Jetta TDi Cup Race – They Race These Things? Cool!

So I get this little missive from the fine folks at VW (see, being a high flying auto-journo has SUCH cool benefits) about the results from the latest Jetta TDi Cup race (guy by the name of Shane Williams wins, good for him), and at first I don’t think much of it. You know, we don’t do much race reporting here at the Mighty Mo, that other blog is in the works, so I was going to skip right over it, then it hit me: they race these things? That’s pretty cool!

Look, we (car guys) are going to have to face some hard facts: Gas is going to get more expensive, a LOT more expensive, both monetarily and environmentally.

If we’re going to keep screwing around with cars, we going to HAVE TO do it cheaper.

So hey, if they can figure out how to race TDi diesels, that’s a step in the right direction.

Racing improves the bread.

If they race diesels (and Prius-es and Volts), they can not only make them more economical, but they can make them more fun. If they can make efficiency fun, more people will do it, and the more, the better.

Full VW presser after the jump.

SHANE WILLIAMS PLACES FIRST IN JETTA TDI CUP RACE AT NEW JERSEY MOTORSPORT PARK
Guest Driver Claims Top Honors Driving Clean Diesel Vehicle in Race One of Double Header Weekend
MILLVILLE, N.J. – Shane Williams, Capetown, South Africa, stood in the top place on the podium at New Jersey Motorsport Park on Saturday, while David Jurca, Federal Way, Wash., claimed first place in championship points due to Williams’ guest driver appearance in the series. Rounding out the top three point finishers were Liam Kenny, Sterling, Va., and Gary Williams, Jr., Dana Point, Calif., who will receive point honors for second and third places respectively.
“I started sixth and just focused on working my way up, and once I was in second all my focus was to stay in second and not really worry about Shane because either way if I maintained my position I would get first place points,” said Jurca. “Those first place points are huge in the championship for me. I would like to thank Pignataro VW and Red Bull this weekend for supporting me through the race.”
Heading in to today’s race, Jurca, Kenny and Williams Jr., were placed fifth, seventh and fifteenth respectively in the championship points of this inaugural series.
“I thought the race was great with real clean driving up front, everybody was right on each other but we kept our space,” said Kenny. “I was really excited that Jetta TDI drove flawlessly today and being patient really paid off because I went from starting 10th and ended up in third.”
“Starting third I had a good shot to win it today and it was a real close race, with a lot of hard fought battling,” said Williams Jr. “I dropped one wheel and Liam got past me and in this type of series that is all it takes. One mistake and it put me a position back.”
The race was run on a dry 2.25-mile track, and saw a yellow flag only once despite a number of cars experiencing contact while racing. The drivers will now begin preparations for tomorrow’s race scheduled to take place at 8:30 a.m.
Complete Jetta TDI Cup provisional race results are listed below with finishing position, starting position in parentheses, driver, hometown, car sponsor and laps completed.
1. (1), Shane Williams, Capetown S Africa, ful(R), 19
2. (6), David Jurca, Federal Way, Wash., Red Bull, 19, -.001
3. (10), Liam Kenney, Sterling, Va., ViON, 19, -1.342
4. (3), Gary Williams_Jr., Dana Point, Calif., Bondurant, 19, -3.884
5. (11), Michael DeNino, Gaithersburg, Md., Castrol, 19, -4.230
6. (2), Mark Pombo, Duluth, Ga., ful(R), 19, -6.883
7. (9), Josh Hurley(R), Cooper City, Fla., Athlete’s Performance, 19, -7.897
8. (5), Chris Castagna, Boston, Mass., Oakley, 19, -8.794
9. (8), Chris Holman, Burlington, Ontario, UTI, 19, -9.584
10. (16), Jimmy Underhill, Denver, Colo., Bosch, 19, -10.762
11. (15), Juan Pablo SierraLendle, Puebla, MX, Aggreko, 19, -10.861
12. (13), Taylor Broekemeier(R), Fort Collins, Colo., Oakley, 19, -11.296
13. (14), Andy Lee, Colorado Springs, Colo., Kyosho, 19, -11.696
14. (20), Andrew Cordeiro(R), Woodbridge Ont, Canada, $1300 Tax Credit, 19,
-17.406
15. (25), Jake Dallenbach, San Antonio, Texas, Select 1, 19, -20.546
16. (18), Evan Pflock(R), Redondo Beach, Calif., DC United, 19, -20.786
17. (23), Wyatt Dallenbach, San Antonio, Texas, SCORE, 19, -21.184
18. (12), Chris Kuenning(R), Grand Rapids, Mich., Aggreko, 19, -21.458
19. (19), Timmy Megenbier, Melrose Park, Ill., SCCA, 19, -21.640
20. (24), Adam Kretschmer(R), Brampton, Ontario, VW Credit, 19, -22.661
21. (17), Adam Love(R), Normal, Ill., SCORE, 19, -23.130
22. (31), Noah Arundel, Tonka Bay, Minn., VW P&A, 19, -23.657
23. (30), Adam Crepin(R), St. Louis, Mo., SCCA, 19, -24.176
24. (26), David Richert(R), Niverville MB, Canada, ViON, 19, -24.565
25. (27), Chad Brassfield(R), Phoenix, Ariz., Kyosho, 19, -25.104
26. (21), Derek Jones, Philadelphia, Pa., Bosch, -26.433
27. (29), Ryan Buetzer, Long Beach, Calif., Hoopla, 19, -28.153
28. (28), David Heinz(R), Pittsburgh, Pa., Pre Loved, 19, -31.473
29. (4), Caleb Kenney, Berkeley, Calif., Hoopla, 17, DNF
30. (7), Nick Mancuso, Mettawa, Ill., Auto Logistics, 10, DNF
31. (22), John Shim(R), Starkville, Miss., VW Credit, 0, DNS

The Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup series is an innovative approach to motorsports –30 factory-prepared and managed 2009 clean-diesel Jetta TDIs will be piloted by talented, up-and-coming drivers, aged 16 to 26. Volkswagen’s goal is to find the driver with the most talent and help them break into the world of professional motorsports. The Jetta TDI Cup series, the first all clean-diesel race series, is sanctioned by SCCA Pro Racing Inc. Sponsors for the race include: Aggreko, Athlete’s Performance, Bondurant, Bosch, ful(R), Holder, Hoopla, Ironclad, Kyosho, Oakley, RedBull, UTI and ViON.

Filed Under: Car News • Racing • VW