HERNDON, Va., Feb. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Volkswagen of America, Inc. today
announced the names of the 30 drivers who will compete in its 2009 Jetta TDI
Cup season. The Volkswagen-operated spec series, which is entering its second
season, will take the green flag on its SCCA Pro Racing-sanctioned events on
April 24 at Virginia International Raceway.
Drivers selected to compete in the 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup include:
Joey Atterbury - Renton, WA Andy Lee - Maricopa, AZ
Nicky Boulle - Dallas, TX Timmy Megenbier - Melrose Park, IL
Taylor Broekemeier - Fort Collins, CO JD Mobley - Castle Rock, CO
Nelson Canache - Norcross, GA Eric Morse - Pittsburgh, PA
Christopher Castagna - Boston, MA AJ Nealey - Pasadena, MD
Devin Cates - Broad Run, VA Evan Pflock - Redondo Beach, CA
Theresa Condict - Lexington, MA Mark Pombo - Duluth, GA
Andrew Cordeiro - Woodbridge, ON Perry Richardson - Los Gatos, CA
Michael DeNino - Gaithersburg, MD David Richert - Winnipeg, MB
Ryan Ellis - Ashburn, VA Juan Pablo Sierra Lendle -
Puebla, Mexico
David Heinz - Bethel Park, PA Kerstin Smutny - Bothell, WA
Chris Holman - Burlington, ON Jake Thompson - Vancouver, BC
Derek Jones - Philadelphia, PA Rhett Tucker - Cumming, GA
Caleb Kenney - Berkeley, CA Donny Warren - Winchester, VA
Adam Kretschmer - Brampton, ON Kyle Wharff - Miramar, FL
Last week, Volkswagen welcomed driver candidates to Infineon Raceway in
Sonoma, CA for four days of extensive evaluation. Drivers were tested on and
off the track to determine skill level, potential and overall ability. After
various driving, media readiness and physical fitness assessments were
conducted, the series' 30 participants were selected.
"We're definitely looking forward to our second season with the Jetta TDI
Cup," said Clark Campbell, Motorsport Manager, Volkswagen of America, Inc.
"The response from the racing community to our program has been fantastic, and
I think that is evident by the pool of high-quality drivers that we had to
choose from. We're proud to be welcoming back 15 competitors who competed in
the series last year, and we're looking forward to aiding in the development
of 15 new drivers," added Campbell.
During the Jetta TDI Cup season, drivers will compete in ten events on
eight road courses around North America in identical factory-prepared and
maintained Jetta TDI's powered by clean diesel. The series Champion will win
$100,000. In addition, each driver who competes in the series will earn a Pro
Racing license from SCCA at the conclusion of the season.
The Jetta TDI Cup car is powered by a 2.0-liter, four-cylinder TDI clean
diesel engine with six-speed, double-clutch, automatic DSG transmission. The
car is only slightly modified from stock with race suspension and brakes.
2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup Schedule
Round 1 & 2 April 24 - 26 VIRginia International Raceway Grand-Am
Alton, VA
Round 3 May 15 - 17 Miller Motorsports Park ALMS
Salt Lake City, UT
Round 4 June 19 - 21 Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course Grand-Am
Lexington, OH
Round 5 July 24 - 26 Autobahn Country Club Atlantics
Chicago, IL
Round 6 Aug. 14 - 16 Road America ALMS
Elkhart Lake, WI
Round 7 Aug. 28 - 30 Mosport International Raceway ALMS
Mosport, ON (Canada)
Round 8 & 9 Sept. 11 - 13 New Jersey Motorsports Park ARCA
Millville, NJ
Round 10 Sept. 25 - 27 Road Atlanta ALMS
Braselton, GA
Volkswagen of America, Inc.
Founded in 1955, Volkswagen of America, Inc. is headquartered in Herndon,
Virginia. It is a subsidiary of Volkswagen AG, headquartered in Wolfsburg,
Germany. Volkswagen is one of the world's largest producers of passenger cars
and Europe's largest automaker. Volkswagen sells the Eos, Rabbit, New Beetle,
New Beetle convertible, GTI, Jetta, Jetta SportWagen, GLI, Passat, Passat
wagon, Tiguan and Touareg 2 through approximately 600 independent U.S.
dealers. All 2009 Volkswagens come standard-equipped with Electronic
Stabilization Program. This is important because the National Highway and
Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has called ESC the most effective new
vehicle safety technology since the safety belt. Visit Volkswagen of America
online at vw.com or www.media.vw.com to learn more.
SCCA Pro Racing
A wholly owned subsidiary of Sports Car Club of America, Inc., SCCA Pro
Racing Ltd. is a leading sanctioning body for motorsports events in the United
States. A member of the Automobile Competition Committee of the United States
(ACCUS), SCCA Pro Racing operates and sanctions the SCCA World Challenge
Championships, the SCCA Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup and the Volkswagen Jetta TDI
Cup and provides sanctioning and various operational services for other racing
series. For more information, please visit www.sccapro.com.
