Thompson Leads Wire-To-Wire For Victory In Utah
Three Rookies Finish in the Top-Five
TOOELE, Utah, June 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Jake Thompson dominated this weekend's Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup event as he led every lap in today's race at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah. His victory today marked Thompson's third career Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup win, as he won twice in his rookie season last year.
"I had a great car today and I was able to run the exact pace that I wanted to all afternoon," said Thompson after the race. "I'm really excited about the win today, I just went out and drove my race. I was relaxed and patient and my Jetta TDI Cup car handled perfectly all day. I wasn't happy with my position in the point standings coming into this weekend, but I have a new outlook; we have a lot of races left and I'm going to take this momentum into our next event in two weeks at Mid-Ohio."
Series veteran, JD Mobley, finished second, which marked his first Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup podium appearance in two years of competition. Three rookies rounded out the top-five as Wyatt Gooden finished third, Arie Ouimet finished fourth and Nate Norenberg finished fifth. JJ Tomlinson, of Park City, finished the day in 22nd after being able to move up three spots from his starting position. The Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup will head to Ohio for Round Five at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on June 20th.
Jetta TDI Cup News & Notes:
Progress Through the Entire Field
With four rookies finishing in the top-six today in Utah, it's safe to say that the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup driving instructors are getting ever-closer to accomplishing their goal of grooming the best up-and-coming drivers for careers in motorsports.
"What a fantastic event," said Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup Driving Instructor, Mark Miller. "My hat's off to Jake (Thompson) – he ran a great race and he was fast all weekend; he certainly deserved the win here in Utah. I also can't express enough how impressed I am with JD (Mobley); to have to switch to a car he'd never driven and then qualify third is amazing. That speaks volumes to his character and the skills he's developing here in the Jetta TDI Cup. I think we saw a lot of close, clean racing which is certainly consistent with the messaging we're giving these drivers. I'm very happy with where we are at this point in the season and I look forward to the drivers all continuing to impress us throughout the year."
All-Star Cast of Guest Drivers in Utah
This weekend, the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup race featured four guest drivers including Roger Hayden, who currently competes on the World Superbike Tour; Anthony Lobello, who was a member of the 2006 US Speed Skating Olympic team; Grete Eliassen, who is a professional Red Bull freeskier; and Thomas Lyman, a journalist who currently writes for 0-60 Magazine and has a significant amount of seat time in various SCCA classes.
Lyman was today's top-finishing guest driver as he recorded an impressive eleventh-place result. Roger Hayden was knocked out of the race early due to contact on lap 2, which placed him 27th; Lobello finished 25th and Eliassen brought her car home in 26th.
"The race was one of the most competitive events I've ever been a part of," said Lyman. "I've never fought so hard for an eleventh-place finish. The talent in this Series is a real testament to the amount of skill that drivers are developing not only behind the wheels of the Jetta TDI Cup cars, but also through the instruction they're receiving. I had a blast all weekend and I just want to thank Volkswagen for inviting me to be a part of the event."
Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup Results: Round Four - Miller Motorsports Park |
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Finish |
Start |
Car |
First Name |
Last Name |
Hometown |
Sponsors |
|
1 |
1 |
19 |
Jake |
Thompson |
Calgary/AB |
Red Bull |
|
2 |
3 |
7 |
JD |
Mobley |
Castle Rock/CO |
Castrol |
|
3 |
2 |
18 |
Wyatt |
Gooden (R) |
Gates Mills/OH |
iRacing |
|
4 |
6 |
20 |
Arie |
Ouimet (R) |
Plymouth/MA |
VW Parts & Accessories |
|
5 |
5 |
30 |
Nate |
Norenberg (R) |
Plymouth/MN |
Driver Gear |
|
6 |
4 |
15 |
Michael |
Hogg (R) |
Vancouver/BC |
Castrol |
|
7 |
10 |
23 |
Juan Pablo |
Sierra Lendle |
Puebla/MX |
Pirelli |
|
8 |
7 |
6 |
Ryan |
Ellis |
Ashburn/VA |
Washington Capitals |
|
9 |
9 |
29 |
Andrew |
Novich |
Novato/CA |
BOSCH |
|
10 |
12 |
32 |
Kevin |
Gleason (R) |
Johnstown/PA |
VION |
|
11 |
15 |
21 |
Thomas |
Lyman (G) |
Atlanta/GA |
SCCA |
|
12 |
17 |
3 |
Taylor |
Broekemeier |
Ft. Collins/CO |
Bosch |
|
13 |
14 |
12 |
Jarvis |
Gennari (R) |
Boca Raton/FL |
DefNder |
|
14 |
18 |
33 |
Juan Pablo |
Delgado |
Orizaba/MX |
Aggreko |
|
15 |
16 |
8 |
Taylor |
Tzouanakis (R) |
Wauconda/IL |
Virginia Tech |
|
16 |
20 |
39 |
Mike |
Mineo-Nardacci (R) |
East Hills/NY |
Oakley |
|
17 |
13 |
16 |
Chris |
Wehrheim |
Norcross/GA |
Lamin-X |
|
18 |
24 |
9 |
Rafael |
Navarro IV (R) |
Temecula/CA |
STAUBLI |
|
19 |
21 |
25 |
Brian |
Whitmire (R) |
Baton Rouge/LA |
Staubli |
|
20 |
19 |
26 |
Andrew |
Cordeiro |
Woodbridge/ON |
VION |
|
21 |
22 |
11 |
AJ |
Severino (R) |
Hamilton/NJ |
Aggreko |
|
22 |
25 |
28 |
JJ |
Tomlinson (R) |
Park City/UT |
Oakley |
|
23 |
23 |
14 |
Colin |
Thompson (R) |
Perkasie/PA |
Bosch |
|
24 |
29 |
4 |
Jenna |
Wagner (R) |
Bristol/VA |
VW Pre-Loved |
|
25 |
27 |
5 |
Anthony |
Lobello (G) |
Tallahassee/FL |
Athletes Performance |
|
26 |
26 |
22 |
Grete |
Eliassen (G) |
Salt Lake City/UT |
Red Bull |
|
27 |
8 |
10 |
Roger Lee |
Hayden (G) |
Owensboro/KY |
Oakley |
|
28 |
28 |
40 |
Justine |
Jackson (R) |
Kingston/JA |
SCCA |
|
29 |
11 |
2 |
AJ |
Nealey |
Edgewater/MD |
Pirelli |
|
(R) - Rookie Driver |
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(G) – Guest Driver |
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Follow the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup Series action on: |
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Volkswagen Online Newsroom: media.vw.com |
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Live Timing & Scoring: http://livetiming.net/scca/VW |
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Live Timing & Scoring for your Mobile Device: http://livetiming.net/SCCA/VW/html.asp |
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Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/JettaTDICup |
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Twitter: http://twitter.com/VWJettaTDICup |
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About the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup
The SCCA Pro Racing Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup was launched in 2008 as way to introduce clean diesel technology to the U.S. market and develop the best of motorsport's up-and-coming talent. During the season, young, up and coming drivers (between ages 16-26) compete on road courses around North America in identical factory-prepared clean diesel powered Jetta TDI's. Each driver competing in the Series earns a professional racing license from SCCA Pro Racing at the conclusion of the season. In addition to more than $50,000 in prize money at stake during the season, the Series Champion receives Volkswagen factory career advancement support with a value up to $100,000.
The Jetta TDI Cup car is powered by a 2.0-liter, 170 hp, four-cylinder TDI clean diesel engine mated to a six-speed, double-clutch, automatic DSG transmission. The car is only slightly modified from stock with Pirelli racing tires, race suspension and brake components, drivers racing safety seat, FIA roll cage and an on-board fire extinguisher system. Series sponsors include: Pirelli, Bosch, ViON, Castrol, Oakley, Red Bull, Staubli, Aggreko, defNder, Lamin-X, Volkswagen Driver Gear, Volkswagen Parts & Service, iRacing, Safety-Kleen and Ringer Gloves.
About Volkswagen of America
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 Golf, GTI, New Beetle, New Beetle convertible, Jetta, Jetta SportWagen, Eos, Passat, Passat Wagon, CC, Tiguan, Touareg and Routan through approximately 600 independent U.S. dealers. All 2010 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 www.vw.com or www.media.vw.com to learn more.
About SCCA Pro Racing:
A wholly owned subsidiary of Sports Car Club of America, Inc., SCCA Pro Racing Inc. 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 World Challenge Championships, the SCCA Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup, SCCA Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup, SCCA Pro Trans-Am Series, Spec Racer Ford Pro Series and Formula Enterprises Pro Series. For more information, please visit www.sccapro.com.
* Series photos available upon request or via media.vw.com
SOURCE Volkswagen of America, Inc.
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