Mobley Wins Round 9 of the 2010 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup in Mexico
Five Drivers Within 25 Points Heading into Tomorrow’s Finale
After yesterday’s qualifying session at Autodromo Internacional Miguel E. Abed in Amozoc, Mexico, pole winner JD Mobley said that he knew he had to give it everything he had and leave it all out on the track. The Castle Rock, CO native did just that today as he led Round 9 wire-to-wire to claim his first career Jetta TDI Cup victory. Mobley arrived in Mexico in fifth place in the Championship point standings and was 44 points behind leader Jarvis Gennari. After today’s commanding win, Mobley has trimmed Gennari’s lead to just ten points (after today’s event, Gennari retains the lead in the Championship with 293 points). Mobley will be starting on pole tomorrow as well, which definitely will put even more pressure on Gennari.
“Today just couldn’t have gone any smoother,” said Mobley after the race. ”I knew I needed to be perfect this weekend and so far I’m accomplishing what I need to. Not only did I earn my first career Jetta TDI Cup victory this afternoon, but I also closed the gap in the standings to ten points. I couldn’t ask for a better scenario heading into tomorrow’s race – I led wire-to-wire today and I’m starting on the pole. I’m just going to go out there, stay patient and hopefully I will be able to clinch the title.” Read more
Jarvis Gennari Earns First Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup Victory
Win Marks Fifth Race Winner of 2010 Season
Series rookie, Jarvis Gennari, earned his first Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup victory yesterday at Road America after an exciting battle with Chris Wehrheim, the event’s polesitter and eventual second-place finisher. Gennari and Wehrheim swapped the lead all afternoon, but the Boca Raton, FL native was able to regain the lead on the white flag lap to take the win.
“It was a nerve wracking, but exciting day,” said Gennari. “Chris (Wehrheim) and I were racing really hard the entire afternoon. I’ve been competing against him for the past few years on the karting circuit and we’ve always raced closely and cleanly. We have a lot of mutual respect for one another; so not only was the race exciting, but the fact that I was racing with him made it that much better. Throughout the year, I’ve been working harder and harder to be competitive and now I’ve finished in the top-four at the past three events. At the beginning the season, I never would’ve thought I could run up front, let alone earn a victory. So it is a fantastic feeling to have won.”
Rookie, Kevin Gleason, finished the race in third, marking his second consecutive third-place finish. Wyatt Gooden, the Series points leader, brought his car home in fourth and Jake Thompson finished fifth. Read more
Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup: Thompson Leads Wire-To-Wire For Victory In Utah
Jake Thompson dominated this weekend’s Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup event as he led every lap in the race at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah. His victory marked Thompson’s third career Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup win, as he won twice in his rookie season last year.
“I had a great car today and I was able to run the exact pace that I wanted to all afternoon,” said Thompson after the race. “I’m really excited about the win today, I just went out and drove my race. I was relaxed and patient and my Jetta TDI Cup car handled perfectly all day. I wasn’t happy with my position in the point standings coming into this weekend, but I have a new outlook; we have a lot of races left and I’m going to take this momentum into our next event in two weeks at Mid-Ohio.”
Series veteran, JD Mobley, finished second, which marked his first Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup podium appearance in two years of competition. Three rookies rounded out the top-five as Wyatt Gooden finished third, Arie Ouimet finished fourth and Nate Norenberg finished fifth. JJ Tomlinson, of Park City, finished the day in 22nd after being able to move up three spots from his starting position. The Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup will head to Ohio for Round Five at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on June 20th.
Karting Scholarship winner for the 2010 season of the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup
Arie Ouimet awarded coveted 2010 top karter scholarship of $45,000
Volkswagen Motorsport is proud to announce Arie Ouimet of Plymouth, Massachusetts as their 2010 Karting Qualifier award winner. Ouimet competed against thirty karters for the top prize–a $45,000 scholarship towards the 2010 Jetta TDI Cup season.
“The skill level of our karters through the selection process proved to be extremely competitive and Arie should be proud of his performance that led to him earning the top prize,” states Dennis McCormack, Program Director of the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup. “I am proud of Arie for his accomplishments through the qualifiers and final selection event and look forward to the first race at Virginia International Raceway in April.”
Ouimet competed in the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup Karting Qualifiers where he became one of thirty karting finalists to move on to the final driver selection event of the 2010 season. The final selection event was held in Las Vegas, Nevada, where over 40 drivers came out to compete for the coveted 25 positions of the 2010 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup driver field. Drivers were instructed in multiple sessions including mentoring from professional driving instructors, media training, sponsorship development, fitness assessment, Volkswagen brand familiarization, autocross and karting courses, and track time in a Jetta TDI Cup car. After three days of the selection process, Ouimet was chosen as the top finalist from the karting program and was awarded the $45,000 scholarship.
“Arie was the most consistent and improved driver through our selection process,” said Ryan Arciero, Volkswagen Factory Driver and VW Jetta TDI Cup Driving Instructor “Arie ended the three days at the top of our scoring sheets and proved he deserves the scholarship. He was up against seasoned drivers from various facets of racing and managed to earn the top karting position after rigorous testing throughout the final driver selection event.”
The final 25 drivers that will compete in the 2010 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup will be heading to Virginia International Raceway in April for races 1 and 2 of the season. Drivers will compete in ten road course races throughout North America in identical, factory-prepared and maintained clean diesel Jetta TDIs. 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. Each driver competing in the series also earns a Pro Racing license from the SCCA at the conclusion of the season.
2010 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup Schedule
Round 1 & 2 April 23 – 25 Virginia International Raceway (Alton, VA)
Round 3 May 8 – 9 New Jersey Motorsports Park (Millville, NJ)
Round 4 June 5 – 6 Miller Motorsports Park (Tooele, UT)
Round 5 June 18 – 20 Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (Lexington, OH)
Round 6 July 30 – Aug. 1 Autobahn Country Club (Joliet, IL)
Round 7 & 8 Aug. 20 – 22 Road America (Elkhart Lake, WI)
Round 9 & 10 Sept. 24 – 26 Autodromo AMOZOC (Puebla, Mexico)
To learn more about the 2010 Jetta TDI Cup, visit www.volkswagenjettacup.com.