Ticket to Rise
Of course, the Jetta TDI Cup™ has been a tremendous success—for motorsports, for TDI® clean diesel technology and for the Volkswagen brand. It’s also been a tremendous success for the young drivers—this year a new crop of exciting hot-shoe talent competes in the Jetta TDI Cup. And while the racing undeniably brings out the full spectrum of emotions in dramatic fashion, for the drivers, just getting chosen for the series is a victory in itself.
The driver selection process fulfills Volkswagen’s ideals of promoting excellence and giving young drivers a golden opportunity to showcase their potential in an increasingly exclusive sport. For this year’s series, the final driver selection event was held at the South Point Casino Resort and Spa, during the Performance Karting Expo show in Las Vegas. By integrating the event into a major karting expo, Volkswagen was able to further expose the Jetta TDI Cup to top karting talent.
Don’t mess with the coach
Jan Heylen, Chief Driving Instructor for the Jetta TDI Cup, is a respected mentor for its young racers. And just to make sure he’s competitive, Jan underscored his cred by competing in the Performance Racing International/CKI All-Stars Karting Classic in Orlando last December. Among the competitors were Formula One driver Vitantonio Liuzzi, Sprint® Cup drivers Jamie McMurray and Scott Speed, and IRL veterans Justin Wilson, Ryan-Reay Hunter, Buddy Rice, Tomas Scheckter, Ed Carpenter and Alex Tagliani. How’d Jan do? He qualified on pole position, won both the pre-final and final race by leading from flag to flag. Das Auto Magazine’s advice? Shut up and drive like coach Jan tells you to.
After the cup
In 2007, Timmy Megenbier was a successful karting driver. He wanted to go farther. By being selected to race in the Jetta TDI Cup in 2008, his dream was taking shape, but it wasn’t without setbacks. However, deciding to compete again in 2009, Timmy’s fortunes turned in a big way, preceded by an improved mental focus that allowed him to dominate the 2009 Jetta TDI Cup season. “Winning the Jetta TDI Cup has showcased my ability to be successful in the best racing series in the world,” Timmy shares. “I really enjoyed racing on a level playing field against some of the best drivers in America.” Now Timmy’s taking his show on the road, only in Europe this time, racing in the 2010 Scirocco Cup—a racing series in Germany using 250-horsepower natural-gas-powered race cars. In doing so, Timmy continues his dream and will become the first American ever to run a full season in the German Volkswagen Cup series. Keep up to date on the 2010 Jetta TDI Cup season at vw.com.
Race Touareg–Dakar domination
In mid-January this year, Volkswagen Motorsport turned last year’s 2009 victory in the South American Dakar Rally into total domination—a 1-2-3 finish for the Race Touareg—a triumph for the teams, for TDI® clean diesel technology and for the Volkswagen brand.
“...unless you have a car capable of winning, it is impossible to win the Dakar,” says Volkswagen Motorsport team member Carlos Sainz. “For me, this also includes the team that prepares the car. Being part of a fabulous team like Volkswagen makes me proud.” Carlos, along with Lucas Cruz, captured the win a mere 2 minutes and 12 seconds ahead of teammates Nasser Al-Attiyah/Timo Gottschalk. American Mark Miller, along with Ralph Pitchford, rounded out the podium for Volkswagen in style.