click image to view slide show © 2008 STRENGTH interactive
The final round of the 2008 Jetta TDI Cup took place at Road Atlanta as part of the 11th annual Petit Le Mans. The atmosphere of the event was powerful, with helicopters flying in and out of the track, cars on track from sunrise to sunset and over 113,000 fans in attendance.
Road Atlanta has a long history as one of the premier road racing facilities in North America, being as enjoyable for spectators as it is for the drivers. This track most certainly did not disappoint. Having never driven on the circuit I was extremely anxious for our first practice session Friday morning. The session went very well for me, as I posted the 3rd fastest time. The session was marred with offs and crashes, with three drivers crashing their vehicles in the free practice. While practice took place early in the morning, our qualifying would not begin until 6:30pm. This gave me plenty of time to review my strategy for qualifying as well as stop by and visit some familiar faces in the paddock. Continue reading ‘DeNino Finishes Jetta TDI Cup Season Strong at Road Atlanta’
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Rounds six and seven of the Jetta TDI Cup took place September 26 - 28 at New Jersey Motorsports Park, the only double header weekend on the 2008 calendar. Friday was a full day for all of the drivers, with a practice session and two qualifying sessions. All three sessions would see different conditions.
The first practice session was run on slick tires in wet conditions. The track started to dry up within a few laps however, it started to rain shortly thereafter with the rain lasting a few minutes. The wet track conditions would turn out to be important practice for later in the weekend. Continue reading ‘Jetta TDI Cup - New Jersey Motorsports Park’
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The competition in the Jetta TDI Cup is becoming more intense with each race. With a mere one-second spread covering first through twenty-seventh in qualifying, the series is shaping up to be one of the tightest and most competitive in all of motorsports.
Iowa Speedway hosted the fifth round of the championship and was the beginning of three back to back race weekends which will conclude the 2008 season. After leaving Lime Rock with a pole position and a fifth place finish, I had a new level of confidence but I also understood what aspects of my performance I had to work at and improve. Continue reading ‘Michael DeNino Climbs to the Podium at Iowa Speedway’
Click image to view slideshowHaving recently undergone major renovations, the track surface and facilities at Lime Rock Park were in excellent condition. Friday morning started off with a free practice session which would reveal tire problems that would set the mood for the rest of the weekend. Continue reading ‘DeNino Wins Pole and Finishes Fifth at Lime Rock’
Click image to view slideshowPortland, Oregon marked the third stop of the Jetta TDI Cup season. Having never traveled to this city, I was excited to head out west. After having some experience driving a sedan from the previous two races, I was optimistic that my performance would improve in Portland. Continue reading ‘Jetta TDI Cup: Portland’
Winder, GA - 45 °F
