My last entry was written after my very first victory in the 2010 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup (which you can read about HERE) I became the first series rookie to win a race this season, as the previous races had been dominated by two and three year veterans who had the edge on experience over many of us. I qualified in the second position at the Mid Ohio Sports Car Course, and from my previous podium run at Miller Motorsports Park in Utah, I felt confident enough to fight for my first professional victory. It was awesome to be the only driver from Ohio, giving the spectators someone local to cheer for!

I pressured the leader for the second half of the race after pacing myself throughout the majority of the timed 30 minute event, in order to save my car for the end. He ended up making a slight mistake in the Keyhole corner and I was able to slip by with six laps to go and hang on for the win! It was a great victory ( ok, when isn't a victory "great" ), and a feeling I can't put into words...disbelief, awe, surrealism, and the reality setting in that I do have what it takes. The win back in June propelled me from 13th to 5th in the championship points standings.

More recently, this past weekend the season resumed from a 6 week summer break after Mid Ohio, where we traveled just outside of Chicago to Joliet, IL. The circuit was unusually long and technical, 3.5 miles in length and 21 turns total. I knew it was going to be tough to get all those corners down in just 30 minutes of practice. On Saturday morning it rained heavily, which meant we would swap the slick tires for the softer treaded tires which provide more traction in the wet. The session went well considering the conditions, I was just happy to keep the car out of the barriers! Qualifying was held later in the afternoon, which worked out as the rain had stopped and the track was fully dry. Right at the end of the session I just started to develop a rhythm on the track, with my last lap being a 2:46:7 (Yeah, almost 3 minutes to complete a lap here!) to place me 3rd on the grid. Certainly was happy with that time considering I would be starting ahead of the mid pack melee, and I knew there was more speed to be found out on the track.

Sunday Morning, ahhhhh raceday! Always a mix of excitement and anticipation, along with a little nervousness and fear. It's what racing drivers, as well as all fellow adrenaline seekers know very well. As much as the media will try to question you about what your "strategy" for the race is going to be, you can never plan for what is going to happen, because you simply can't predict! I always try not to over analyze race start scenarios because it is worthless. What I was sure of was that I would be even quicker in the race once I felt like I had the track down 100%.

I got off to a good start when the lights went green, almost took second place into turn one but decided not to force the issue as the driver was looking to collide with me had I held my line. Settled into 3rd position and was feeling very 'in control' at this point. Just one lap into the race and the leader goes wide in turn one sending him back to 4th place. Two laps later I set up a pass for the lead by carrying more speed through the exit of turn 5, and taking the inside line away into turn 6 to complete the pass. Four laps into the race now and I'd built up about a 2.5 second lead over the second place and third place cars behind as they were battling hard with each other for the position, then the caution comes out and that lead was diminished. 10 minutes later after some terminally damaged cars were hauled off on the wrecker, the race resumed and I got a great restart. Immediately with over a two second lead, I was able to comfortably drive my pace and save the tires til the end without any pressure from the second and third place cars. A slightly more relaxed win from my first back at Mid Ohio needless to say.

Six rounds of the ten race season are now in the books, and I find myself leading the championship. After each race I've been able to learn more about the cars, tracks, and competition. Thanks to the incredibly helpful driver coaches at Volkswagen, along with the mechanics who provide us with reliable, safe, and evening matched Jetta TDI's it has been a great learning experience so far and I honestly don't believe there's a better place for an up and coming racing driver to gain experience than in this series.


Source - Cleveland.com

JOLIET, Ill. (August 1, 2010) – 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. Arie Ouimet (R) retains his position of second place with 182 points, while Juan Pablo Sierra Lendle moves from first to third place after a twelfth place result today and ends up with 176 points. Jake Thompson moved into fourth place with 170 points and JD Mobley rounds out the top-five with 161. The Series goes to Wisconsin next as they will compete in Rounds Seven and Eight of the 2010 Jetta TDI Cup at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis. on August 21st and 22nd.

With just three weeks remaining until the series resumes for Round 6 at the Autobahn Country Club in Joliet IL, the anticipation is building for what promises to be a very exciting second half to the season. At 3.5 miles in length, Autobahn CC is the second longest circuit on the schedule, but arguably the most technical with 19 corners.

The Mid Ohio race last month really shook up the standings and allowed a few drivers, including myself, to close in on Juan Pablo Sierra Lendle’s massive points lead he had built through consistent podium finishes in the first 3 rounds. I knew that I had to pull it all together in Ohio if I wanted to keep my championship hopes alive, so that extra drive kept me focused all weekend. With many drivers ahead of me in points finishing just inside the top 10, winning the last round closed the points gap back up to a mere 28 points from the lead, and I’m currently sitting in 5th. A handful of rookies have been stepping it up showing good pace and consistency, as well as the 2nd and 3rd year veterans equally determined to win, making this is by far the most competitive season the TDI Cup has seen.

There are a number of strong drivers near the top of the points table, so my plan for the remaining half of the season is to consistently hit good qualifying laps, and finish on the podium. Staying out of trouble and driving smart is going to be crucial, as one DNF this late in the season could put anyone out of the running.