Wyatt Gooden Wins Round Five of the Jetta TDI Cup Presented by the Cleveland Area Volkswagen Dealers

LEXINGTON, Ohio, June 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Wyatt Gooden will always remember his Series debut in his home state of Ohio today as he earned his first-ever victory in this afternoon's Round Five of the Jetta TDI Cup presented by the Cleveland Area Volkswagen Dealers.  After starting second, the Gates Mills, Ohio resident was able to make a late race pass to overtake polesitter Arie Ouimet to take the checkered flag this afternoon at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.

"I had a great start and my plan was to just tuck in behind Arie (Ouimet) and pace myself," said Gooden after the race.  "However, that's not how the race ended up going for me.  JD (Mobley) got around me early so I had to make sure I stayed with the lead cars to put myself in a position at the end to make a move for the win.  I was able to get by JD and then I could work on Arie in the final laps and I was able to make the pass for the victory.  It's exciting to have won in my home state of Ohio and be able to have all my friends and family see my first Jetta TDI Cup victory.  One other great thing about today is that my dad was able to watch me win on Father's Day.  He's supported me throughout my career and I just can't think of a better Father's Day present to have given him."

Earlier today, Ouimet set a new track qualifying record on his way to earning his first pole of the 2010 season in his rookie year.  In addition to Ouimet, sixteen other drivers also set a qualifying pace ahead of last season's pole speed.  However, this afternoon, Gooden was too much for Ouimet who had to settle for a second-place result.

Series veteran, JD Mobley earned his second consecutive podium by finishing third (he finished second at the last Jetta TDI Cup event in Utah); while two rookies rounded out the top-five with Jarvis Gennari finishing fourth and Michael Hogg bringing his car home in fifth.

At the season's midway point, Juan Pablo Sierra Lendle currently leads the 2010 Championship point standings with 158 points.  Ouimet sits in second place with 152 points, Jake Thompson is in third place with 136 points, JD Mobley is in fourth with 133 points and Gooden now sits in fifth with 130 points.  Sierra Lendle's lead has narrowed and now it's anyone's game heading into the season's final five events.  The Series goes to Illinois next as they will compete in Round Six of the 2010 Jetta TDI Cup at Autobahn Country Club in Joliet, IL on August 1^st.

Jetta TDI Cup News & Notes:

Exciting, Clean Racing Through the Entire Field

At the season's halfway point, the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup driving instructors are certainly pleased with the progress being made on the track by their 25 drivers.  Not only were there four rookies in the top-five today at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, but also the racing was some of the most exciting action seen in the Series' three-year history to date.

"I think that this was definitely the best race we've ever had," said Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup Chief Instructor, Jan Heylen.  "We saw a lot of overtaking and clean passes all day, which is so encouraging to see.  The whole field was running close together all afternoon and obviously that makes for a very exciting show for the fans.  All 25 drivers did a fantastic job racing hard, but clean and I think we'll have more of that in store for the second half of the season."

Guest Driver Gets a Taste of American Competition

This weekend's guest driving responsibilities were filled by Martin Westerhoff, an editor of the German motorsports magazine "AUTO BILD MOTORSPORT," who competed in his first American auto racing event today at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.  Not only did he run an impressive inaugural race, but he also had a chance to compete in his fourth Volkswagen Cup event, having previously competed in the former German Polo Cup in 2008, the Scirocco Cup China in 2009 and two weeks ago in Round Two of the newly established Scirocco R-Cup in Germany.  Today Westerhoff qualified 20^th, but lost a spot during the race to finish 21^st.

Follow the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup Series action on:

www.vwmotorsportusa.com

Volkswagen Online Newsroom: media.vw.com  

Live Timing & Scoring: http://livetiming.net/scca/VW

Live Timing & Scoring for your Mobile Device: http://livetiming.net/SCCA/VW/html.asp

Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/JettaTDICup

Twitter: http://twitter.com/VWJettaTDICup

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.

SOURCE Volkswagen of America, Inc.