Cates Becomes the Sixth Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup Winner of 2009 in New Jersey

Megenbier holds a 39-point Championship lead heading into series' final race

MILLVILLE, N.J., Sept. 13 -- Less than 24 hours after one of the most exciting races of the season, the SCCA Pro Racing Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup drivers returned to New Jersey Motorsports Park for the series' second race of the weekend. Once again, the drivers didn't disappoint the fans and put on a near repeat of yesterday's performance on the 14-turn, 2.225-mile road course.

The race started with Mark Pombo on the pole position in the #20 Volkswagen Parts & Accessories car, and was able to pull away from the rest of the field in the early stages. However, an accident between the #22 car of Andrew Novich and the #3 of Taylor Broekemeier caused a full-course caution on the second lap. Pombo led for a few more laps after racing resumed, but things started to heat up on lap 8 when Jake Thompson claimed the top spot going into turn 1. Pombo was able to battle back and resume the lead two laps later. Then, on lap 11, Devin Cates capitalized on a battle that saw several of the frontrunners venture off track. The Broad Run, Virginia native drove it to the front and never looked back before taking the checkered flag. The win marks Cates' first series win, and he's the sixth different driver to win this season.

"I've shown that I can be fast in this series this year, but I've not been able to back up my speed with solid finishes until now," Cates said. "So, to be able to get a win before the end of the season is awesome. There were some great battles out there today. Once I was able to get around Mark (Pombo), I was determined not to give him the spot back. Thankfully, he raced me clean, and we both wound up on the podium. I know it's too late for me to think about winning the Championship at this point, but I want to close out the season strong, and this is a great way to start."

Pombo and Timmy Megenbier rounded out the podium with second and third place finishes. In nine races, Megenbier has been on the podium eight times, which is a series record. As a result of his consistency, Megenbier now has 346 points will carry a 39-point Championship lead into the final race of the season at Road Atlanta. He will take the title regardless of any other driver results if he can finish 15th or better. Andy Lee (307), Joey Atterbury (273), Thompson (271) and Pombo (262) are also among the top five drivers in the Championship. Perhaps the best battle heading into the final race will be for "Rookie of the Year" honors. Atterbury and Thompson are the two drivers in the hunt, and they're only separated by two points.

The Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup series' final race of the season will take place in two weeks on September 25-26 at Road Atlanta. Live timing and scoring is available at http://www.livetiming.net/SCCA/VW/livetiming.asp.

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.

  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

* Series photos available upon request or via media.vw.com
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