Josh Hurley Wins Inaugural Season of Jetta TDI Cup
BRASELTON, Ga. Oct. 4, 2008 – Josh Hurley, of Cooper City, Fla., drove his clean diesel Jetta TDI to a championship win, placing second overall in Saturday’s race at Road Atlanta. Liam Kenney, of Sterling, Va., claimed top place on the podium, but Hurley’s previous performances coupled with his second place finish in the finale ensured his championship victory in the inaugural season of the Jetta TDI Cup series. Completing the podium was local driver Mark Pombo, of Duluth, Ga., who began on the pole and finished third.
“It is a really exciting day and I’m absolutely ecstatic,” said Hurley. “This is one of the toughest races I’ve ever been in. I was a little worried when I fell back, but knew I had to end up second in order to bring home the championship. To bring Gunther Volkswagen and Easykart up to the top of the championship is something that’s hard to put into words, but I’m thrilled.”
The exhilarating race was run under sunny skies and was the first race of the season to be completed with no yellow flags throughout the 30-minute sprint. There were multiple lead changes as the amateur drivers put it all on the line for the final time this season. Pombo, Hurley, Kenney, Chris Holman and Michael DeNino spent most of the race in the front of the pack battling each other for top positions. Kenney finally took over the lead on lap 12, and Hurley moved up to second on lap 15 in order to secure their respective victories.