MP: All you really hear are the tires from inside the cars, which helps because the sound is feedback. They really tend to understeer. As drivers, our main battle is getting the car to rotate on entry, which is not easy with the amount of grip the Porsche Cup Michelin racing slicks provide. There is so much rear grip that trail braking does not help the car rotate, especially in the low speed corners. The most different thing is the tiptronic transmission. Not having a clutch takes some of the driver skill set out. With the amount of torque on board these TDI Jettas, standing starts are a crapshoot, and can be very humbling.
They're my Achilles Heel. A lot of the competitors have rented or bought the cars we are racing to practice starts. I am saving every dollar I can muster, so I haven't had any real chances to practice.
AH: Where do you shift? I would have given anything for a dyno chart from one of those.
MP: The traditional horsepower/torque curve is flip flopped, with nearly 300 ft-lbs of torque between 1,900 and 2,500 rpm and 170 horsepower up a little higher. I shift around 4,400 rpm, based on data I have seen from other drivers. There is data acquisition in all cars.
AH: Those were some of the most beautifully prepared racecars I've ever seen. How much does it cost to run in the series?
MP: This year it was 35k to participate in the 8-race series. There was an application and selection process, think of American Idol for racers, where accomplished pro drivers help decide the 30 most talented, promoteable, capable drivers. VW supplies everything you need to race and a very nice hospitality tent for drivers, families, and sponsors. The competitors are required to pay all travel expenses on top of the 35k and any damage up to a certain deductible amount. All in all, realistically everything included, it costs between 50k and 60k. We do get the hood and front fenders for our own sponsors though.
AH: I know this racecar driver stuff. Who are your sponsors and what do they do?
MP: I have laid out a plan that helps me offset my costs. The way the financial environment was and is, I figured to small business sponsors it was more feasible to offer a race by race opportunity and to show them I was chasing a dream, nothing more, nothing less. Gosset Motorcars and Ful have been on board the whole season and helped me with crash damage. Then Cates Engineering and Security 101 have helped at a couple different races.
AH: It must have been hard though, to get sponsorship in a series that nobody's seen before.
MP: I stumbled into the series for its inaugural season. I had about a third of the money saved from my military deployment and I created a donation fund where friends and family who believe in my ability donated several thousand dollars. This amounted to a little less than half the required 35k. I contacted companies and sent out a hundred sponsorship requests. In the beginning I did not have any luck, but finally a few sponsors helped cover the cost remaining, and as of now I have almost broken even. I wish I could recoup my military deployment savings, but that is the price I am willing to pay for chasing a dream. I pay the travel expense out of my salary at work. If it was not for an unfortunate crash in race three that cost me $7,500, I would have a little larger financial cushion.
AH: Still, that's not bad. The cars look like they cost VW at least $50,000 each. I thought the one from Portland was a write off.
MP: The way I understand how damage works is, since VW owns the cars, the drivers are responsible for all damage resulting from contact. This is how it breaks down. The first time you have an incident you have a $7,500 deductible, second time $10,000, and third time and beyond if you're still around is $12,500, even if you only damage a bumper that only costs $1,000 it knocks your deductible up to the next level. There have been 4 races thus far, and I have had no damage in 3 of them, however in Portland when I was touched in the left rear and sent into a cement wall, I maxed out the first $7,500 deductible.
By Andy Hope
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