Press Releases
02 October 2009
Twenty two drivers qualify for 2010 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup final driver selection event through karting qualifier events
Next karting qualifier to be held Nov. 14 at Boston's F1 Outdoor
Herndon, VA — The checkered flag has fallen on the 2009 SCCA Pro Racing Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup with Melrose Park, Illinois' Timmy Megenbier being crowned the 2009 Champion. While Megenbier has his sights set on climbing the motorsports ladder next season, series officials have turned their attention to driver selection for 2010.
One such driver selection mechanism that is well underway is the karting qualifier competition taking place at Boston's F1 Outdoor karting facility. The top finishers from each of these events will be among the 125 candidates selected to attend the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup final driver selection event that will be held in early February 2010 in Las Vegas. This final event will determine the final 25-driver lineup for the 2010 season. Twenty two drivers of the 125 total candidates have qualified for the final driver selection event during the two karting competitions held so far, and the next event is scheduled for November 14.
The final driver selection event includes three days of professional driving instruction, autocross competition, track time in a Jetta TDI Cup car, physical fitness training, a sponsorship development workshop, marketing and media training, and Volkswagen brand familiarization. The top rated driver at the final driver selection event who competed in the karting qualifiers will be awarded their entire $45,000 season entry fee. Information on the driver selection karting qualifier events and an online entry form is available at www.volkswagenjettacup.com.
"I've been karting since I was four years old, but the 2008 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup was my first professional racing experience," said Megenbier. "Volkswagen has worked extremely hard to make this series a great value for the participating drivers while assuring that all of the cars are equal. As a result, the on-track results really come down to driver skill, which unfortunately isn't the case in all forms of motorsports. The series has also allowed me to make many contacts that I feel will help me reach the next level in my career."
The drivers that have been selected to attend the final driver selection event during the two karting qualifier events held to date are:
August 3rd karting qualifier:
Sonny Bazbas, Bellaire, Texas
Adam Crepin, St Louis, Missouri
Chris Cullen, Temecula, California
Ryan Elliott, Orlando, Florida
Oliver Naumovski, Gloucester, Massachusetts
Arie Ouimet, Plymouth, Massachusetts
Mark Pellegrini, Bridgewater, Massachusetts
AJ Severino, Hamilton, New Jersey
JJ Tomlinson, Park City, Utah
Darius Trinka, West Roxbury, Massachusetts
September 21st karting qualifier:
Geoff Arnold, Kingsley, Pennsylvania
Nick DeCuzzi, Brunswick, Ohio
Jarvis Gennari, Boca Raton, Florida
Kevin Gleason, Johnstown, Pennsylvania
Brandon Goad, Akron, Ohio
Keegan Higgins, Cornelius, North Carolina
Michael Hogg, Vancouver, British Columbia
Nate Norenberg, Plymouth Minnesota
Andrew Novich, Novato, California
Christopher Stone, Park City, Utah
Jake Thompson, Calgary, Alberta
Myron Turner, Audoban, Pennsylvania
In addition to the karting qualifier events, there are two other paths that interested drivers can follow to get behind the wheel next season:
• Online application – Experienced amateur racers can visit www.vwmotorsportusa.com for an online application. On the site, candidates can submit their amateur racing resumes and other details about their past experience. Series officials will then select candidates from these applications to participate in the driver selection program. All applications must be submitted along with the series entry fee of $45,000 by December 11, 2009. The entry fee will be fully refunded to those not chosen as a 2010 series driver.
• iRacing.com Jetta TDI Cup online racing season – In conjunction with iRacing.com Motorsport Simulations, Volkswagen has created an online racing experience unlike any other. The Jetta TDI Cup series car has joined the list of racecars offered on iRacing.com, and iRacing has launched an online version of the series. The iRacing.com Jetta TDI Cup series participants will be battling to earn their way into the 2010 final driver selection event. The top iRacing.com driver to earn a position in the 2010 series will be awarded their season entry fee and will drive the iRacing.com car. More information is available at www.iracing.com.
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 Golf, New Beetle, New Beetle convertible, GTI, Jetta, Jetta SportWagen, Eos, Passat, Passat wagon, CC, Tiguan, Touareg 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.
