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
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
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
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