Thompson Earns Second Consecutive Pole in Utah

Three Rookies Round Out the Top-Five

TOOELE, Utah, June 5 -- Jake Thompson returned to last year's 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.

"I learned a very valuable lesson here in Utah last year," said Thompson after qualifying. "I'm much faster at this track when I'm 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."

Local rookie driver, JJ Tomlinson of Park City, qualified 25th after a tough day of qualifying.

"It wasn't my day out there," said Tomlinson. "I just never found my rhythm and unfortunately we weren't able to post a very competitive lap. The good news is that it's tomorrow that counts; so I'm just going to keep my head up and focus on bringing the car home in a good position."

  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 today's top guest qualifier earning a starting position of eighth in tomorrow's race. Rounding out the field of guest drivers will be Lyman starting 15th, Eliassen starting 26th and Lobello starting 27th.

"I think I was able to get better and better in the car as the day went on," explained Hayden. "During 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. It's 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. I'm having a great time out here - everyone at Volkswagen has been so wonderful and I can't wait for the race tomorrow."

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 Germany's 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. That's exactly why Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup driver Chris Wehrheim recently made a special stop at Athlete's 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 Athlete's 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.

"With a schedule as hectic as mine, it's sometimes tough to find time to workout in a proper gym," explains Wehrheim. "The opportunity to work with the staff at Athlete's Performance was great for me because I was able to learn a few exercises that are effective, yet easy to do when I'm 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."

  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 motorsport's 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 TDI's. 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 world's largest producers of passenger cars and Europe's 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.