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Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup launches karting qualifier competition
May 19, 2009
HERNDON, Va. (May 19, 2009) – The prospect of becoming a professional racecar driver is a dream of many of North America's youth. However, the SCCA Pro Racing Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup is helping to turn this dream into reality with the introduction of a karting qualifier competition that will begin in July. Six standalone karting events will be held at Boston's F1 Outdoor karting facility and provide an entry point for drivers aspiring to compete for more than $50,000 in prize money and the $100,000 championship award in Jetta TDI Cup series.
The six karting events will be held on July 14, July 27, Aug. 3, Aug. 17, Sept. 21 and Oct. 12 and are open to any North American resident between the ages of 16-26 by Jan. 1, 2010. An entry fee of $995 for each event is required at the time of online entry and includes a day of kart qualifying with Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup driving instructors and hospitality for the driver and a guest. Karting event organizers will supply equally prepared CRG Kali Karts with Rotax motors for all competitors.
The top ten finishers from each Driver Selection Qualifier will be selected to move on and compete in the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup Final Driver Selection Event in February 2010, which will determine the final 25-driver lineup for the 2010 season The Final Driver Selection Event includes three days of professional driving instruction, autocross competition, track time in a Jetta TDI Cup car, physical fitness training, a sponsorship development workshop, marketing and media training, and Volkswagen brand familiarization. The top rated driver at the Final Driver Selection Event who competed in the karting qualifiers will be awarded their entire $45,000 season entry fee. Information on the Driver Selection Karting Qualifier Events and an online entry form is available at www.volkswagenjettacup.com.
"Professional motorsports has traditionally been a difficult sport for someone to get into without considerable family or sponsor support, but we're trying to change that," said Jan Heylen, Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup Driving Instructor and Monaco Kart Cup Champion. "These karting events are being hosted at a relatively low cost for participants and they give us an opportunity to evaluate future driver candidates. They also give driver hopefuls a chance to see if they have what it takes to climb the professional motorsports ladder. Volkswagen has always been known as a forward thinking automobile brand, and we're taking the same approach to the race track."
This is the second method of driver entry into the 2010 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup season recently announced by the series. Potential driver candidates can also qualify for the Final Driver Selection Event by competing in an online Jetta TDI Cup season hosted by iRacing.com that begins in September. The top online racer accepted into the 2010 season will also be awarded their season entry fee. For further information on the entire drivers selection process, visit www.vwmotorsportusa.com.
The 2009 season marks the second year of competition for the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup, which is sanctioned by SCCA Pro Racing. During the season, young, up-and-coming drivers (ages 16-26) compete in 10 events on eight road courses around North America in identical factory-prepared and maintained clean diesel Jetta TDI's powered by Syndiesel® B5 blended biodiesel. Each driver competing in the series earns a Pro Racing license from SCCA at the conclusion of the season. In addition to the $50,000 prize money purse at stake during the season, the series champion will win $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, HYPERFUELS, Aggreko, defNder Head and Neck Restraint, Safety-Kleen, Ringer Gloves, Jim Russell Racing School and Trellis Earth.
Follow the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup series action on:
www.vwmotorsportusa.com
www.tditruthanddare.com
SCCA Pro Racing Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup Live Timing & Scoring: http://www.livetiming.net/SCCA/VW/livetiming.asp
Volkswagen Online Newsroom: media.vw.com
Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/JettaTDICup
Twitter: http://twitter.com/VWJettaTDICup
Volkswagen of America, Inc.
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 Rabbit, New Beetle, New Beetle convertible, GTI, Jetta, Jetta SportWagen, Eos, GLI, Passat, Passat wagon, CC, Tiguan, Touareg 2 and Routan through approximately 600 independent U.S. dealers. All 2009 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 vw.com or www.media.vw.com to learn more.
SCCA Pro Racing
A wholly owned subsidiary of Sports Car Club of America, Inc., SCCA Pro Racing Ltd. 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 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup, as well as provides sanctioning and various operational services for other racing series. For more information, please visit www.sccapro.com.
The six karting events will be held on July 14, July 27, Aug. 3, Aug. 17, Sept. 21 and Oct. 12 and are open to any North American resident between the ages of 16-26 by Jan. 1, 2010. An entry fee of $995 for each event is required at the time of online entry and includes a day of kart qualifying with Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup driving instructors and hospitality for the driver and a guest. Karting event organizers will supply equally prepared CRG Kali Karts with Rotax motors for all competitors.
The top ten finishers from each Driver Selection Qualifier will be selected to move on and compete in the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup Final Driver Selection Event in February 2010, which will determine the final 25-driver lineup for the 2010 season The Final Driver Selection Event includes three days of professional driving instruction, autocross competition, track time in a Jetta TDI Cup car, physical fitness training, a sponsorship development workshop, marketing and media training, and Volkswagen brand familiarization. The top rated driver at the Final Driver Selection Event who competed in the karting qualifiers will be awarded their entire $45,000 season entry fee. Information on the Driver Selection Karting Qualifier Events and an online entry form is available at www.volkswagenjettacup.com.
"Professional motorsports has traditionally been a difficult sport for someone to get into without considerable family or sponsor support, but we're trying to change that," said Jan Heylen, Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup Driving Instructor and Monaco Kart Cup Champion. "These karting events are being hosted at a relatively low cost for participants and they give us an opportunity to evaluate future driver candidates. They also give driver hopefuls a chance to see if they have what it takes to climb the professional motorsports ladder. Volkswagen has always been known as a forward thinking automobile brand, and we're taking the same approach to the race track."
This is the second method of driver entry into the 2010 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup season recently announced by the series. Potential driver candidates can also qualify for the Final Driver Selection Event by competing in an online Jetta TDI Cup season hosted by iRacing.com that begins in September. The top online racer accepted into the 2010 season will also be awarded their season entry fee. For further information on the entire drivers selection process, visit www.vwmotorsportusa.com.
The 2009 season marks the second year of competition for the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup, which is sanctioned by SCCA Pro Racing. During the season, young, up-and-coming drivers (ages 16-26) compete in 10 events on eight road courses around North America in identical factory-prepared and maintained clean diesel Jetta TDI's powered by Syndiesel® B5 blended biodiesel. Each driver competing in the series earns a Pro Racing license from SCCA at the conclusion of the season. In addition to the $50,000 prize money purse at stake during the season, the series champion will win $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, HYPERFUELS, Aggreko, defNder Head and Neck Restraint, Safety-Kleen, Ringer Gloves, Jim Russell Racing School and Trellis Earth.
Follow the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup series action on:
www.vwmotorsportusa.com
www.tditruthanddare.com
SCCA Pro Racing Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup Live Timing & Scoring: http://www.livetiming.net/SCCA/VW/livetiming.asp
Volkswagen Online Newsroom: media.vw.com
Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/JettaTDICup
Twitter: http://twitter.com/VWJettaTDICup
Volkswagen of America, Inc.
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 Rabbit, New Beetle, New Beetle convertible, GTI, Jetta, Jetta SportWagen, Eos, GLI, Passat, Passat wagon, CC, Tiguan, Touareg 2 and Routan through approximately 600 independent U.S. dealers. All 2009 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 vw.com or www.media.vw.com to learn more.
SCCA Pro Racing
A wholly owned subsidiary of Sports Car Club of America, Inc., SCCA Pro Racing Ltd. 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 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup, as well as provides sanctioning and various operational services for other racing series. For more information, please visit www.sccapro.com.
