Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup Heads to New Jersey For Round
Three of 2010 Season
MEDIA CONTACT: Jeremy Riffle
(310) 210-1336
jeremyriffle@sbcglobal.net
Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup Heads to New Jersey
For Round Three of 2010 Season
--
Ryan Ellis Comes To Garden State with Lead in Series Point Standings
Race Information
2010 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup Round 3
Circuit: New Jersey Motorsports Park Millville, New Jersey (12
turns, 2.25 miles)
Date/Time: Practice / Qualifying Saturday, May 8 at 9:20 am /
2:20 pm (all times Eastern)
Race (Round 3) Sunday, May 9 at 12:40 pm
Race Length: 30 minutes
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
motorsportıs 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 TDIıs. 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.
What sets the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup apart from other racing series?
· The Series is the only clean diesel racing series in the United
States, and Volkswagen is the only auto manufacturer participating in
motorsports full time with diesel powered cars.
· The TDI engine technology improves fuel economy over gasoline engines
and reduces sooty emissions by 95 percent, even under demanding race
conditions. The Series will consume approximately two tanks of fuel during
its ten races this season.
· The Jetta TDI Cup features a vehicle similar to what consumers can buy
at their local Volkswagen dealerships.
· Cars are maintained by Volkswagen of America, which creates a level
playing field for all drivers.
News & Notes:
Volkswagen Motorsports Manager, Campbell, on the 2010 Season
³Last weekend at VIR, we saw some of the cleanest and most competitive
driving weıve had in the three seasons of the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup,²
said Clark Campbell, Motorsports Manager, Volkswagen of America, Inc.
³Hopefully next weekendıs event at New Jersey Motorsports Park will provide
fans with the same excitement. The 2010 season is off to a great start we
have a fantastic group of drivers and itıs shaping up to be the best year
yet. The action at VIR really highlights the benefits of clean diesel
technology and reinforces the fact that the Jetta TDI Cup is a unique and
competitive form of racing.²
Nine Veterans Return to New Jersey Motorsports Park Including Race Winners
This season, there are nine drivers returning to the Volkswagen Jetta TDI
Cup from last year, including 2009 race winner Jake Thompson. In Round 8
last year, Thompson led just one lap all day the final one, on the way to
his second victory of the year. Four other veteran drivers have earned
top-ten finishes in Millville, including Ryan Ellis, Juan Pablo Sierra
Lendle, JD Mobley and Andrew Cordeiro.
In addition to earning two top-ten finishes at New Jersey Motorsports Park
last season, Ryan Ellis also comes to New Jersey as a two-race winner in
2010. Last weekend at VIRginia International Raceway, Ellis earned wins and
poles in Rounds One and Two, marking his first career Volkswagen Jetta TDI
Cup victories. Can he go for the hat trick in New Jersey? Talk with him to
learn how his success in Virginia affects his strategy heading into New
Jersey.
New Jersey Gets a Different Role in 2010
Last year, the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup came to New Jersey Motorsports Park
for Rounds 8 & 9 leaving only one more event in the season after race
weekend. This year, the race will provide the Series with its third round
of action, which could mean an entirely different strategy for the drivers.
Talk with them to see if moving the date on the race schedule changes the
way they will prepare for race day. If a driver takes a risk next weekend
and it doesnıt pay off, they still have seven races to make up points; last
year there was only one race after New Jersey, so playing it safe and
earning points was the smart move. Will this seasonıs scheduling of the
event provide a whole different complexion to the race?
Points Double in New Jersey
In order to reduce the advantage that Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup veteran
drivers had over the rookies competing for the first time, the 2010 seasonıs
first two races awarded half the points that the subsequent eight events
will yield. Therefore, Ryan Ellis only earned 60 points for capturing two
checkered flags last weekend, while the race winner at New Jersey
Motorsports Park will earn 60 points for just one victory. Talk with the
drivers about how that affects the points race and whether or not that will
change the strategy heading into Sundayıs event.
Three Drivers Within Less Than 90 Miles of New Jersey Motorsports Park
When the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup heads to New Jersey Motorsports Park,
three drivers will not have far to go as they all live within 90 miles of
the 2.25-mile permanent road course. AJ Severino lives just under 80 miles
away in Hamilton, NJ. While two other drivers may live in other states,
they are still within 90 miles of the track: Colin Thompson lives in
Perkasie, PA (75 miles from the track); and AJ Nealey lives in Edgewater, MD
(90 miles from the track).
AJ Severino - The 2010 season marks Severinoıs entry into competitive
racing. In 2008, he attended a Bertil Roos five-day racing school and from
that point on, Severino knew he wanted to be a racecar driver. The
Hamilton, NJ native plans to learn as much as possible in his debut with the
Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup this season and begin to work his way up the racing
ranks. At home, Severino drives a Volkswagen Jetta.
Colin Thompson - Thompson started his racing career at the age of five when
he began competing in Quarter Midgets of America (QMA). During his tenure in
QMA, Thompson was able to record over 100 wins and several regional
Championship victories. In addition, he also won the National Championship
in the World Formula Class and finished second in the Senior Honda Class.
In 2008, Thompson began attending Skip Barber driving schools as well as
competing in their races. In addition, he began racing in Bertil Roos events
in the summer of 2009. Thompson also competes in autocrosses, where heıs
driven Mini Coopers and Volkswagen GTIıs; in two races driving the GTI, heıs
earned a first and second place finish. Coincidentally, Thompson first
learned about the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup when he attended an event at New
Jersey Motorsports Park in 2008. Since then, heıs always wanted to compete
in the Series. His goals for this season are to run consistently in the
top-ten and earn Rookie of the Year honors.
AJ Nealey - Nealey started his racing career in 2002 when he began competing
in SCCA-sanctioned regional autocross events. He then moved into the karting
and regional sports car racing events. In 2008, Nealey won the ITA
Mid-Atlantic Road Racing Series Championship after winning the pole and race
in each of the seriesı eight events. Nealey also co-drove in several NASA-MA
races in 2008, accumulating five wins and setting three track records.
Nealey competed in the 2009 Jetta TDI Cup Series where he finished 12th in
the Championship point standings on the strength of two podium appearances
and five top-ten finishes. Nealeyıs racing career goal is to compete in the
American Le Mans Series.
Virginia Tech students earn their racing stripes with the Jetta TDI Cup
Thereıs no better experience than on-the-job training, which is why nearly
20 engineering students from Virginia Tech University are taking part in the
2010 Jetta TDI Cup season. The Volkswagen Motorsports Jetta TDI Cup program
allows Virginia Teach students interested in pursuing a career in
motorsports with an opportunity to experience it first-hand. The students
provide technical support at Volkswagenıs race shop at VIR and on the road
at the Seriesı ten race events. During the season, up to fifteen students
will travel to each race and work alongside the Series technicians getting
hands-on experience with every aspect of motorsports from changing tires to
downloading data.
The Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup program is an ideal way for students interested
in a career in motorsports to learn about the industry and it provides them
with the advantage of real-world experience before they enter the workplace.
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 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 worldıs largest producers of passenger
cars and Europeıs 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.
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