VW Jetta: Jake Thompson Mid-Ohio event summary

Jake Thompson finishes 6th at Mid Ohio, moves closer to Championship lead

Canadian driver Jake Thompson arrived at Mid Ohio this weekend trying to carry the momentum from a victory at the previous race in Utah. Although the weekend would not go as hoped, he still managed to salvage a solid 6th place finish. The result also moved Thompson 8pts closer to the championship lead, leaving him only 22 points behind heading into the second half of the season.

Qualifying proved to be a struggle around Mid Ohio's technical 2.2 mile layout, as Thompson could only manage 8th position. It was one of the most disappointing results of his career for the normally strong qualifier, but with the championship in mind, he had to keep a positive attitude and try to salvage the best weekend possible.

In the race, Jake was able to run times similar to the leaders, hanging with the front pack. Although not quite fast enough to force his way to the front, he was able to make a couple of opportunistic passes at the keyhole, and move up to 6th at the stripe. "In the end I'm pretty happy with this result" said Thompson. "Last year, anytime I struggled I started pushing too hard, and quite often threw away points by making mistakes, which ultimately took me out of championship contention. This weekend I was able to put my head down and still have a good finish."

At the finish, Thompson was just 4 seconds behind race winner Wyatt Gooden after the 18 lap race. By completing all of the laps, Thompson raised over $900 for the charity Right To Play, bringing the total for the season over $5000. For more information on how Jake Thompson Motorsports is raising money through Racing for the Right To Play, you can visit www.jakethompson.ca/righttoplay

The TDI Cup now takes an extended summer break, as the series doesn't return to action until August 1st at Autobahn Country Club outside of Chicago, Ill.

-source: www.jakethompson.ca