Jarvis Gennari Earns First Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup Victory
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Win Marks Fifth Race Winner of 2010 Season
Series rookie, Jarvis Gennari, earned his first Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup victory yesterday at Road America after an exciting battle with Chris Wehrheim, the event’s polesitter and eventual second-place finisher. Gennari and Wehrheim swapped the lead all afternoon, but the Boca Raton, FL native was able to regain the lead on the white flag lap to take the win.
“It was a nerve wracking, but exciting day,” said Gennari. “Chris (Wehrheim) and I were racing really hard the entire afternoon. I’ve been competing against him for the past few years on the karting circuit and we’ve always raced closely and cleanly. We have a lot of mutual respect for one another; so not only was the race exciting, but the fact that I was racing with him made it that much better. Throughout the year, I’ve been working harder and harder to be competitive and now I’ve finished in the top-four at the past three events. At the beginning the season, I never would’ve thought I could run up front, let alone earn a victory. So it is a fantastic feeling to have won.”
Rookie, Kevin Gleason, finished the race in third, marking his second consecutive third-place finish. Wyatt Gooden, the Series points leader, brought his car home in fourth and Jake Thompson finished fifth. Read more
Ford Racing Reveals Supercharger for 2011 5.0L TiVCT at Woodward Dream Cruise
Ford Racing has announced the availability of a new, 2.3L twin-screw supercharger for the 2011 Mustang. When mated to the all-new 5.0L 4V TiVCT V8 engine, this 50-state-legal powertrain, can produce 624 hp SAE @ 6900 rpm and 536 lb-ft SAE @ 4700 rpm. This is the first Twin-screw unit available to consumers.
The new supercharger is Ford Racing’s first power upgrade component for the new 5.0 engine. It was developed by Ford Racing engineers, in close collaboration with Ford Motor Company’s powertrain engineers, Team Mustang, and key partners in Roush and Whipple. The supercharger is being seen for the first time Saturday at the annual Woodward Dream Cruise in Ford’s Mustang Alley display.
“Superchargers are the ultimate in power upgrades for Mustang enthusiasts,” says George Goddu, Ford Racing Performance Group Manager. “Calibration for a modern V8 engine, especially one with twin-independent variable cam timing, is incredibly complex. Production calibration for the 5.0 engine took 19 months. Having that knowledge base to work from is a huge advantage.
“In fact we had the whole engineering background of the engine right from initial concept,” Goddu added. “With that knowledge base, and extensive collaboration across the team, we are able to offer a top-notch supercharger, induction kit and the optimum calibration. This results in great power, drivability and durability.”
“After more than 100 hours of accelerated durability testing, the entire Ford Racing package performed flawlessly,” reports Dev Saberwal, Ford Racing’s lead calibration engineer. “Ford Racing performance parts are subjected to extensive testing to ensure optimum performance across a broad range of conditions.” Read more
Wyatt Gooden Wins Round Six of the 2010 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup
Ohio Native Earns Second Consecutive Jetta TDI Cup Victory
Series rookie, Wyatt Gooden, earned his second consecutive Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup victory today at Autobahn Country Club as he took the checkered flag in Round Six of ten races. Two more rookies rounded out the top-three as Jarvis Gennari earned his second top-five appearance of the season bringing his Jetta TDI Cup car home in second and Kevin Gleason, today’s polesitter, was just behind him in third place.
“I love the track here at Autobahn Country Club,” said Gooden. “The circuit is very challenging and there are a lot of great corners. I don’t really know what to say about the event, other than that it was a perfect weekend. I qualified third yesterday, so it was exciting to notch the win after having to make a few passes. Today was also a great race from the points perspective; I was able to earn some solid points and the guys ahead of me in the Championship finished further down the field, which helps me a lot. After winning two in a row, I can’t wait to get to Road America in a few weeks.”
Series veteran, Jake Thompson earned his fourth top-five result this morning as he finished fourth and AJ Nealey finished fifth.
With just four races left in the 2010 season, the points race remains tight with just 29 points separating the top-five drivers. After today’s win, Wyatt Gooden takes the lead in the Championship with 190 points. Read more
Subaru Rally Team USA Debuts New 2011 Rally Cars at Speed with X Games Stars Travis Pastrana and Dave Mirra
Subaru Rally Team USA unveiled its new 2011 Impreza WRX STI rally cars to journalists in dramatic fashion at the Pala Raceway in Pala, California. The team provided full speed ride-alongs to journalists during practice for the ESPN Summer X Games 16. Travis Pastrana, Dave Mirra and new teammate, European Rallycross Champion Sverre Isachsen, demonstrated that they were ready for the SuperRally X Game competitions, being held at the Los Angeles Coliseum on Saturday, July 31st.
“The team has worked very hard to get these vehicles ready for the X Games,” said Pastrana. “The competition is going to be tough but I am confident that our STIs will be the cars to beat.”
The team’s technical partner, Vermont SportsCar, first began with a stock 2011 Subaru Impreza WRX STI right off the showroom floor. The car’s interior was then stripped bare and the shell lightened then fully seam welded for added strength. A multipoint roll cage, manufactured from T45 steel, was then welded into place.
Major differences from the stock STI include the addition of a competition fuel cell — which keeps race fuel contained within a flexible Kevlar bag tank — and lightweight carbon/Kevlar RECARO SPA ProRacer competition seats (w/HANS- Head and Neck Restraint System). Other interior additions include a custom STI dashboard, carbon fiber door panels, a Coralba C-Giant Rally Odometer, and an onboard Fire Suppression System.
The stock dampers are swapped out for heavy-duty rally dampers made by EXE-TC competition suspension. The rally dampers are fully adjustable and are built to take the abuse that off-road gravel rallying entails. Under the hood sits a 2.0-liter, 4-cylinder, turbocharged and intercooled STI engine running VP Racing fuel and producing in excess of 500 horsepower and 560 lb/ft of torque (running with 45mm restrictor for X Games). The clutch is a high performance-racing clutch provided by EXedy. Launch control, a turbo anti-lag system and a hydraulic handbrake are just a few of the features at the driver’s disposal. Read more
Jamie McMurray to Pilot the No.1 GE Reveal Chevrolet at Michigan
Earnhardt Ganassi Racing and Target Chip Ganassi Racing Also Announce That They Are Teaming with GE to Improve the Environmental Performance at Facilities in Concord, N.C. and Indianapolis
Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates and GE Lighting announce today that the GE Reveal Light Bulb brand will be the primary sponsor on the No. 1 Chevrolet, driven by 2010 Daytona 500 Champion, Jamie McMurray at the June 13 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) race at Michigan International Speedway.
In conjunction with GE’s paint scheme on the No.1 Chevrolet, GE will also provide Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates and Target Chip Ganassi Racing with new lighting fixture and bulb technologies for installation in their Concord, N.C. and Indianapolis, Ind. facilities.
The No. 1 Chevrolet Impala’s bright blue design draws inspiration from the blue coloring of an unlit GE Reveal® light bulb. Race fans should be sure to look for the iconic GE script logo on the hood of the No. 1 Chevy along with the rainbow-hued logo of GE Reveal® running down the car’s quarter panels.
Driving Energy Efficiency: With the obvious benefits of reducing energy costs, maintenance costs, quality of light, visibility, and operating costs, updating their lighting will also help Earnhardt Ganassi Racing and Target Chip Ganassi Racing curb the environmental impact of their facilities. By replacing all lighting fixtures and bulbs with the newest in energy efficient lighting technology from GE, Earnhardt Ganassi Racing and Target Chip Ganassi Racing will help protect the environment in the following ways: Read more