Tooele, Utah (June 6, 2010) Jake Thompson dominated this weekends Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup event as he led every lap in todays race at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah. His victory today marked Thompsons 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. Im 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 wasnt 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 Im 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. Jetta TDI Cup News & Notes: Progress Through the Entire Field With four rookies finishing in the top-six today in Utah, its safe to say that the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup driving instructors are getting ever-closer to accomplishing their goal of grooming the best up-and-coming drivers for careers in motorsports. What a fantastic event, said Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup Driving Instructor, Mark Miller. My hats off to Jake (Thompson) he ran a great race and he was fast all weekend; he certainly deserved the win here in Utah. I also cant express enough how impressed I am with JD (Mobley); to have to switch to a car hed never driven and then qualify third is amazing. That speaks volumes to his character and the skills hes developing here in the Jetta TDI Cup. I think we saw a lot of close, clean racing which is certainly consistent with the messaging were giving these drivers. Im very happy with where we are at this point in the season and I look forward to the drivers all continuing to impress us throughout the year. All-Star Cast of Guest Drivers in Utah This weekend, the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup race featured four guest drivers including Roger Hayden, who currently competes on the World Superbike Tour; Anthony Lobello, who was a member of the 2006 US Speed Skating Olympic team; Grete Eliassen, who is a professional Red Bull freeskier; and Thomas Lyman, a journalist who currently writes for 0-60 Magazine and has a significant amount of seat time in various SCCA classes. Lyman was todays top-finishing guest driver as he recorded an impressive eleventh-place result. Roger Hayden was knocked out of the race early due to contact on lap 2, which placed him 27th; Lobello finished 25th and Eliassen brought her car home in 26th. The race was one of the most competitive events Ive ever been a part of, said Lyman. Ive never fought so hard for an eleventh-place finish. The talent in this Series is a real testament to the amount of skill that drivers are developing not only behind the wheels of the Jetta TDI Cup cars, but also through the instruction theyre receiving. I had a blast all weekend and I just want to thank Volkswagen for inviting me to be a part of the event.
