Virginia Native Ryan Ellis Earns Second Win of the Weekend at VIR

ALTON, Va., April 25 /PRNewswire/ -- Heading into the season-opening weekend at VIRginia International Raceway (VIR), Ryan Ellis' previous best SCCA Pro Racing Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup finish was seventh, which he earned last year at Mosport International Raceway.  Heading out of VIR this afternoon, Ellis now has two poles and two wins under his belt, as he earned back-to-back trips to Victory Lane in the first two rounds of the 2010 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup season.

Racing in his home state, Ellis, a resident of Ashburn, Va., started on the pole today for the second time this weekend and that's where he would end the afternoon as well, clinching the victory after completing a last-lap pass on second-place finisher Juan Pablo Sierra Lendle; Jake Thompson rounded out the podium by earning a third-place result.  

"This weekend was just awesome," said Ellis after the race.  "Before the year began, my best finish was a seventh place.  To come out to VIR and achieve the results that I did is just amazing.  Today's race was really exciting – it's the cleanest drive I can remember ever having.  Juan Pablo (Sierra Lendle) raced me hard and very, very clean.  After the side-by-side action we saw today, I have complete trust in him on the track.  I'm just so happy and it looks like I'm off to a great start for the 2010 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup season."

Sierra Lendle also showed promise to be a contender for the 2010 Series Championship as he turned in a pair of second-place performances this weekend.  Not only did Sierra Lendle finish second in both events, he qualified second as well.

"It was a great day out there," said Sierra Lendle.  "Ryan (Ellis) did a great job and we had a very intense, but very clean race.  It was a fantastic weekend for me and I just want to thank my coach, and the Jetta TDI Cup instructors and crew for all their hard work. I can't wait to go to New Jersey in two weeks for Round 3 of the Championship."

Guest driver, Tony Swan, Senior Editor at Car and Driver magazine, finished the event in 18th-place after moving up six places from his starting position.  Coupled with his 19th-place finish in yesterday's race, Swan wrapped up a successful and educational weekend.

"The Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup is truly an amazing Series," said Swan.  "This is a first-rate organization and I can't think of a better resource for young drivers aspiring to a career in professional motorsports.  I had a lot of fun this weekend.  I tried to drive a nice, clean race and stay out of the competitors' way.  These drivers are so talented though, that it wasn't much of a problem for me as most of them drove away once the race started.  I really learned a lot and I was able to keep improving throughout the weekend, which was great."  

After two rounds of the Jetta TDI Cup, the Championship standings have the winner of both events at VIR, Ryan Ellis in the lead with 60 points. Juan Pablo Sierra Lendle (48), AJ Nealey (37), Taylor Broekemeier (29) and Jarvis Gennari (29) round out the top five.

"The inaugural race weekend of the Jetta TDI Cup absolutely proved our concept that Volkswagen clean diesel technology, young drivers and a top-level crew produces some of the best racing available anywhere in North America," said Clark Campbell, Motorsport Manager, Volkswagen of America, Inc. "If the talent level displayed this weekend at VIR is any indication as to how the rest of the season is going to go, our third season of racing will be the most exciting yet."

The Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup series returns to action May 8-9 at New Jersey Motorsports Park in Millville, NJ.

Follow the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup series action on:

www.vwmotorsportusa.com

Volkswagen Online Newsroom: media.vw.com  

Live Timing & Scoring: http://livetiming.net/scca/VW

Live Timing & Scoring for your Mobile Device: http://livetiming.net/SCCA/VW/html.asp

Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/JettaTDICup

Twitter: http://twitter.com/VWJettaTDICup

About the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup

The SCCA Pro Racing Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup was launched in 2008 as way to introduce clean diesel technology to the U.S. market and develop the best of motorsport's up-and-coming talent. During the season, young, up and coming drivers (between ages 16-26) compete on road courses around North America in identical factory-prepared clean diesel powered Jetta TDI's. Each driver competing in the Series earns a professional racing license from SCCA Pro Racing at the conclusion of the season. In addition to more than $50,000 in prize money at stake during the season, the Series Champion receives Volkswagen factory career advancement support with a value up to $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.

About Volkswagen of America

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 Golf, GTI, New Beetle, New Beetle convertible, Jetta, Jetta SportWagen, Eos, Passat, Passat Wagon, CC, Tiguan, Touareg and Routan through approximately 600 independent U.S. dealers. All 2010 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 www.vw.com or www.media.vw.com to learn more.

About SCCA Pro Racing:

A wholly owned subsidiary of Sports Car Club of America, Inc., SCCA Pro Racing Inc. 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 World Challenge Championships, the SCCA Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup, SCCA Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup, SCCA Pro Trans-Am Series, Spec Racer Ford Pro Series and Formula Enterprises Pro Series. For more information, please visit www.sccapro.com.

SOURCE Volkswagen of America, Inc.