Volkswagen Motorsport Announces Karting Scholarship Winner for the 2010 Season of the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup

ALTON, Va., Feb. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- Volkswagen Motorsport is proud to announce Arie Ouimet of Plymouth, Massachusetts as their 2010 Karting Qualifier award winner.  Ouimet competed against thirty karters for the top prize—a $45,000 scholarship towards the 2010 Jetta TDI Cup season.

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"The skill level of our karters through the selection process proved to be extremely competitive and Arie should be proud of his performance that led to him earning the top prize," states Dennis McCormack, Program Director of the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup.  "I am proud of Arie for his accomplishments through the qualifiers and final selection event and look forward to the first race at Virginia International Raceway in April."

Ouimet competed in the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup Karting Qualifiers where he became one of thirty karting finalists to move on to the final driver selection event of the 2010 season.  The final selection event was held in Las Vegas, Nevada, where over 40 drivers came out to compete for the coveted 25 positions of the 2010 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup driver field.  Drivers were instructed in multiple sessions including mentoring from professional driving instructors, media training, sponsorship development, fitness assessment, Volkswagen brand familiarization, autocross and karting courses, and track time in a Jetta TDI Cup car.  After three days of the selection process, Ouimet was chosen as the top finalist from the karting program and was awarded the $45,000 scholarship.

"Arie was the most consistent and improved driver through our selection process," said Ryan Arciero, Volkswagen Factory Driver and VW Jetta TDI Cup Driving Instructor  "Arie ended the three days at the top of our scoring sheets and proved he deserves the scholarship.  He was up against seasoned drivers from various facets of racing and managed to earn the top karting position after rigorous testing throughout the final driver selection event."

The final 25 drivers that will compete in the 2010 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup will be heading to Virginia International Raceway in April for races 1 and 2 of the season.  Drivers will compete in ten road course races throughout North America in identical, factory-prepared and maintained clean diesel Jetta TDIs.  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. Each driver competing in the series also earns a Pro Racing license from the SCCA at the conclusion of the season.

2010 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup Schedule

Round 1 & 2 April 23 – 25 Virginia International Raceway (Alton, VA)

Round 3 May 8 - 9 New Jersey Motorsports Park (Millville, NJ)

Round 4 June 5 – 6 Miller Motorsports Park (Tooele, UT)

Round 5 June 18 – 20 Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (Lexington, OH)

Round 6 July 30 – Aug. 1 Autobahn Country Club (Joliet, IL)

Round 7 & 8 Aug. 20 – 22 Road America (Elkhart Lake, WI)

Round 9 & 10 Sept. 24 – 26 Autodromo AMOZOC (Puebla, Mexico)

To learn more about the 2010 Jetta TDI Cup, please visit www.volkswagenjettacup.com.

About 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 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 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.

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.

SOURCE Volkswagen Motorsport