Karting Scholarship winner for the 2010 season of the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup
Arie Ouimet awarded coveted 2010 top karter scholarship of $45,000
Volkswagen Motorsport is proud to announce Arie Ouimet of Plymouth, Massachusetts as their 2010 Karting Qualifier award winner. Ouimet competed against thirty karters for the top prize–a $45,000 scholarship towards the 2010 Jetta TDI Cup season.
“The skill level of our karters through the selection process proved to be extremely competitive and Arie should be proud of his performance that led to him earning the top prize,” states Dennis McCormack, Program Director of the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup. “I am proud of Arie for his accomplishments through the qualifiers and final selection event and look forward to the first race at Virginia International Raceway in April.”
Ouimet competed in the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup Karting Qualifiers where he became one of thirty karting finalists to move on to the final driver selection event of the 2010 season. The final selection event was held in Las Vegas, Nevada, where over 40 drivers came out to compete for the coveted 25 positions of the 2010 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup driver field. Drivers were instructed in multiple sessions including mentoring from professional driving instructors, media training, sponsorship development, fitness assessment, Volkswagen brand familiarization, autocross and karting courses, and track time in a Jetta TDI Cup car. After three days of the selection process, Ouimet was chosen as the top finalist from the karting program and was awarded the $45,000 scholarship.
“Arie was the most consistent and improved driver through our selection process,” said Ryan Arciero, Volkswagen Factory Driver and VW Jetta TDI Cup Driving Instructor “Arie ended the three days at the top of our scoring sheets and proved he deserves the scholarship. He was up against seasoned drivers from various facets of racing and managed to earn the top karting position after rigorous testing throughout the final driver selection event.”
The final 25 drivers that will compete in the 2010 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup will be heading to Virginia International Raceway in April for races 1 and 2 of the season. Drivers will compete in ten road course races throughout North America in identical, factory-prepared and maintained clean diesel Jetta TDIs. In addition to more than $50,000 in prize money at stake during the season, the series champion receives Volkswagen factory career advancement support with a value up to $100,000. Each driver competing in the series also earns a Pro Racing license from the SCCA at the conclusion of the season.
2010 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup Schedule
Round 1 & 2 April 23 – 25 Virginia International Raceway (Alton, VA)
Round 3 May 8 – 9 New Jersey Motorsports Park (Millville, NJ)
Round 4 June 5 – 6 Miller Motorsports Park (Tooele, UT)
Round 5 June 18 – 20 Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (Lexington, OH)
Round 6 July 30 – Aug. 1 Autobahn Country Club (Joliet, IL)
Round 7 & 8 Aug. 20 – 22 Road America (Elkhart Lake, WI)
Round 9 & 10 Sept. 24 – 26 Autodromo AMOZOC (Puebla, Mexico)
To learn more about the 2010 Jetta TDI Cup, visit www.volkswagenjettacup.com.
Shakhtar Donetsk – Fulham FC UEFA Europa League 2009-2010 match preview
Donbass Arena, Donetsk
Thursday 25 February 2010 – 19.00CET (20.00 local time)
Round of 32, second leg
A thunderous strike from Bobby Zamora handed Fulham FC a 2-1 first-leg lead against FC Shakhtar Donetsk, but the 2008/09 UEFA Cup winners have the odds in their favour as the focus shifts to Ukraine.
• Zoltan Gera’s third-minute opener caught Shakhtar cold in London, but they were on top by the time Luiz Adriano responded (32) only for Zamora’s tremendous first-time effort (63) to give Fulham victory.
Previous meetings
• Shakhtar have now played five games against English opponents, and have the record W2 D1 L2. They have hosted Arsenal FC and Tottenham Hotspur FC in previous European fixtures, winning both games without conceding a goal.
• The first leg was Fulham’s first meeting with Ukrainian opposition, while this will be their first competitive game in Ukraine.
Match background
• This will be Fulham’s 26th game since their European debut in the 2002 UEFA Intertoto Cup, and the second leg of their first post-Christmas UEFA club competition fixture.
• Fulham’s record in 12 European away games is a healthy W5 D4 L3. They have never conceded more than two goals in a European fixture.
• Winners of the final edition of the UEFA Cup in May 2009, Shakhtar featured among the last 32 in four of the last five UEFA Cup campaigns, winning three ties (against FC Schalke 04 in 2004/05, AS Nancy-Lorraine in 2007/08 and Tottenham in 2008/09) and losing to LOSC Lille Métropole in 2005/06.
• Shakhtar are unbeaten in ten European home games since a 1-0 loss to Sporting Clube de Portugal in the 2008/09 UEFA Champions League group stage, recording eight wins and two draws.
Team facts
• The first leg was the first time that experienced Fulham manager Roy Hodgson had come up against Ukrainian opposition.
• Shakhtar coach Mircea Lucescu has now been involved in 12 games against English teams – one as a player, two as an international coach and nine more leading club sides. His record in those matches reads W2 D7 L3 (W2 D4 L0 as home coach).
• Both Hodgson and Lucescu are former FC Internazionale Milano coaches. Hodgson was in charge of the Nerazzurri from 1995 to 1997, Lucescu from 1998 to 1999. Hodgson’s Inter side lost the 1996/97 UEFA Cup final on penalties to Schalke.
• Fulham defender Chris Smalling has agreed to join Manchester United FC in the summer.
• The winners in this tie will face the victors of the tie between AFC Ajax and Juventus in the round of 16 on 11 and 18 March, playing the second leg at home.
Penalties
• Shakhtar lost 4-1 in their only previous European penalty shoot-out at Club Brugge KV following a 2-2 aggregate draw in a 2002/03 UEFA Champions League third qualifying round tie.
• Fulham have never been involved in a European penalty shoot-out.
Fulham
Suspended: none
Misses next match if booked: Jonathan Greening
Players added to squad: Pascal Zuberbühler, Kagisho Dikgacoi, David Elm
Players removed from squad: Diomansy Kamara, David Stockdale, Andrew Johnson, Joe Anderson, Marcus Bettinelli, Neil Etheridge, Adam Watts
Shakhtar
Suspended: none
Misses next match if booked: Luiz Adriano, Răzvan Raţ, Darijo Srna
Players added to squad: Douglas, Ruslan Fomin, Artem Tetenko
Players removed from squad: Julius Aghahowa, Oleksiy Polyanskiy
57 year-old grandmother travels to Atacama Desert to run first of four Ultramarathons for charity
Linda Quirk of Run7on7.com Fame Attempts to Become the First Woman to Complete the 4 Deserts in Under a Year for Drug and Alcohol Addiction and Recovery
On March 7th Linda Quirk will begin her voyage across Chile’s Atacama Desert in an attempt to become the first woman in history to complete the 4 Deserts in under a year. Named TIME magazine’s second most arduous event in the world, the 4 Deserts is a series of six-day, 150-mile ultramarathons that sends endurance athletes across the Atacama, Gobi, Sahara, and Antarctica deserts. Linda’s mission comes at the heels of her most recent accomplishment, running a marathon on each of the seven continents in under a year for charity. To date, her Run7on7.com website has raised over $370,000 for drug and alcohol addiction treatment and recovery. This year she hopes to raise $1 million, while generating a much-needed dialogue about addiction treatment and recovery.
“After running marathons around the world I have seen and heard firsthand how the disease of addiction is without boundaries,” says Quirk. “It is imperative that we inform the people of the world struggling with addictions that treatment exists and that long-term recovery is possible.”
Linda’s www.run7on7.com website is raising funds for Caron’s program, which provides financial assistance to families in need of addiction treatment. She chose Caron after witnessing the effectiveness of its innovative treatment and how it, not only saved her stepdaughter’s life, but how it saved so many other families.
“We desperately need more donations,” says Quirk. “The money we’ve raised is already saving lives and helping families in need of treatment. But there are so many more families out there who still need our support. “
Caron is a nonprofit addiction treatment center that helps those affected by alcohol and drugs and their families begin a new life. Linda’s stepdaughter, Katherine, began her journey from methamphetamine addiction to recovery at Caron Renaissance in Florida, something Linda is forever grateful for.
Seven volunteer runners have joined to run one of the 4 Deserts with Linda. The volunteers were tasked to raise a minimum of $5,000 for the scholarship fund and to train extremely hard to prepare for the journey ahead. Some have never run a half-marathon let alone 150-miles. Their stories (including one volunteer who has lost 45 pounds in six months) are remarkable and can be followed on www.run7on7.com over the course of the year, so stay tuned.
“We all are extremely touched and inspired by Linda’s dedication to raise awareness about addiction and funds to support treatment for families,” says Missy Orlando, Chief Marketing Officer at Caron Treatment Centers. “Many families will benefit from her contributions to our scholarship fund. She’s really helping to enlighten people everywhere that addiction is a disease and that there is hope for a successful recovery.”
Source: www.Run7on7.com
Life-size Kobe Bryant trading card unveiled at NBA All-Star Festivities sets Guinness World Record
A giant trading card of Los Angeles Lakers All-Star Kobe Bryant unveiled today by Panini America set the Guinness Record for World’s Largest Signed Game-Used Jersey Card. Bryant was at the NBA All-Star Jam Session to autograph the card, which includes a 15-inch-by-15-inch swatch of an official jersey he wore in a game. The card measured 7 feet high by 4 feet, 11 inches wide.
Panini America is the exclusive trading card partner of the NBA. This week Panini launched Adrenalyn with a national mobile tour that starts in Dallas during All-Star festivities.
Adrenalyn is an interactive trading card game, geared to children ages 6 to 11, that brings together the excitement of the NBA with the thrill of collecting a 450-card set featuring NBA stars Carmelo Anthony, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Dirk Nowitzki, Dwyane Wade and NBA rookies Tyreke Evans, Blake Griffin, and Brandon Jennings, among many others.
The front of each Adrenalyn card features an offensive, defensive, and overall rating so kids can play the game using the Adrenalyn game board. The unique authorization code on the back of each card allows kids to upload their cards online to a virtual collector’s album and play the game at www.paniniadrenalyn.com, a safe and secure site. Adrenalyn cards, collector’s kits and starter sets are available at all major retail stores including Wal-Mart, Target, Toys “R” Us, Kmart, and The Dollar Store, and online at NBAStore.com and at the NBA Store in New York City.
Source: Panini America
Fans with visual impairments gain enhanced access to MLB.com
Baseball fans with visual impairments will benefit from the implementation of functional improvements to MLB.com, the official Web site of Major League Baseball, and all 30 individual Club sites as a result of a joint collaboration between MLB Advanced Media, LP (MLBAM), the American Council of the Blind, Bay State Council of the Blind and California Council of the Blind. All three organizations applaud this fan initiative taken by MLBAM.
“MLBAM has undertaken groundbreaking work to make its web sites accessible and has assumed a strong leadership position among sports, media and entertainment properties in doing so,” said Mitch Pomerantz, President of the American Council of the Blind. “We certainly urge similar sites to make this level of commitment in following MLBAM’s lead.”
As part of its initiative, MLB.com launched an accessible media center for its MLB.com Gameday Audio(TM) subscribers, offering features such as volume control, ability to choose the home or away feed and access to archived games. Additionally, MLB.com has ensured that fans with visual impairments can continue to participate in the annual online voting programs associated with the All-Star Game and will be providing an accessibility page on its site detailing information on accessibility, usability tips and customer service resources. As it continues to deliver technological innovations for following baseball games, MLB.com will make additional accessibility enhancements available to fans with visual impairments.
Brian Charlson, a Boston baseball fan and Director of Computer Training Services at the Carroll Center for the Blind in Newton, Massachusetts, described how MLB.com’s accessibility efforts have improved his enjoyment of the game: “As a member of the blind community, the kind of changes MLB.com was willing to make on its web sites keeps me coming back for more. It shows how much can be done when people with disabilities find willing partners. For example, with the changes in Gameday Audio, I find myself enjoying switching back and forth between the home and away broadcasters the same way my sighted friends do. And knowing my votes were counted in this year’s All-Star balloting made listening to the game much more meaningful. I’m excited about what MLB.com has done and about its commitment to further improvements.”
MLB.com utilized guidelines issued by the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). The web content accessibility guidelines are of particular benefit to blind baseball fans who use a screen reader, through which information on a page is read aloud, or magnification technology on their computers and who rely on a keyboard instead of a mouse.
Source: MLB.com