Jetta TDI Cup Selection Event Day 1 Wrap Up
Feb 7, 2010
Hello!
Hope everyone is doing well as I know my family and friends are experiencing some crazy amount of snow back in Maryland. Last report was 31 inches with more snow expected on Tuesday. Stay safe out there!
Here in Vegas, things are going really well. I was fortunate enough to catch an earlier flight to come out west on Friday since they shut down the entire airport at Baltimore/Washington International later that afternoon. With some extra time on my hands, I was able to walk up and down the entire “Strip” by myself. What a sight to behold! The vibe out here is really quite incredible and have never seen such in influx of slot machines like this before.
Yesterday, I was able to drive out to check out the Hoover Dam. Another engineering marvel that I strongly encourage others to check out. It’s only about 30 minutes from Vegas and definitely worth a visit. Pictures will never do it justice. The nerd in me really got a kick out of all the factoids that I learned throughout the tour.
Click here to check out some pictures
Now, I came out here to take part in the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup Selection Event. I have to earn my way back in this season just like anybody else. I was focused and eager to take part in the activities in front of us for the day. The first two days will take place at the South Point Hotel and Casino and the third and final day with be at the Spring Mountain Motorsport Ranch in Pahrump, NV.
Day started off with registration and filling out a massive amount of waivers and paperwork from the SCCA, VW, the tracks, as well as the documentary film crew from @Radical Media who is back with us again this season.
This was then followed up with a killer breakfast! The hospitality is a known staple in this series and always lives up to its reputation. Breakfast, being the most important meal of the day, included potatoes and cooked vegetables along with a massive amount of sliced fruit. I complemented all this with some fresh black coffee. I was ready to go!
Soon after, Clark Campbell, the motorsports director for VW, made his introductory speech and we were then divided into different groups just like last season. I was part of the Yellow group. Haven’t come up with a team name yet, but heard someone say we should be the crazy bananas...has a nice ring.
The other returning drivers in my group included Taylor Brokemier, Andrew Cordeiro and Andrew Novich. We also had a couple newcomers in our group including Mayron, Geoff, Jenna and Alex Decuzzi. I missed some of their last names.
First activity on the schedule included a written test. This tested us on proper racing lines, identifying flags, as well as driving conduct on the track.
After we all breezed through the first test, our second activity was yet another multiple choice test. Not only did this test us on flagging procedures but also Volkswagen brand awareness. This was then followed by another presentation from Clark Campbell informing us about the Volkswagen brand and their success along with some more interesting factoids.
After the thinking was out of the way, we then headed downstairs to the gym to take part in our first series of fitness tests. It started off to see how many pushups we could do. I was able to hit 48 before tapping out. The next activity was an endurance exercise. Four of us would hit the treadmill at the same time and would start the speed off at 4 mph and increased the speed 1 mph for every minute until we hit 7 mph. After that, we would increase the incline 1 degree every thirty seconds. I was able to get to 7 mph and maxed the incline out at 10. We were then told to increase the speed up to 7.2 mph. But at 15 minutes into the session, I had to drop out. Really pushed the limits but did really well compared to the group. They also measured our weight, age, height and body fat. They did this last year as well. Turns out I’ve drop 12% body fat from last year and am currently at 9%. Really surprised myself!
After a grueling work out, it was lunch time! VW again delivered the goods. Put together an awesome salad as well as cooked vegetables and salmon and chicken with some nice seasonings. I need to get the recipe. Good stuff!
Next on the list was an autocross event outside the casino in the parking lot. There was a tight and twisty course in front of us that we would attack using some brand new Volkswagen GTI’s. These cars were sweet and were a lot of fun to toss around the course. We each got two free practice runs and then four timed runs that we were evaluated on. Again, just like last year, times were kept a secret and were only known by the instructors to grade us on. I thought I did fairly well, but have no idea how I did compared to the rest of the group.
From there, we headed back to the classroom to have a sponsorship training meeting with Todd Steen who is part of the TDI Cup. He provided us with a very informative power point presentation that will be valuable to help secure more sponsors for the future.
We were all then treated to a guest speaker who happened to be Brendan Gaughan who is currently racing in the Nationwide Series in the number 62 car. His father actually owns the South Point Hotel and Casino and was cool enough to speak with us briefly during the start of the Super Bowl. He is involved in the upper level of motorsports and it’s always good to gain some insight from those who have been successful.
We were then all dismissed and we have no idea what is in store for us tomorrow. But you’ll be sure to be receiving yet another update after it is all set and done!
Again, thanks to each and everyone of you for the incredible support leading up to this point. I’m glad you have all stuck around for the ride!
Take care and talk soon,
AJ Nealey
443-220-4019
Driving Sales and Building Relationships with AJ Nealey in the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup
