Volkswagen is now halfway through the first season of its new Jetta TDI cup series and so far it's apparently been a big success. We attended the first race at VIRginia International Raceway back in late April and the racing was great fun to watch. Four different drivers have won the first four races and David Jurca holds a slim lead in the series points championship, ahead of Josh Hurley and Chris Castagna. There are four races left this month and next with the finale coming at Road Atlanta ahead of the Petit Le Mans. Whoever comes out on top of the points gets $100,000 and an extra $250,000 if they score a professional driving gig for 2009. The 30 rookie drivers are getting used to to the torque of the diesel engines and the quick-shifting DSG transmissions. If you happen to be at any of the remaining race weekends it's definitely worth watching the Jettas for some very close racing and lots of action.
Photos Copyright ©2008 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.
[Source: Volkswagen]
VOLKSWAGEN JETTA TDI CUP SEASON MID-SEASON UPDATE
Inaugural Season of Clean Diesel Volkswagen Series Attended By More Than 55,000 Spectators in First Four Races
HERNDON, Va. – The Jetta TDI Cup may be half way through the season, but the competition is only getting started. After winning at Mosport International Raceway and consistently placing in the top six positions, David Jurca, 22, Federal Way, Wash., leads the Jetta TDI Cup series standings by a mere 7 points, but with four more races in the season the contest is still wide open.
"The first half of this series has been nothing short of exhilarating with a different winner at each race demonstrating the parity in the series," said Clark Campbell, motorsport manager, Volkswagen of America, Inc. "The drivers are becoming more comfortable with the cars and are learning the benefits of racing a TDI clean diesel engine equipped with a DSG transmission. I think there is still room for some surprises from these young drivers in the second half of the season."
"The first four races in the clean-diesel series, the first of its kind in the United States, have been seen by more than 55,000 spectators and fans," said Campbell. "The response we've had at every race has been great – our drivers are competitive on the track and the Jetta TDI's are drawing interest from fans who are amazed at how quiet, yet fast, the cars actually are."
The Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup series features 30 up-and-coming drivers ages 16 to 26 driving a factory managed 2009 Jetta TDI, with the goal to find the driver with the most talent and help them break into the world of professional motorsports.
Races have taken place at VIRginia International Raceway, Mosport Raceway, Portland International Raceway and Lime Rock Park, after the driver selection that took place at Firebird International Raceway in Phoenix, Ariz. The Jetta TDI Cup series, the first all clean-diesel race series, is sanctioned by SCCA Pro Racing Inc. Sponsors for the race include: Aggreko, Athlete's Performance, Bondurant, Bosch, ful®, Holder, Hoopla, Ironclad, Kyosho, Oakley, RedBull, UTI and ViON.
2008 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup Schedule
|
Date
|
Track
|
With
|
Winner
|
|
April 25-27
|
VIRginia International Raceway
|
Grand-Am / SPEED Touring Car
|
Mark Pombo
|
|
May 17-18
|
Mosport International Raceway
|
Canadian Touring Car / MX-5 Cup
|
David Jurca
|
|
July 25-27
|
Portland International Raceway
|
MX-5 Cup
|
Josh Hurley
|
|
Aug 14-17
|
Lime Rock Park
|
NASCAR Camping World Series
|
Chris Castagna
|
|
Sept. 20
|
Iowa Speedway
|
USAR Hooters Pro Cup
|
N/A
|
|
Sept. 26-28
|
New Jersey Motorsports Park*
|
SPEED World Challenge/ARCA
|
N/A
|
|
Oct. 3-4
|
Road Atlanta
|
ALMS / SPEED World Challenge
|
N/A
|
*Two races at New Jersey Motorsports Park
Points Scores, driver's standings after four of eight races
Complete ranking information listed below includes ranking, driver name (points), hometown and car sponsor.
1, David Jurca (113 pts), Federal Way, Wash. - Kyosho
2, Josh Hurley (106 pts), Cooper City, Fla. – Athletes' Performance
3, Chris Castagna (105 pts), South Boston, Mass. - Bosch
4, Mark Pombo (84 pts), Duluth, Ga. - Ful
5, Liam Kenney (83 pts), Sterling, Va. - ViON
6, Caleb Kenney (81 pts), Berkeley, Calif. - Aggreko
7, Chris Holman (78 pts), Bulington, ON, Canada - Kyosho
8, Jimmy Underhill (66 pts), Greenwood Village, Colo. - Bosch
9, Michael DeNino (64 pts), Gaithursburg, Md. - Castrol
10, Timmy Megenbier (61 pts), Melrose Park, Ill. - SCCA
11, Wyatt Dallenbach (56 pts), San Antonio, Texas – DC United
12, Derek Jones (55 pts), Philadelphia, Penn. - Oakley
13, Andy Lee (48 pts), Colorado Springs, Colo. – Red Bull
14, Gary Williams, Jr., (44 pts), Dana Point, Calif. - Oakley
15, Taylor Broekemeier (41 pts), Fort Collins, Colo. - Bondurant
16, Chris Kuenning (37 pts), Grand Rapids, Mich. - Aggreko
17, Nick Mancuso (36 pts), Mettawa, Ill. - Specialty
18, Juan Pablo Sierra Lendle (33 pts), Puebla, Mexico - SCORE
19, Andrew Cordeiro (30 pts), Woodbridge, ON, Canada – VW Credit
20, Adam Love (19 pts), Normal, Ill. – VW PreLoved
21, Jake Dallenbach (10 pts), San Antonio, Texas, Auto Logistics
22, John Shim (10 pts), Starkville, Miss. – VW Credit
23, Adam Kretschmer (9 pts), Brampton, ON, Canada – VW P&A
24, David Heinz (8 pts), Pittsburgh, Penn. – VW PreLoved
25, Chad Brassfield (6 pts), Scottsdale, Ariz. - UTI
26, Adam Crepin (6 pts), St. Louis, Mo. - SCCA
27, David Richert (3 pts), Niverville, MB, Canada - Hoopla
28, Ryan Buetzer (1 pts), Long Beach, Calif. - ViON
29, Evan Pflock (0 pts), Redondo Beach, Calif. - SCORE
30, Noah Arundel (0 pts), Tonka Bay, Minn. – VW P&A
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