I recently headed up to Portland International Raceway to check out round 3 of Volkswagen's new Jetta TDI Cup. The series consists of 30 identically and immaculately prepared Jetta racecars driven by drivers that are all under the age of 26. With each car being repaired to absolute perfection between races, the series is a recipe for automotive carnage and excitement like no other. I highly recommend setting your DVRs for when the series airs on Speed Channel at the end of the year. I promise you'll be entertained.
The drivers at the front were all pretty far up on the wheel. But one really stood out that weekend. He put his car on the pole, but then botched the start to set up an amazing race. He had the crowd's attention as he worked his way back to the front. But in the closing laps the leaders put up a real fight, which ended with the hero in the wall.
As the victors celebrated on the podium, I tracked down Mark Pombo to congratulate him on a great drive. It turns out that the kid's no rookie. He's won multiple championships on ovals as well as winning at the ARRC in 2005 and taking an SCCA regional championship in Spec Miata last year. Pombo also spent time in Iraq earning honors for both humanitarian as well as dangerous volunteer missions in hostile territory. We figured that at the very least he deserved a little ink here on the pages of SCC. This interview took place just after the 4th round at Lime Rock Park.
AH: Before joining the TDI Cup, what kind of cars did you race?
MP: I started with Quarter Midgets and Legends, but recently I've been mostly racing in Spec Miata.
AH: Midgets and Legends? Those are oval racers right? Was that on dirt or asphalt?
MP: I have never raced on dirt, only asphalt ovals and road courses. I enjoy racing anything anywhere. When I was younger I grew up racing ovals more, but lately it seems like opportunities have arisen for me on road courses more often.
AH: Then sometime in the middle you drove for the Army in Iraq. What were you driving there?
MP: 5-ton Army diesel tractors with 48ft 5,000-gallon water and fuel tankers attached. My unit was a forward supply unit. Our job was to supply soldiers throughout Iraq with potable water and fuel to keep the missions alive. A coincidence relating to driving, while I was in Iraq after missions our convoys would pull into our motor pool and line up. The soldiers in my unit who were driving trailers would get out and I backed up all the trailers and parked them in formation. A lot of people had trouble backing the big rigs up.
AH: I guess towing racecars to events is good for something. How would you like to bump draft a Miata with one of those Army rigs?
MP: My MX-5 could almost fit in the cab of the tractor! There are realistically no similarities between the two and racing a Miata is a lot more fun. My friends do routinely make fun of me though for going from the king of the road to a queen in a Miata.
AH: Ouch! How big were the Spec Miata fields you were competing in?
MP: The largest was over 70, but on average between 30 and 50 probably. It makes for exciting racing, and I can't think of a better way to develop driver skill at an amateur level for less.
AH: Coming off of a championship is a great way to start in a new series. How does the competition in the VW TDI Cup compare to Spec Miata?
MP: The new VW Jetta TDIs are a lot different than anything I have competed in before. They are tiptronic diesels, front-wheel drive, loaded with almost 300 ft-lbs of torque, and have turbos. Anyone who has competed in different cars before knows, front-wheel drive and rear-wheel drive cars require a different mindset when driving. Then add moving from low torque and horsepower to almost triple what I am used to and it adds another element to adapt to. The turbo took some getting used to as well because even though the torque is at low RPMs the turbo takes some time to spool up, so as a driver you have to anticipate the delay when applying the throttle.
AH: Watching from the stands was weird. The engines are nearly silent, all you can hear are the tires squealing and shuddering. What is it like to race in a pack of turbo diesels with push button transmissions?