Alton, VA (April 25, 2009) Another picture-perfect day greeted the SCCA Pro Racing Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup at VIRginia International Raceway for Round One of the 2009 season. While series veterans put on a strong showing, it was rookie Joey Atterbury who took the checkered flag in the No. 14 Red Bull car.The Renton, Wash. native battled another rookie driver, AJ Nealey, for much of the race with the pair swapping the lead four times during the race. Series veteran Timmy Megenbier rounded out the podium with his third-place finish.Today was such a great race, but it was also very challenging because of the heat that we encountered. Despite this, the Pirelli tires held up really well, and gave us some excellent grip, said Atterbury. AJ, myself and Jake Thompson had some great battles for the lead. I think that we all raced each other very cleanly, and I have to thank them for that. This was a great way to start the season, but I know that we have another round tomorrow, so I need to keep my concentration for the next race.Red Bull athlete and freestyle skier, Simon Dumont improved six positions during the race to finish in 19th place. Dumont, thoroughly enjoyed his experience in the series and hinted about a possible return in the future.The entire experience was way more than I ever imagined that it would be. The first time for me to get in a professional-level racecar was yesterday, and Im definitely hooked, said Dumont. My goal heading into this was to try to be competitive and not finish last, and I accomplished both goals. Im going to do some work with my personal sponsors when I get home to see if I might be able to give the series a try full time next year. Dumonts feelings regarding the days action were also shared by Volkswagen of America, Inc. motorsport manager, Clark Campbell. Heading into our second season, we had great expectations for this years edition of the series. said Campbell. All of the drivers did an excellent job on the track today, and we had very few incidents, which is a little surprising given that it was our first race. What I saw out on the track today far exceeded my expectations, and Im looking forward to our drivers putting on another great show tomorrow. The Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup series returns to action Sunday for Round Two at VIR. The race is scheduled to begin Sunday at 2 p.m. (EDT). Live timing and scoring is available at http://www.livetiming.net/SCCA/VW/livetiming.asp.About Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup 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 (between ages 16-26) will compete in 10 events on eight road courses around North America in identical factory-prepared clean diesel Jetta TDIs powered by Syndiesel® B5 blended biodiesel fuel. Each driver competing in the series will earn a Pro Racing license from SCCA at the conclusion of the season. In addition, 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, Lamin-X, Meguiars, Safety-Kleen, Ringer Gloves, Jim Russell Racing School and Trellis Earth.Follow the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup series action on:www.vwmotorsportusa.comVolkswagen Online Newsroom: media.vw.com Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/JettaTDICupTwitter: http://twitter.com/VWJettaTDICup
