power outlet where I could write all this while I wait for Dave’s plane. About six hours later after two PowerAde’s and a bag of Doritos Dave arrived and we rented our car and headed out to Juliet. During that drive I am still amazed seeing brick buildings which are all but extinct in California. Especially after the lomapreatta earthquake. Plus people in middle America people have some of the most impressive lawns I have ever seen. The largest lawns and front yard ever it’s really amazing and now I finally understand the need for a lawn mowing tractor. After about a 45 minute drive we arrive at what turned out to be the most confused front counter ever. This gentleman struggled for a half an hour to find out he was trying to check me in under the wrong guest. Oh well at least I was happy to see that my package had made it there that had all my driving equipment in it. After settling in the room Dave and I figured that out everything went smoothly and walked to a ____________ for a quick byte to eat. Boy I never though I could get a full thanksgiving dinner for two for less then $20 dollars. I was amazed and on that note wandered back to the hotel with Dave and called it a day after all 5:15am wasn’t to far away.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Day 1: Getting to Chicago
July 23, 2009
Chicago Trip Day One:
Today began with a blaring alarm clock and major concern in regards to my trip to Chicago. Wondering if I packed everything I was going to need, the typical last minute jitters anybody gets before their going somewhere on business had set in. My mother was not helping the situation what so ever on the way to the airport. Upon arriving I found that our initial look at the amount of passengers on United flights from San Francisco to Chicago had drastically changed from the night before. I listed myself the day before at 9am and from there the load list went crazy. However it was the card I was dealt and lead to actually being some time that I could just clear my head and get food in my system. I spent most of the time enjoying posts on FML mainly because I guess my day wasn’t so bad after all you know.
Thanks to a very nice gate worker named Olga, I ended up on a plane after nearly 11 hours in the airport. She handed me my boarding pass and I walked down the ramp towards my working vacation. Shortly after takeoff the announcement came over the intercom that we were on time and hopefully Air Force One’s arrival into Chicago wont cause too much of a delay.
Of course my bag was the last bag off the carousel, so after a long wait I headed over to the info kiosk and started looking at hotels my mother suggested for the evening. Found the Holiday Inn Express was willing to forward me a discount that my mother gets when she stays there. Talk about fantastic a king bed, breakfast, and free WiFi for $75 in Chicago, Beat that Price line. On my way to the airport I solved one mans life dilemma as to why his phone was not working. Turns out he left it in airplane mode. From there got on the bus to the hotel and saw the after math of our Presidents arrival. To add to my headache list, I learned that a taxi cab had ran over a pedestrian or two. But on the way I saw Air Force One and the C5 Galaxy that no doubt transported the President’s motorcade. Never the less seeing Air Force One for the first time was a unique feeling a mix of excitement, amazement, and awe. You wonder how just seeing a plane could be exciting at all but then again I have loved aircraft since I was a child so I know what is under that white and blue aluminum skin of that 747. Of course I will remain Gods comic relief till the day I die because after seeing Air Force One the bus pulls into the hotel and in the parking lot sits the Oscarmeyer Weiner mobile. Yet another veicle I have never seen in real life before and im not totally sure, but pretty positive that God is laughing with me. Finally checked into the hotel and ordered some pizza Chicago style. And I have to say after it arrived an hour later was not impressed with it. Sorry Chicago, California pizza is far superior then what you guys have. Cleaned up and enjoyed a relaxed evening with an early bedtime. All and all it was a good day. It’s always nice to end a day feeling better then you did when the day started.
Chicago Trip Day One:
Today began with a blaring alarm clock and major concern in regards to my trip to Chicago. Wondering if I packed everything I was going to need, the typical last minute jitters anybody gets before their going somewhere on business had set in. My mother was not helping the situation what so ever on the way to the airport. Upon arriving I found that our initial look at the amount of passengers on United flights from San Francisco to Chicago had drastically changed from the night before. I listed myself the day before at 9am and from there the load list went crazy. However it was the card I was dealt and lead to actually being some time that I could just clear my head and get food in my system. I spent most of the time enjoying posts on FML mainly because I guess my day wasn’t so bad after all you know.
Thanks to a very nice gate worker named Olga, I ended up on a plane after nearly 11 hours in the airport. She handed me my boarding pass and I walked down the ramp towards my working vacation. Shortly after takeoff the announcement came over the intercom that we were on time and hopefully Air Force One’s arrival into Chicago wont cause too much of a delay.
Of course my bag was the last bag off the carousel, so after a long wait I headed over to the info kiosk and started looking at hotels my mother suggested for the evening. Found the Holiday Inn Express was willing to forward me a discount that my mother gets when she stays there. Talk about fantastic a king bed, breakfast, and free WiFi for $75 in Chicago, Beat that Price line. On my way to the airport I solved one mans life dilemma as to why his phone was not working. Turns out he left it in airplane mode. From there got on the bus to the hotel and saw the after math of our Presidents arrival. To add to my headache list, I learned that a taxi cab had ran over a pedestrian or two. But on the way I saw Air Force One and the C5 Galaxy that no doubt transported the President’s motorcade. Never the less seeing Air Force One for the first time was a unique feeling a mix of excitement, amazement, and awe. You wonder how just seeing a plane could be exciting at all but then again I have loved aircraft since I was a child so I know what is under that white and blue aluminum skin of that 747. Of course I will remain Gods comic relief till the day I die because after seeing Air Force One the bus pulls into the hotel and in the parking lot sits the Oscarmeyer Weiner mobile. Yet another veicle I have never seen in real life before and im not totally sure, but pretty positive that God is laughing with me. Finally checked into the hotel and ordered some pizza Chicago style. And I have to say after it arrived an hour later was not impressed with it. Sorry Chicago, California pizza is far superior then what you guys have. Cleaned up and enjoyed a relaxed evening with an early bedtime. All and all it was a good day. It’s always nice to end a day feeling better then you did when the day started.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Heading to Chicago
Hey Everyone,
I am getting ready to head out to Autobahn Country Clubnear Chicago for my next Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup race weekend. It is an incredible 21 turn, 3 and a ½ mile facility. I can't wait!
For the past few days, I have been reviewing video and trying to get my body in sync with Chicago time. I feel I've learned from the mistakes I made out at Mid Ohio and am expecting a successful and fun weekend in Chicago. Hopefully I will be able to keep you all updated as the weekend progresses. I leave Thursday and plan to get some news out starting Friday.
Cheers,
Perry
I am getting ready to head out to Autobahn Country Clubnear Chicago for my next Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup race weekend. It is an incredible 21 turn, 3 and a ½ mile facility. I can't wait!
For the past few days, I have been reviewing video and trying to get my body in sync with Chicago time. I feel I've learned from the mistakes I made out at Mid Ohio and am expecting a successful and fun weekend in Chicago. Hopefully I will be able to keep you all updated as the weekend progresses. I leave Thursday and plan to get some news out starting Friday.
Cheers,
Perry
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Weekend so far
As Perry's new director of marketing and PR I thought I would add a little bit of update from our weekend so far! Mike Hennessy has done an amazing job putting on Hot San Jose Nights and letting Perry, as well as myself appear with the cars. This entire weekend has been a great way for us to get Perry's name out there!! We have met so many interested, kind, fun people and this whole experience has been a great start to a wonderful business partnership! Tomorrow is our last day there, so if you haven't come down to check out the event yet, get on it! It is definitely worth seeing!!
Morgan
Morgan
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Hot San Jose Nights
If anyone is going to be in the Bay Area this weekend, I will be appearing at Hot San Jose Nights. I am bringing two different types of cars including a Stohr DSR as well as a Pro-Mazda. This will be a very exciting event that goes throughout the weekend, Thursday July 9th-Sunday July 12th. If you are in the area, come down and check it out! Just look for a guy in a Volkswagen Jetta Tdi Cup racing suit!
The event schedule as well as directions can be found on there website click on the link:
http://www.hotsanjosenights.com/
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Ohio Roundup
Hey Everyone,
I have finished my trip out at the Ohio Sports Car Course, an amazing facility in Columbus. Here is a quick recap of the events:
As David Arkin a San Francisco Region SCCA member as well as driving coach and I walked off the plane we got hit with a wave of unexpected. We turned the air conditioning on full blast and kept it that way for the hour drive to our hotel.
The next morning we drove to the course which was 20 minutes away through some wonderful hilly two lane roads. After arriving I found the APR tent and began talking to Josh Hurley about the racetrack. After chatting with Josh, Dave and I began wandering the racetrack looking at the turns watching for bumps and inconsistencies. After a while we wandered over to the hospitality tent and began checking in with everybody from Volkswagen.
Unfortunately a heavy downpour of rain that night made our meticulous inspection of the track somewhat irrelevant. We decided to use slick tires, which led to the most interesting session on track I have ever had. While we were on course we managed to drive in and out of impressive downpours. For half a lap you wouldn’t get a drop on your windscreen and as soon as you think it might be letting up a wall of water would just cover your windshield. Fortunately all drivers made it through the session intact even though there were some cars including mine sliding around. I was rather happy with my driving despite the rain.
The afternoon brought qualifying. I can’t say that it was my best qualifying effort. I was overemphasizing managing the tires and not overcooking them like most of us had in Utah. So I spent more time trying to find space rather than running laps and that is what led to a rather unimpressive 17th spot on the grid. Even though I never got a good lap in I just thought “heck with it. I will make it up in the race.”
Race day had a few surprises in store for me. The start was chaotic due to a mess up in procedure. So off the bat it was a bit of a mess and I was able to jump two spots in the first lap. The second lap found me right behind Jake Thomson and our guest driver Mark Gillis. Another lap and a half went by before I took turn 5 too early. My car became unstable and I lifted off 3 wheels and for a brief moment was only driving on the right front. My only thought was to get the car back down on all fours and acted impulsively. I turned back across the racetrack not realizing that I had dropped a wheel off when I settled the car back down. The rear right tire got hooked on the edge of the racetrack and caused my car to go into a slide and ended up shooting me a cross the racetrack and had me kiss the tire wall. It was a very unfortunate end to the race but I still took a lot from the weekend. I made great improvements in my breaking and realized that I need to work on making sure I never “follow” another car and just drive my own line to make sure mishaps like this don’t happen again. Next, I am off on to Chicago! Updates to come!
Perry
I have finished my trip out at the Ohio Sports Car Course, an amazing facility in Columbus. Here is a quick recap of the events:
As David Arkin a San Francisco Region SCCA member as well as driving coach and I walked off the plane we got hit with a wave of unexpected. We turned the air conditioning on full blast and kept it that way for the hour drive to our hotel.
The next morning we drove to the course which was 20 minutes away through some wonderful hilly two lane roads. After arriving I found the APR tent and began talking to Josh Hurley about the racetrack. After chatting with Josh, Dave and I began wandering the racetrack looking at the turns watching for bumps and inconsistencies. After a while we wandered over to the hospitality tent and began checking in with everybody from Volkswagen.
Unfortunately a heavy downpour of rain that night made our meticulous inspection of the track somewhat irrelevant. We decided to use slick tires, which led to the most interesting session on track I have ever had. While we were on course we managed to drive in and out of impressive downpours. For half a lap you wouldn’t get a drop on your windscreen and as soon as you think it might be letting up a wall of water would just cover your windshield. Fortunately all drivers made it through the session intact even though there were some cars including mine sliding around. I was rather happy with my driving despite the rain.
The afternoon brought qualifying. I can’t say that it was my best qualifying effort. I was overemphasizing managing the tires and not overcooking them like most of us had in Utah. So I spent more time trying to find space rather than running laps and that is what led to a rather unimpressive 17th spot on the grid. Even though I never got a good lap in I just thought “heck with it. I will make it up in the race.”
Race day had a few surprises in store for me. The start was chaotic due to a mess up in procedure. So off the bat it was a bit of a mess and I was able to jump two spots in the first lap. The second lap found me right behind Jake Thomson and our guest driver Mark Gillis. Another lap and a half went by before I took turn 5 too early. My car became unstable and I lifted off 3 wheels and for a brief moment was only driving on the right front. My only thought was to get the car back down on all fours and acted impulsively. I turned back across the racetrack not realizing that I had dropped a wheel off when I settled the car back down. The rear right tire got hooked on the edge of the racetrack and caused my car to go into a slide and ended up shooting me a cross the racetrack and had me kiss the tire wall. It was a very unfortunate end to the race but I still took a lot from the weekend. I made great improvements in my breaking and realized that I need to work on making sure I never “follow” another car and just drive my own line to make sure mishaps like this don’t happen again. Next, I am off on to Chicago! Updates to come!
Perry
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Utah Results!
Hey Everybody,
Thank you for all of your support last weekend for the third round race of the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup! Here is a recap of the weekend:
I arrived in Salt Lake City late Thursday night and went to bed as quickly as I could. The next morning everything got started early. I had a the opportunity to speak with Matt Chapman - a master at helping people in each situation of their lives. (http://www.matt-chapman.com/) - before heading to the track that morning. After our conversation, my mind felt sharp and my spirits were high. The optimism stuck with me the length of the weekend.
After talking to Matt, I headed out to Tooele, Utah, to get a look at Miller Motorsports Park for the first time this year. Unfortunately I did not get a chance to walk the track Friday but I did get to check in with some of people that make the TDI Cup happen.
On Saturday the curtain went up on the TDI weekend with a morning track walk with lead driving instructor Jan Heylen, a former Champ Car driver. Shortly after that we did our first session on track. I ended up 19th fastest in the practice session and I was stoked because I noticed I already had a better feel for the car’s grip levels. After analyzing at the data, however, I had a chance to identify ways of improving my time and during the qualifying session I managed to go two seconds faster with a 1:42.800 sec lap. This was considerably better then my earlier practice time and was good enough to put me ninth on the grid.
After the qualifying session, all of the drivers had a chance to listen to Patrick Long, one of the current Flying Lizard drivers, speak about his racing experiences. He emphasized the importance of managing public appearances and on-track conduct. Mindful of this advice, I went directly to bed filled with thoughts of the racing ahead.
The race started at 9:30AM Sunday so it was an early morning. Nonetheless, I found time to clean my car and revisit my data before I started visualizing my race. As we moved out to pre grid, I had a brief moment to enjoy sitting in the driver’s seat of my Jetta while the American Le Mans series was finishing practice. It was a surreal and very motivating listening to the Acura and Mazda powered prototypes along with the Porsche, Panoz, and Ferrari powered GT class cars flying down the main strait next to me.
Soon enough, the mechanics told the TDI Cup drivers to get ready to go. So I finished putting on my gloves, helmet, and defender neck brace and proceeded to strap in. After the warm up laps we lined up for our standing start. As the lights turned green, I was immediately pinched to the inside which allowed Joey Atterbury and Devin Cates to pass off the start. After the first few laps, the racers settled into positions and I found myself in 13th spot, monitoring the group in front of me while Ryan Ellis closed in from behind.
Through turn nine I slipped up and Ryan was able to pass me, but I didn’t loose sight of him. By turn four of the following lap, I was under his rear bumper. Right as we were approaching the breaking zone for turn 5 I poked out from the draft and Ryan missed his breaking zone, giving me my position back. After breaking away from Ryan for good, I caught back up with Devin and passed him after he overshot turn seven.
When the last lap was shown, some drivers began getting frantic for last minute positions. Sure enough in second to last turn I watched two cars in front of me come together in the breaking zone. Thankfully, they slid to the outside of the turn and I snuck inside of them to take two spots at the last minute and finish in 10th position.
After doing some driver appearances towards the end of the day we sat in the classroom and listen to Miller Motorsports Park owner Bryan Miller (the son of the late Larry Miller) speak about his life and what he has learned about the motorsports business since he began his involvement earlier this decade as well as some life lessons he has realized since the passing of his father. After speaking to Mr. Miller, the weekend was officially closed and I was left with the task of returning to California for some much needed sleep.
Til next time!
Perry
Thank you for all of your support last weekend for the third round race of the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup! Here is a recap of the weekend:
I arrived in Salt Lake City late Thursday night and went to bed as quickly as I could. The next morning everything got started early. I had a the opportunity to speak with Matt Chapman - a master at helping people in each situation of their lives. (http://www.matt-chapman.com/) - before heading to the track that morning. After our conversation, my mind felt sharp and my spirits were high. The optimism stuck with me the length of the weekend.
After talking to Matt, I headed out to Tooele, Utah, to get a look at Miller Motorsports Park for the first time this year. Unfortunately I did not get a chance to walk the track Friday but I did get to check in with some of people that make the TDI Cup happen.
On Saturday the curtain went up on the TDI weekend with a morning track walk with lead driving instructor Jan Heylen, a former Champ Car driver. Shortly after that we did our first session on track. I ended up 19th fastest in the practice session and I was stoked because I noticed I already had a better feel for the car’s grip levels. After analyzing at the data, however, I had a chance to identify ways of improving my time and during the qualifying session I managed to go two seconds faster with a 1:42.800 sec lap. This was considerably better then my earlier practice time and was good enough to put me ninth on the grid.
After the qualifying session, all of the drivers had a chance to listen to Patrick Long, one of the current Flying Lizard drivers, speak about his racing experiences. He emphasized the importance of managing public appearances and on-track conduct. Mindful of this advice, I went directly to bed filled with thoughts of the racing ahead.
The race started at 9:30AM Sunday so it was an early morning. Nonetheless, I found time to clean my car and revisit my data before I started visualizing my race. As we moved out to pre grid, I had a brief moment to enjoy sitting in the driver’s seat of my Jetta while the American Le Mans series was finishing practice. It was a surreal and very motivating listening to the Acura and Mazda powered prototypes along with the Porsche, Panoz, and Ferrari powered GT class cars flying down the main strait next to me.
Soon enough, the mechanics told the TDI Cup drivers to get ready to go. So I finished putting on my gloves, helmet, and defender neck brace and proceeded to strap in. After the warm up laps we lined up for our standing start. As the lights turned green, I was immediately pinched to the inside which allowed Joey Atterbury and Devin Cates to pass off the start. After the first few laps, the racers settled into positions and I found myself in 13th spot, monitoring the group in front of me while Ryan Ellis closed in from behind.
Through turn nine I slipped up and Ryan was able to pass me, but I didn’t loose sight of him. By turn four of the following lap, I was under his rear bumper. Right as we were approaching the breaking zone for turn 5 I poked out from the draft and Ryan missed his breaking zone, giving me my position back. After breaking away from Ryan for good, I caught back up with Devin and passed him after he overshot turn seven.
When the last lap was shown, some drivers began getting frantic for last minute positions. Sure enough in second to last turn I watched two cars in front of me come together in the breaking zone. Thankfully, they slid to the outside of the turn and I snuck inside of them to take two spots at the last minute and finish in 10th position.
After doing some driver appearances towards the end of the day we sat in the classroom and listen to Miller Motorsports Park owner Bryan Miller (the son of the late Larry Miller) speak about his life and what he has learned about the motorsports business since he began his involvement earlier this decade as well as some life lessons he has realized since the passing of his father. After speaking to Mr. Miller, the weekend was officially closed and I was left with the task of returning to California for some much needed sleep.
Til next time!
Perry
Friday, May 15, 2009
Studly Photo of Perry
Check out these promotional photos of Perry for the VW Jetta TDI Cup! If you'd like one to pin up on your wall send us an email - richardsonracing32@gmail.com.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Utah Preview!
Hey Everyone,
After successfully making it through the first and second rounds of the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup Series, it’s now time for my third race of the season. This weekend’s race will take place at Utah’s Miller Motorsports Park which is as close to home as I will get this year. I’m looking forward to returning to this circuit in Utah as I competed there once before in 2008 in an SCCA National event and feel I may have an edge on some of the other guys!
All of the drivers are in for a real treat this weekend because we will get the amazing opportunity to compete alongside the American Le Mans Series, the Formula BMW, Star Mazda, and Atlantic Series. I can’t wait to glean as much knowledge I can from these high level racers and teams.
If you’d like to follow the race, live timing and scoring will be available for all track sessions. You can find it all here: http://www.livetiming.net/SCCA/VW/livetiming.asp
As a final note, I am going to be emailing out updates and photos over the weekend. If you or your friends want to receive the updates please send an email with your name to richardsonracing32@gmail.com and you will start getting updates. Plus check the links below for other information.
Thanks very much and wish me luck!
Perry
Follow my Tweets and help me win the marketing competition!!!
http://twitter.com/commodorepdog
Weekend Schedule:
http://docs.google.com/gview?a=v&pid=gmail&attid=0.2&thid=1212dee9495e4363&mt=application%2Fpdf
Main Events Schedule:
Practice/Qualifying – Saturday, May 16 at 11:20 am MT / 5:10 pm MT
Race - Sunday, May 17 at 9:10 am MT
SCCA Pro Racing Live Timing:
http://www.livetiming.net/SCCA/VW/livetiming.asp
Season schedule :
Round 1 & 2 - April 24 – 26 - VIRginia International Raceway - Alton, VA (with Grand-Am)
Round 3 - May 15 – 17 - Miller Motorsports Park - Salt Lake City, UT (with ALMS)
Round 4- June 19 – 21 - Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course- Lexington, OH (with Grand-Am)
Round 5 - July 24 – 26 - Autobahn Country Club - Joliet, IL (with Speed World Challenge/Atlantics)
Round 6 - Aug. 14 – 16 - Road America – Elkhart Lake, WI (with ALMS)
Round 7 - Aug. 28 – 30 - Mosport International Raceway – Mosport, ON (Canada) (with ALMS)
Round 8 & 9 - Sept. 11 – 13 - New Jersey Motorsports Park – Millville, NJ (with ARCA)
Round 10 - Sept. 25 – 27 - Road Atlanta – Braselton, GA (with ALMS)
Thursday, April 30, 2009
VIR Wrap up!
In his second round VW Jetta TDI Cup race on April 26th at Virginia International Raceway (VIR), Perry Richardson continued to race competitively taking a respectable 16th place.
"Although I'm a bit frustrated that I didn't take the checkered flag, I'm optimistic," Richardson said. "I learned a lot from this first weekend, and I'm confident that next round I will improve. I'm particularly excited that the next race is in Utah - a little closer to my home time zone."
So far rookie racers like Richardson have thrived in the Jetta TDI Cup. Out of 30 total drivers, only 8 are new to the series, Richardson being one of them. Joey Atterbury and Jake Thompson - both rookies - took first place on Saturday and Sunday respectively.
Clark Campbell, motorsport manager of Volkswagen America, also spoke about the success of the young talent in the series. "The inaugural race weekend of the Jetta TDI Cup absolutely proved our concept that Volkswagen clean diesel technology, young drivers and a top-level crew produces some of the best racing available anywhere in North America. If the talent level displayed this weekend at VIR is any indication as to how the rest of the season is going to go, it's going to be a very exciting sophomore season."
For now, Richardson will return home to Los Gatos, CA and prepare for the next racing weekend May 15-17 at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah.
Cheers and happy racing!
Bailey (Perry's sister)
"Although I'm a bit frustrated that I didn't take the checkered flag, I'm optimistic," Richardson said. "I learned a lot from this first weekend, and I'm confident that next round I will improve. I'm particularly excited that the next race is in Utah - a little closer to my home time zone."
So far rookie racers like Richardson have thrived in the Jetta TDI Cup. Out of 30 total drivers, only 8 are new to the series, Richardson being one of them. Joey Atterbury and Jake Thompson - both rookies - took first place on Saturday and Sunday respectively.
Clark Campbell, motorsport manager of Volkswagen America, also spoke about the success of the young talent in the series. "The inaugural race weekend of the Jetta TDI Cup absolutely proved our concept that Volkswagen clean diesel technology, young drivers and a top-level crew produces some of the best racing available anywhere in North America. If the talent level displayed this weekend at VIR is any indication as to how the rest of the season is going to go, it's going to be a very exciting sophomore season."
For now, Richardson will return home to Los Gatos, CA and prepare for the next racing weekend May 15-17 at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah.
Cheers and happy racing!
Bailey (Perry's sister)
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Updates From VIR!
Friday
Perry qualified in 15th position in his first race at VIR in the #30 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup car. The day started at 6:00AM (3:00AM Pacific Time!) with a drivers meeting and a walk around the track. The rest of the morning was spent in meetings...and more meetings. At 11:30 the group went out for a practice session - the first time out on the track for may of the drivers, including Perry. There were no major problems with practice.
After practice the drivers met with coaches and then they caught a quick lunch before going out on the track for the first qualifying session. In the session, Perry had to avoid a few incidents as one car in front of him went off track and another car spun. But he had clear track for most of the session after getting by the incidents.
After qualifying the drivers went back in to (you guessed it) another driver meeting. After the meeting the drivers had time to grab some the famous VW waffles and ice cream before they went out for the next qualifying session.
Saturday
The first race of the weekend started off without any problems. Perry jumped a few positions at the start and as the race went on and the field spread out a group at the front pulled away from the rest of cars. Perry was at the back of the front group of about 11 cars. He worked his way up to about 10th place and was at 9th place but started to drop back when his tires started to loose grip. He went a little off track at turn 16 but was able to get back into the race. He ended up in 13 place - not bad for his first race in the VW TDI Cup.
- Bruce Richardson
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
A Pre-Race Note from Perry
Hey Everyone,
I am one day away from getting on a plane and heading out to the Virginia International Raceway for the first race weekend in the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup. We will be out there with the Rolex Grand Am Series, Star Mazda Championship, and Formula BMW Series to name a few. I am really excited to get this new season off to a start. I believe the program Volkswagen of America and SCCA Pro Racing has put together is truly capable of moving my career in racing forward. As for now my bags are packed with the bare essentials: helmet, driving suit, GoPro cameras, computer, cell phone charger and a toothbrush. I will get some videos posted online during the weekend so you guys can check out what it’s like in one of these Jetta Cup cars and take a look around beautiful VIR.
As a final note, I am going to be emailing out updates and photos over the weekend and if you want to get on the receiving list you need to send an email including your name to richardsonracing32@gmail.com and you will start getting updates.
Wish me luck!
Perry Richardson
Follow my Tweets!!!
http://twitter.com/commodorepdog
Schedule
http://docs.google.com/gview?a=v&attid=0.1&thid=120c4d544443527d&mt=application%2Fpdf
SCCA Pro Racing Live Timing
http://www.livetiming.net/SCCA/VW/livetiming.asp
Tickets
http://www.virclub.com/2009-event-details/bosch-engineering-250-grand-am-rolex-sports-car-series.html
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Let the Games Begin!
This weekend Perry will compete in his first Jetta TDI Cup race after beating out 3,900 other drivers to earn a spot in the series in February. Perry will travel to Virginia International Speedway this weekend to compete in rounds 1 and 2 of the series which promises $100,000 to its champion.
Perry will be sending out email updates over the course of the race. If you would like to receive results and reactions directly from Perry, please send him an email at richardsonracing32@gmail.com
Cheers and happy racing!
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Thunderhill Pass
Here's a video of my pass at Thunderhill from the view of my friend's formula Mazda. If you watch closely, you'll see me get loose out of turn 2!
- Perry
Saturday, April 11, 2009
A view from the cockpit!
Perry Richardson Infineon Regional Opener from Perry Richardson on Vimeo.
This video was made available by Nick at GoPro Camera. Watch Perry tear through the field at the Infineon Regional Opener!
"The wall at turn 11 was damaged due to a heavy impact. Shortly after the SCCA officials determined the regular track layout was unsafe. I was starting to the back in the Griffith Family Dental entry due to a sound violation during qualifying. From there I was just left to make a mad dash through the field which made for a traffic filled race (always fun)." - Perry
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Interested in Sponsorship?
Richardson Racing has put together a presentation on the benefits of a sponsorship of Perry this upcoming year on the TDI Circuit!
If you or someone you know is interested, please follow this link to view the power point:
http://www.4d-sport.com/images/Sponsorship_Packet_-_Low_Res.pdf
If you or someone you know is interested, please follow this link to view the power point:
http://www.4d-sport.com/images/Sponsorship_Packet_-_Low_Res.pdf
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Driver Announcement Media Release!
VOLKSWAGEN ANNOUNCES 2009 JETTA TDI CUP DRIVER LINEUP
--
30 drivers set to compete for the series championship beginning April 24
HERNDON, Va. (Feb. 10, 2009) – Volkswagen of America, Inc. today announced the names of the 30 drivers who will compete in its 2009 Jetta TDI Cup season. The Volkswagen-operated spec series, which is entering its second season, will take the green flag on its SCCA Pro Racing-sanctioned events on April 24 at Virginia International Raceway.
Drivers selected to compete in the 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup include:
Joey Atterbury – Renton, WA Andy Lee – Maricopa, AZ
Nicky Boulle – Dallas, TX Timmy Megenbier – Melrose Park, IL
Taylor Broekemeier – Fort Collins, CO JD Mobley – Castle Rock, CO
Nelson Canache – Norcross, GA Eric Morse – Pittsburgh, PA
Christopher Castagna – Boston, MA AJ Nealey – Pasadena, MD
Devin Cates – Broad Run, VA Evan Pflock – Redondo Beach, CA
Theresa Condict – Lexington, MA Mark Pombo – Duluth, GA
Andrew Cordeiro – Woodbridge, ON Perry Richardson – Los Gatos, CA
Michael DeNino – Gaithersburg, MD David Richert – Winnipeg, MB
Ryan Ellis – Ashburn, VA Juan Pablo Sierra Lendle – Puebla, Mexico
David Heinz – Bethel Park, PA Kerstin Smutny – Bothell, WA
Chris Holman – Burlington, ON Jake Thompson – Vancouver, BC
Derek Jones – Philadelphia, PA Rhett Tucker – Cumming, GA, Caleb Kenney – Berkeley, CA Donny Warren – Winchester, VA, Adam Kretschmer – Brampton, ON Kyle Wharff – Miramar, FL
Last week, Volkswagen welcomed driver candidates to Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, CA for four days of extensive evaluation. Drivers were tested on and off the track to determine skill level, potential and overall ability. After various driving, media readiness and physical fitness assessments were conducted, the series’ 30 participants were selected.
“We’re definitely looking forward to our second season with the Jetta TDI Cup,” said Clark Campbell, Motorsport Manager, Volkswagen of America, Inc.. “The response from the racing community to our program has been fantastic, and I think that is evident by the pool of high-quality drivers that we had to choose from. We’re proud to be welcoming back 15 competitors who competed in the series last year, and we’re looking forward to aiding in the development of 15 new drivers.” added Campbell. During the Jetta TDI Cup season, drivers will compete in ten events on eight road courses around North America in identical factory-prepared and maintained Jetta TDI’s powered by clean diesel. The series Champion will win $100,000. In addition, each driver who competes in the series will earn a Pro Racing license from SCCA at the conclusion of the season.
The Jetta TDI Cup car is powered by a 2.0-liter, four-cylinder TDI clean diesel engine with six-speed, double-clutch, automatic DSG transmission. The car is only slightly modified from stock with race suspension and brakes.
2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup Schedule
Round 1 & 2 April 24 - 26 VIRginia International Raceway Grand-Am
Alton, VA
Round 3 May 15 - 17 Miller Motorsports Park ALMS
Salt Lake City, UT
Round 4 June 19 - 21 Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course Grand-Am
Lexington, OH
Round 5 July 24 - 26 Autobahn Country Club Atlantics
Chicago, IL
Round 6 Aug. 14 - 16 Road America ALMS
Elkhart Lake, WI
Round 7 Aug. 28 - 30 Mosport International Raceway ALMS
Mosport, ON (Canada)
Round 8 & 9 Sept. 11 - 13 New Jersey Motorsports Park ARCA
Millville, NJ
Round 10 Sept. 25 - 27 Road Atlanta ALMS
Braselton, GA
Volkswagen of America, Inc.
Founded in 1955, Volkswagen of America, Inc. is headquartered in Herndon, Virginia. It is a subsidiary of Volkswagen AG, headquartered in Wolfsburg, Germany. Volkswagen is one of the world’s largest producers of passenger cars and Europe’s largest automaker. Volkswagen sells the Eos, Rabbit, New Beetle, New Beetle convertible, GTI, Jetta, Jetta SportWagen, GLI, Passat, Passat wagon, Tiguan and Touareg 2 through approximately 600 independent U.S. dealers. All 2009 Volkswagens come standard-equipped with Electronic Stabilization Program. This is important because the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has called ESC the most effective new vehicle safety technology since the safety belt. Visit Volkswagen of America online at vw.com or www.media.vw.com to learn more.
SCCA Pro Racing
A wholly owned subsidiary of Sports Car Club of America, Inc., SCCA Pro Racing Ltd. is a leading sanctioning body for motorsports events in the United States. A member of the Automobile Competition Committee of the United States (ACCUS), SCCA Pro Racing operates and sanctions the SCCA World Challenge Championships, the SCCA Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup and the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup and provides sanctioning and various operational services for other racing series. For more information, please visit www.sccapro.com.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
It's Official!!! He's in!
Perry was selected to drive in Volkswagen’s Jetta TDI Cup. He was one of 30 drivers selected out of 3,900 total applicants. Richardson, 23, will race in at tracks in VW’s throughout the United States and Canada this upcoming year.
This past week a group of 57 finalist endured four days of evaluation at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma. They raced karts, autocrossed (racing through a cone course), took written tests and spoke for VW’s cameras that are documenting the series for an upcoming television special on the SPEED channel.
The first race of the season will take place in mid-April.
Series Information :
30 young drivers racing in identical Clean Diesel racecars (they use only 3 tanks of gas in an entire season!) as they compete to win $100,000 in the world’s first green racing series. Watch as these aspiring amateur
racers put it all on the line. From a 16-year-old karting champ to a 26-year-old Iraqi war vet, proves there’s as much drama off the track as there is on it. The series will take place over eight races across the country.
Wish Perry Luck! And, if you are interested in learning more or even getting your company's name on his car, please feel free to contact:
Perry Richardson
241 San Mateo Drive
Los Gatos, CA 95030
(408) 497-1996
perryrichardson32@gmail.com
or
Bruce Richardson
(408) 499-7266
Richardson499@yahoo.com
Monday, February 2, 2009
Perry Makes the Cut!
Today Perry was selected to the 2009 VW TDI Cup! Tomorrow he finds out whether he will be one of the 5 alternates or one of the 30 official drivers.
We are all very excited and proud! Please send him a congrats if you get the chance!
- Richardson Racing
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Perry Set to Try out for the Volkswagen TDI Cup!
We just received word that Perry has been asked to try out for the Volkswagen TDI Cup! He will be heading up to his home track Infineon Raceway from Feburary 1-4 where he will compete against 100 other drivers for 30 spots on the tour. Perry will do some driving, have an official physical examination, and do his best to work the media! Thank you for everyone's support. We are very hopeful and excited for Perry and this opportunity!
Richardson Racing Booth at the San Jose Auto Show!
Richardson Racing stopped by the San Jose Auto Show that was held January 8-11 at the San Jose Convention Center. Perry and Bruce represented the SCCA amongst the newest concept cars from Chevrolet to BMW to Hyundai. Kids and adults alike hoped into the Stohr DSR car (the fastes car in the building!) and took pictures. They also checked out television recordings of Perry's national race in Kansas and many walked away with goodies from Griffith Family Dental! Thanks to all that came out and supported us. We hope to do more public events like this in the future and will keep everyone posted on upcoming plans.Cheers and Happy Racing!
The Richardson Racing Team
Monday, January 5, 2009
2009 Pro-Mazda Racing Schedule
Help me reach my goal of racing at these events next year!
Dates: Tracks: Event: Location:
March 20 Sebring International Raceway ALMS Sebring, Florida
April 25 Virginia International Raceway GrandAM Danville, Virginia
May 16 Miller Motorsports Park ALMS Tooele, Utah
June 13 New Jersey Motorsports Park Feature Millville, New Jersey
June 14 New Jersey Motorsports Park Feature Millville, New Jersey
June 20 Milwaukee Mile NASCAR Milwaukee, Wisconsin
July 10 Iowa Speedway ARCA Newton, Iowa
July 25 Autobahn Chicago Feature Joliet, Illinois
July 26 Autobahn Chicago Feature Joliet, Illinois
August 16 Trois-Rivieres Feature Trois-Rivieres, Quebec
August 29 Mosport International Raceway ALMS Bowmanville, Ontario
September 25 Road Atlanta ALMS Braselton, Georgia
October 10 Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca ALMS Monterey, California
Dates: Tracks: Event: Location:
March 20 Sebring International Raceway ALMS Sebring, Florida
April 25 Virginia International Raceway GrandAM Danville, Virginia
May 16 Miller Motorsports Park ALMS Tooele, Utah
June 13 New Jersey Motorsports Park Feature Millville, New Jersey
June 14 New Jersey Motorsports Park Feature Millville, New Jersey
June 20 Milwaukee Mile NASCAR Milwaukee, Wisconsin
July 10 Iowa Speedway ARCA Newton, Iowa
July 25 Autobahn Chicago Feature Joliet, Illinois
July 26 Autobahn Chicago Feature Joliet, Illinois
August 16 Trois-Rivieres Feature Trois-Rivieres, Quebec
August 29 Mosport International Raceway ALMS Bowmanville, Ontario
September 25 Road Atlanta ALMS Braselton, Georgia
October 10 Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca ALMS Monterey, California
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