Mexico Final Report
Posted on 10/24/2010 by Jarvis Gennari
Wednesday morning came around as my family and I left sunny Florida for Puebla, Mexico. I was mentally getting ready for this weekend as I was in the points lead going into the last race weekend of the series, not much pressure there! We arrived without any problems just minus big birtha, our big suitcase with all our clothes. Thursday morning we had breakfast and off to the track we went. I checked out my car only to see the front grill was completely off and was being worked on. I walked around the Autodromo Miguel facility while my family walked the track. Seemed like a nice track as I was wondering if this was where I was going to clinch the series or not. Friday morning arrived and we got to the track and the excitement increased, I had the track walk with the instructors to get my head around the track. After the first practice I knew I had some serious car trouble, ending up 22nd out of 25, not a good start to the weekend. Friday afternoon qualifying brought the same results I ended up 15th not where I wanted to be. I was hoping my repairs to the car would bring better results Saturday morning. It was not in the cards as I qualified 13th. I felt disappointed that both qualifying sessions resulted so poorly.
I knew this would call for the same type of racing and passing I had experienced in Road America. I did it once and I was convinced I could do it again. Saturday afternoon came and I climbed into my car for the first of the final two races. Although I made progress in passing it was not enough and ended up 8th. I knew that I had to do better to in Sundays race to hold either the series championship or rookie championship. Sunday came around and it was a beautiful day for racing, thousands of fans showed up to watch the final race of the season for the 2010 Jetta TDI Cup. As I belted in I was sure I could move to the front and pull a big win. After the start and by the time I hit the second corner I was in 9th if I had stayed there I would have won the rookie championship. Unfortunately I was not the only one pushing it. After the halfway point the group had separated and it was hard for me to advance any positions. I ended the race in 10th and knew I had lost the championship, it was disappointing for me to be so close and not bring it home. It clearly was a learning experience weekend and when it is all said and done I had a successful season holding the #1 slot for; most advances, most fastest race lap times, number of wins and 2nd highest earnings. I look forward to bringing the big cup home next year.
I would like to thank my sponsors, Lennox, Best Florida Storage, and Pro Team Agency. Without their financial support I could not have raced this series. I would also like to thank everyone at Volkswagen for the opportunity to compete in a great series with awesome competition. But most importantly I want to thank my family, friends and fans. Thank you all for the 2010 Jetta TDI Cup session. And yes our suitcase did arrive at the hotel on Thursday!!!!
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A Race We Can All Win
Help Jarvis Support His Cause
Posted on 9/2/2010 by Joey Gennari
Heading into the final event of the 2010 Volkswagen TDI Cup in Mexico and fresh off two wins at Road America, Jarvis Gennari has reaffirmed his commitment to veteran’s aid organization Soldier On. In a recent campaign, Jarvis announced he’d be donating half of his 2010 winnings to the organization that support veterans who have returned home and are suffering from addictions and homelessness.
“In a country that has so much, I’m amazed at how little we support these heroes after they return home,” Jarvis says in his new video. Jarvis was instantly dedicated to the cause after first visiting one of their facilities in Pittsfield, MA. “It was a really emotional experience seeing all these vets who had nowhere to turn to when they got home,” Jarvis said. Soldier On has two facilities, both of which are maintained by the veterans themselves, ensuring that they are empowered by the experience, not simply given a handout.
While Soldier On has received some assistance from the government, our national commitment to these veterans remains limited. Soldier On is depending on private donations to keep the support alive. That’s why Jarvis has committed his earnings and has asked his fans to do the same. He has set a goal to reach a $5,000 donation, so please view the video on the right, and then donate whatever you can to Soldier On. You can donate via their website at www.wesoldieron.org.
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Back-to-Back
Weekend sweep in Road America
Posted on 8/25/2010 by Joey Gennari
Before this weekend, Jarvis Gennari had not found Victory Circle in the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup, but as he heads out of Wisconsin, the Series rookie has two wins to his name. Not only did theBoca Raton native find victory yesterday, but he also duplicated that feat this morning at Road America after coming all the way from a starting position of 14th.
What an incredible weekend," said Gennari. "Being able to earn back-to-back wins is an amazing feeling. Not only were these my first Series wins, but they're also the first victories for me in a racecar of any kind. Up until this season, I've only competed in karting, so today really marks a milestone in my career. Starting from 14th and making my way through the pack was incredible. I definitely got into a rhythm out there and before I knew it, I had taken the checkered flag. That was just an incredible feeling – as soon as I realized I'd won, I started tearing up in my helmet. Not only did I have a great event, but I'm also right there in the Championship hunt. Having a breakthrough weekend like this was not only a confidence boost, but it's also the highlight of my eight years in racing."
Jarvis would especially like to thank Soldier On, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping homeless veterans of the United States Armed Services by providing shelter, counseling, job training and education. Please contribute to their success by visiting www.wesoldieron.org
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Windy City Podium
Gennari scores his first podium in TDI Cup
Posted on 8/1/2010 by Joey Gennari
In only his 5th Volkswagen TDI Cup appearance, the rookie Jarvis Gennari earned a second place finish at the Autobahn Country Club in Joliet, IL. Jarvis started from the 9th position but quickly began to pick off cars in the opening laps. A spectacular pass came in front of the turn 3 bleachers, drawing applause from the crowd. One-by-one Jarvis climbed into the third place before a full-course caution bunched the cars up. An injured car helped to fumble the restart and the leader got away for the remaining two laps. But Jarvis was quick on the gas and gained his final position to finish 2nd.
"It's great to have a rookie on the podium and it's even better to have three," said Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup Chief Instructor, Jan Heylen. All the TDI Cup drivers provided an exciting race day here in Joliet, but Jarvis' drive was spectacular. Jarvis would like to thank his sponsors from the race, Best Florida Storage, Lennox International, and Pro Team Data.
Jarvis would especially like to thank Soldier On, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping homeless veterans of the United States Armed Services by providing shelter, counseling, job training and education. Please contribute to their success by visiting www.wesoldieron.org.
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Father's Day at Mid-Ohio
Almost a podium for the rookie driver
Posted on 6/20/2010 by Joe Gennari
Round 5 of the VW TDI Cup was held in Lexington Ohio at Mid-Ohio Raceway. Jarvis was prepared for this weekend after 4 races under his belt the young rookie was ready for a podium. After the practice Saturday morning it was clear he was ready, holding P1 for the first half of practice Jarvis had the track down. Pushing it for an even faster lap he went up on two wheels and off track. After coming in to the pits for a check on damage he returned to qualifying to find himself in P12. After a few laps and cheering from the turn 1 race fans who thought he may give them another two wheel show he threw down another fast lap to give him P4 by less than two tenths from the leader. On the start, Jarvis lost one position going into turn 1. The top 5 were all bumper-to-bumper for the first 5 laps, down the straight away to turn 1 on lap 7 Jarvis pulled along Hogg and stuck in and made the pass in turn 1 setting him in 4th on the tale of veteran driver JD Mobley were he would challenge the rest of the race. Mobley held Jarvis off the rest of the race but when the white flag came out the best racing was two come Mobley and Jarvis battled at every turn but when the checkered waved Jarvis missed his podium by less than 2 tenths of a second. After the race, JD told Jarvis he was glad the race ended when it did because he could have not held on for one more lap. All in all a great race day and a look into what to expect in Joliet Illinois on August 1st ... a podium.
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Mother's Day at NJMP
Jarvis fights back in his second race
Posted on 4/9/2010 by Joey Gennari
Mothers Day weekend at New Jersey Motorsports Park was another great weekend of racing. With the rain holding off, the Saturday qualifying took place under dry conditions. Jarvis’ first 20 minutes in qualifying had him bouncing from 2nd to 5th position. With less than 10 minutes to go and headwinds of up to 35 mph down the straight away, Jarvis found himself without a dance partner lost 7 positions by the checkered flag leaving him 14th on the starting grid for Sundays race. With a 13 cars in front Jarvis knew he had to make every pass count in the first few laps. By the end of lap 5 he found himself in 10th spot with cars in front and behind a 30 car lengths away, there he would remain for most of the race. With three laps to go he started to lose ground rapidly when the white flag flew he had dropped to 12th where he would take the checkered. Not the Mothers day gift he had planned but with the lesson learned from this weekend, rookie driver Jarvis Gennari will be back in full swing for the next race at Miller Motorsports Park in Utah. There was excitement in the weekend while Jarvis got to hang with guest driver skateboarding legend, Rune Glifberg the 2008 + 2009 X-Games gold medal winner and Oakley-sponsored athlete.
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