National Press Release

HERNDON, Va., Feb. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Volkswagen of America, Inc. today announced the names of the 30 drivers who will compete in its 2009 Jetta TDI Cup season. The Volkswagen-operated spec series, which is entering its second season, will take the green flag on its SCCA Pro Racing-sanctioned events on April 24 at Virginia International Raceway.

    Drivers selected to compete in the 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup include:

    Joey Atterbury - Renton, WA             Andy Lee - Maricopa, AZ
    Nicky Boulle - Dallas, TX               Timmy Megenbier - Melrose Park, IL
    Taylor Broekemeier - Fort Collins, CO   JD Mobley - Castle Rock, CO
    Nelson Canache - Norcross, GA           Eric Morse - Pittsburgh, PA
    Christopher Castagna - Boston, MA       AJ Nealey - Pasadena, MD
    Devin Cates - Broad Run, VA             Evan Pflock - Redondo Beach, CA
    Theresa Condict - Lexington, MA         Mark Pombo - Duluth, GA
    Andrew Cordeiro - Woodbridge, ON        Perry Richardson - Los Gatos, CA
    Michael DeNino - Gaithersburg, MD       David Richert - Winnipeg, MB
    Ryan Ellis - Ashburn, VA                Juan Pablo Sierra Lendle -
                                             Puebla, Mexico
    David Heinz - Bethel Park, PA           Kerstin Smutny - Bothell, WA
    Chris Holman - Burlington, ON           Jake Thompson - Vancouver, BC
    Derek Jones - Philadelphia, PA          Rhett Tucker - Cumming, GA
    Caleb Kenney - Berkeley, CA             Donny Warren - Winchester, VA
    Adam Kretschmer - Brampton, ON          Kyle Wharff - Miramar, FL

Last week, Volkswagen welcomed driver candidates to Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, CA for four days of extensive evaluation. Drivers were tested on and off the track to determine skill level, potential and overall ability. After various driving, media readiness and physical fitness assessments were conducted, the series' 30 participants were selected.

"We're definitely looking forward to our second season with the Jetta TDI Cup," said Clark Campbell, Motorsport Manager, Volkswagen of America, Inc. "The response from the racing community to our program has been fantastic, and I think that is evident by the pool of high-quality drivers that we had to choose from. We're proud to be welcoming back 15 competitors who competed in the series last year, and we're looking forward to aiding in the development of 15 new drivers," added Campbell.

During the Jetta TDI Cup season, drivers will compete in ten events on eight road courses around North America in identical factory-prepared and maintained Jetta TDI's powered by clean diesel. The series Champion will win $100,000. In addition, each driver who competes in the series will earn a Pro Racing license from SCCA at the conclusion of the season.

The Jetta TDI Cup car is powered by a 2.0-liter, four-cylinder TDI clean diesel engine with six-speed, double-clutch, automatic DSG transmission. The car is only slightly modified from stock with race suspension and brakes.

    2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup Schedule

    Round 1 & 2    April 24 - 26   VIRginia International Raceway   Grand-Am
                                     Alton, VA
    Round 3        May 15 - 17     Miller Motorsports Park          ALMS
                                     Salt Lake City, UT
    Round 4        June 19 - 21    Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course       Grand-Am
                                     Lexington, OH
    Round 5        July 24 - 26    Autobahn Country Club            Atlantics
                                     Chicago, IL
    Round 6        Aug. 14 - 16    Road America                     ALMS
                                     Elkhart Lake, WI
    Round 7        Aug. 28 - 30    Mosport International Raceway    ALMS
                                     Mosport, ON (Canada)
    Round 8 & 9    Sept. 11 - 13   New Jersey Motorsports Park      ARCA
                                     Millville, NJ
    Round 10       Sept. 25 - 27   Road Atlanta                     ALMS
                                     Braselton, GA

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 Eos, Rabbit, New Beetle, New Beetle convertible, GTI, Jetta, Jetta SportWagen, GLI, Passat, Passat wagon, Tiguan and Touareg 2 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 SCCA World Challenge Championships, the SCCA Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup and the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup and provides sanctioning and various operational services for other racing series. For more information, please visit www.sccapro.com.

SOURCE Volkswagen of America, Inc.