THOMPSON EARNS SECOND CONSECUTIVE POLE IN UTAH
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
* Series photos available upon request or via media.vw.com
CONTACT: Jeremy Riffle
(310) 210-1336
jeremyriffle@sbcglobal.net
THOMPSON EARNS SECOND CONSECUTIVE POLE IN UTAH
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Three Rookies Round Out the Top-Five
Tooele, Utah (June 5, 2010) Jake Thompson returned to last yearıs form
during qualifying today at Miller Motorsports Park as he earned his second
consecutive pole at the Utah road course. Following closely behind Thompson
were Wyatt Gooden (Rookie) and JD Mobley posting the second and third
fastest times respectively; Michael Hogg (Rookie) and Nate Norenberg
(Rookie) filled out the top-five for Round Four of the 2010 Volkswagen Jetta
TDI Cup scheduled to take place tomorrow at 1:15 pm Eastern Time.
³I learned a very valuable lesson here in Utah last year,² said Thompson
after qualifying. ³Iım much faster at this track when Iım on fresh tires.
Last year I set the pole speed on my out lap and this year I was able to do
the same exact thing. Not only did I earn the pole today, I was also able
to conserve my tires, since I turned my quick lap early in the session. My
game plan for tomorrow is to focus, run clean and stay in front because this
track is very difficult to find room to pass.²
Local rookie driver, JJ Tomlinson of Park City, qualified 25th after a tough
day of qualifying.
³It wasnıt my day out there,² said Tomlinson. ³I just never found my rhythm
and unfortunately we werenıt able to post a very competitive lap. The good
news is that itıs tomorrow that counts; so Iım just going to keep my head up
and focus on bringing the car home in a good position.²
Jetta TDI Cup News & Notes:
Guest Drivers Showing Their Moxie
This weekend, the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup race will feature four guest
drivers including Roger Hayden, who currently competes on the World
Superbike Tour and has earned a total of 13 AMA Supersport wins in his
career; Anthony Lobello, who is a member of the 2006 US Speed Skating
Olympic team and currently holds the 1000m American short track speed
skating record; Grete Eliassen who is a professional Red Bull freeskier that
has found gold at the Winter X-Games twice; and Thomas Lyman, a journalist
who currently writes for 0-60 Magazine, but has also dabbled in professional
motorsports making his way to competition on the national level.
Roger Hayden was todayıs top guest qualifier earning a starting position of
eighth in tomorrowıs race. Rounding out the field of guest drivers will be
Lyman starting 15th, Eliassen starting 26th and Lobello starting 27th.
³I think I was able to get better and better in the car as the day went on,²
explained Hayden. ³During the qualifying session, I went out on brand new
tires and I ended up spinning out before I could get them warmed up. I came
into the pits for a quick stop and when I went back out I felt much more
comfortable out there and I turned a pretty quick lap, which was good enough
to qualify eighth. Itıs funny, as a guest driver I was planning on coming
out, having some fun and just relaxing, but once I got out here I became
competitive and now I want to finish as high as I can. Iım having a great
time out here - everyone at Volkswagen has been so wonderful and I canıt
wait for the race tomorrow.²
2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup Champion Competes in Germany
After clinching the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup Championship in 2009, Timmy
Megenbier headed to Europe this season to compete in the Volkswagen Scirocco
R-Cup. Megenbier is the only American driving in the Series, which features
up-and-coming drivers from around the world. Earlier today, in Lausitz,
Germany the Series hosted its second event of the 2010 season, where
Megenbier turned in a sixth-place performance after starting 13th.
Megenbier has now recorded two top-ten results in as many events run to
date, as he finished eighth in the season-opening race at Hockenheim.
The 2010 season marks the debut of Germanyıs Scirocco R-Cup, the most
eco-friendly, one-make cup series in the world. Volkswagen thus assumes a
pioneering role yet again among the worldwide one-make cups with the
Scirocco R-Cup. 80 per cent less CO2 emissions thanks to bio-CNG (compressed
natural gas) power on the one hand and the inclusion of the Volkswagen
distribution partners as well as a new sporting focus on the other will
celebrate a world debut in the 2010 season.
Driver Hits the Gym
With the race season in full swing, making time for things off of the track
can be a little difficult. Thatıs exactly why Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup
driver Chris Wehrheim recently made a special stop at Athleteıs Performance.
The facility is world-class training center that works with some of the best
professional athletes in the world; and while on-site, Wehrheim picked up a
few tips on how to maximize workouts while on the road, as well as learned
some new training exercises. While all of the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup
drivers work with Athleteıs Performance throughout the season, beginning at
Driver Selection this past February, Wehrheim had the unique opportunity to
visit their first-class facility in Phoenix for a personal training session.
³With a schedule as hectic as mine, itıs sometimes tough to find time to
workout in a proper gym,² explains Wehrheim. ³The opportunity to work with
the staff at Athleteıs Performance was great for me because I was able to
learn a few exercises that are effective, yet easy to do when Iım on the
road. It was also good to add some new things to my routine, as well as
assess where I need improvement in my current fitness regimen.²
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 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. Series
sponsors include: Pirelli, Bosch, ViON, Castrol, Oakley, Red Bull, Staubli,
Aggreko, defNder, Lamin-X, Volkswagen Driver Gear, Volkswagen Parts &
Service, iRacing, Safety-Kleen and Ringer Gloves.
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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