Press Releases
25 September 2009
SIERRA LENDLE WINS VOLKSWAGEN JETTA TDI CUP POLE AT ROAD ATLANTA
Final race of the season to begin Saturday at 9 am ET
Braselton, GA — Less than 24 hours remain before the 2009 SCCA Pro Racing Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup Champion is crowned, and the drivers took to the track today at Road Atlanta for the final practice and qualifying sessions of the season. At the end of the day, it was Juan Pablo Sierra Lendle who scored his first pole position in the series.
The morning practice session saw many of the Championship contenders swapping positions on the top of the speed charts. Jake Thompson set the quickest time of the session (1:41.053 / 90.487 mph), but made hard contact with the tire barrier in Turn 5 only a few laps later. The impact damaged the Calgary, Alberta native's car beyond repair, ending his weekend.
"This is a huge disappointment for me," Thompson said. "I wanted to end the season on a positive note, and this obviously isn't what I was looking for. I knew that I was capable of turning fast laps, and I was pushing hard out there. I just lost it. I have nobody to blame but myself, but I hope to return to the series in 2010 for another try at winning the Championship."
During the early evening qualifying session, multiple drivers found themselves sitting on top of the leaderboard, but when the checkered flag fell on the session, it was Juan Pablo Sierra Lendle who won the pole with a time of 1:41.158 (90.393 mph). The Puebla, Mexico native becomes the seventh polesitter of the season, with Joey Atterbury and Mark Pombo rounding out the top three spots on the grid. Series Championship leader Timmy Megenbier will start eighth tomorrow, while second place Andy Lee will begin seventh. Megenbier carries a 39-point lead into tomorrow's race and can claim the title by placing 10th or better, regardless of how Lee finishes.
"It's taken me two years in the series to score my first pole position, so this feels really good right now," Sierra Lendle said. "I think that the biggest difference for me today was the mental part. I've had some strong runs in the past few races, and things change when you start to believe that you have a chance to run up front. I just hope that I can keep it there tomorrow. My goal in every race is to get on the podium, so that's what I'm shooting in the race."
The two guest drivers joining the series at Road Atlanta this weekend got their first taste of Jetta TDI Cup action today. Journalist Jeremy Shaw led the way with a best time of 1:43.701 (88.112 mph). Meanwhile, Aerosmith guitarist, Brad Whitford, had a best lap of 1:51.355 (82.115).
"I've done some racing in the past, but today was a totally different experience for me," Whitford said. "During the first session, I just wasn't comfortable, but thanks to the help of the other drivers and the series instructors, I was able to make some big strides in qualifying and had a lot of fun in the car. I wasn't nearly as quick as some of these young guns, but I was able to stay on track for the most part and didn't ruin anyone else's day, so I consider today a success."
The final Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup race of the season takes place tomorrow at Road Atlanta at 9 am. Live timing and scoring is available at chttp://www.livetiming.net/SCCA/VW/livetiming.asp.
Friday Practice Session:
Position/Car Number/Driver/Hometown/Sponsor/Time/Speed
1 19 Jake Thompson(R)/Calgary/Alberta/CN/Oakley/ 1:41.053 / 90.487
2 29 Devin Cates(R)/Broad Run/VA/Hyperfuels/ 1:41.101 / 90.444
3 14 Joey Atterbury(R)/Renton/WA/Hyperfuels/ 1:41.148 / 90.402
4 20 Mark Pombo/Duluth/GA/VW Parts & Accessories/ 1:41.192 / 90.362
5 2 AJ Nealey(R)/Pasadena/MD/Brimtek/ 1:41.631 / 89.972
6 27 Andy Lee/Maricopa/AZ/Castrol/ 1:41.747 / 89.870
7 24 Donny Warren(R)/Winchester/VA/Aggreko/ 1:41.873 / 89.758
8 23 Juan Pablo Sierra Lendle/Puebla/MX/Castrol/ 1:41.930 / 89.708
9 5 Ryan Ellis(R)/Ashburn/VA/VION/ 1:42.390 / 89.305
10 17 Timmy Megenbier/Melrose Park/IL/Chicagoland VW/ 1:42.413 / 89.285
11 7 JD Mobley(R)/Castle Rock/CO/Bosch/ 1:42.418 / 89.281
12 4 Nicky Boulle(R)/Dallas/TX/Defnder/ 1:42.451 / 89.252
13 26 Andrew Cordeiro/Woodbridge/ON/VION/ 1:42.466 / 89.239
14 34 Juan Pablo Delgado(R)/Orizaba/VZ/VC/Red Bull/ 1:42.654 / 89.076
15 6 David Richert/Niverville/MB/LAMIN-X/ 1:42.893 / 88.869
16 30 Perry Richardson(R)/Los Gatos/CA/Pirelli/ 1:42.950 / 88.819
17 18 Kerstin Smutny(R)/Bothell/WA/iRacing.com/ 1:42.985 / 88.789
18 28 Rhett Tucker(R)/Cumming/GA/SCCA/ 1:43.117 / 88.676
19 3 Taylor Broekemeier/Fort Collins/CO/Sherwin-Williams/ 1:43.173 / 88.627
20 15 Theresa Condict(R)/Lexington/MA/Bosch/ 1:43.477 / 88.367
21 32 Andrew Gun Tucker(R)/McDonough/GA/Pirelli/ 1:43.585 / 88.275
22 22 Andrew Novich(R)/Novato/CA/Oakley/ 1:43.881 / 88.023
23 31 Jeremy Shaw(G)/Santa Margarita/CA/ 1:45.438 / 86.724
24 35 Brad Whitford(G)/Winchester/MA/DC United/ 1:54.977 / 79.529
(R) – Jetta TDI Cup Rookie Driver
(G) – Guest Driver
Friday Qualifying Session (Round 10):
Position/Car Number/Driver/Hometown/Sponsor/Time/Speed
1 23 Juan Pablo Sierra Lendle/Puebla/MX/Castrol/ 1:41.158 / 90.393
2 14 Joey Atterbury(R)/Renton/WA/Hyperfuels/ 1:41.254 / 90.307
3 20 Mark Pombo/Duluth/GA/VW Parts & Accessories/ 1:41.298 / 90.268
4 2 AJ Nealey(R)/Pasadena/MD/Brimtek/ 1:41.456 / 90.127
5 29 Devin Cates(R)/Broad Run/VA/Hyperfuels/ 1:41.556 / 90.039
6 7 JD Mobley(R)/Castle Rock/CO/Bosch/ 1:41.608 / 89.993
7 27 Andy Lee/Maricopa/AZ/Castrol/ 1:41.632 / 89.971
8 17 Timmy Megenbier/Melrose Park/IL/Chicagoland VW/ 1:41.704 / 89.908
9 24 Donny Warren(R)/Winchester/VA/Aggreko/ 1:41.973 89.670
10 26 Andrew Cordeiro/Woodbridge/ON/VION/ 1:42.070 / 89.585
11 4 Nicky Boulle(R)/Dallas/TX/Defnder/ 1:42.107 / 89.553
12 5 Ryan Ellis(R)/Ashburn/VA/VION/ 1:42.126 / 89.536
13 34 Juan Pablo Delgado(R)/Orizaba/VZ/ Red Bull/ 1:42.386 / 89.309
14 22 Andrew Novich(R)/Novato/CA/Oakley/ 1:42.817 / 88.934
15 6 David Richert/Niverville/MB/CN/LAMIN-X/ 1:42.839 / 88.915
16 15 Theresa Condict(R)/Lexington/MA/Bosch/ 1:42.870 / 88.888
17 28 Rhett Tucker(R)/Cumming/GA/SCCA/ 1:43.029 / 88.751
18 18 Kerstin Smutny(R)/Bothell/WA/iRacing.com/ 1:43.121 / 88.672
19 30 Perry Richardson(R)/Los Gatos/CA/Pirelli/ 1:43.272 / 88.542
20 3 Taylor Broekemeier/Fort Collins/CO/Sherwin-Williams/ 1:43.365 / 88.463
21 32 Andrew Gun Tucker(R)/McDonough/GA/Pirelli/ 1:43.701 / 88.176
22 31 Jeremy Shaw(G)/Santa Margarita/CA/ 1:43.777 / 88.112
23 35 Brad Whitford(G)/Winchester/MA/DC United/ 1:51.355 / 82.115
24 19 Jake Thompson(R)/Calgary Alberta/CN/Oakley/ no time
(R) – Jetta TDI Cup Rookie Driver
(G) – Guest Driver
About Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup
The 2009 season marks the second year of competition for the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup, which is sanctioned by SCCA Pro Racing. During the season, young, up and coming drivers (between ages 16-26) will compete in 10 events on eight road courses around North America in identical factory-prepared clean diesel Jetta TDI's powered by Syndiesel® B5 blended biodiesel fuel. Each driver competing in the series will earn a Pro Racing license from SCCA at the conclusion of the season. In addition to more than $50,000 in prize money at stake during the season, the series champion will win $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, HYPERFUELS, Aggreko, defNder, Lamin-X, Meguiar's, Sherwin-Williams, Chicagoland VW, Safety-Kleen, Ringer Gloves, Jim Russell Racing School and Trellis Earth.
Follow the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup series action on:
- www.vwmotorsportusa.com
- www.tditruthanddare.com
- SCCA Pro Racing Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup Live Timing & Scoring: http://www.livetiming.net/SCCA/VW/livetiming.asp
- Volkswagen Online Newsroom: media.vw.com
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/VWJettaTDICup
- Twitter: http://twitter.com/VWJettaTDICup
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 Rabbit, New Beetle, New Beetle convertible, GTI, Jetta, Jetta SportWagen, Eos, GLI, Passat, Passat wagon, CC, Tiguan, Touareg 2 and Routan 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 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup, as well as provides sanctioning and various operational services for other racing series. For more information, please visit www.sccapro.com.
