German Car Scene

JIMMY UNDERHILL TOPS PODIUM FOR THE FIRST TIME IN JETTA TDI CUP SERIES

Posted 21st September, 2008 in Volkswagen | Leave a comment

NEWTON, Iowa – Jimmy Underhill, 21, Denver, Colo., claimed the top prize at Iowa Speedway today in the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup race after starting on the pole for the first time in the series.

Underhill led for all 33 laps in his clean diesel vehicle before crossing the finish line in the 30 minute sprint race which was his first victory in the series, having placed third twice before, and second once. Mark Pombo, 26, Duluth, Ga., held the second position on the podium, with Michael DeNino, 18, Gaithersburg, Md., taking third.

“Practice went really well and then I spent qualifying just trying to get the track down a little more, so I went into the race feeling confident that if I just ran my qualifying lap 30 times I would finish at the top,” said Underhill. “Those guys tried to catch me pretty quickly, but in the end it all worked out and I took first. I have to thank Rent2race.com and Volkswagen for their support in this series.”

The race was perhaps the most dramatic so far with multiple three-car vehicle runs down the backstretch, and door-to-door racing in front of an estimated crowd of 18,000 race fans. As the first time the drivers had driven the TDI vehicles on an oval track, the race provided a challenge that required immediate adaptation due to a one-day schedule that had the drivers practicing, qualifying and racing all in one day. While Underhill began in the lead and maintained it throughout, both Pombo and DeNino came from significant deficits (starting 8th and 12th respectively) to finish in the top three.

Complete Jetta TDI Cup provisional race results are listed below with finishing position, starting position in parentheses, driver, hometown, car sponsor and laps completed.
1. (1), Jimmy Underhill, Denver, Colo., Bosch, 33
2. (8), Mark Pombo, Duluth, Ga., ful®, 33, -.268
3. (12), Michael DeNino, Gaithersburg, Md., Castrol, 33, -1.166
4. (7), Caleb Kenney, Berkeley, Calif., Hoopla, 33, -4.305
5. (2), Chris Castagna, Boston, Mass., Oakely, 33, -4.803
6. (13), Liam Kenney, Sterling, Va., ViON, 33, -8.049
7. (9), Chris Kuenning(R), Grand Rapids, Mich., Aggreko, 33, -8.145
8. (4), Josh Hurley(R), Cooper City, Fla., Athlete’s Performance, 33, -8.424
9. (3), Juan Pablo SierraLendle, Puebla, MX, Aggreko, 33, -9.000
10. (22), Jake Dallenbach, San Antonio, Texas, Select 1, 33, -9.324
11. (20), Chris Holman, Burlington, Ontario, UTI, 33, -9.591
12. (15), Andy Lee, Colorado Springs, Colo., Kyosho, 33, -10.105
13. (16), Andrew Cordeiro(R), Woodbridge Ont, Canada, Castrol, 33, -10.755
14. (14), Gary Williams_Jr., Dana Point, Calif., Bondurant, 33, -11.433
15. (11), David Jurca, Federal Way, Wash., Red Bull, 33, -11.949
16. (10), Taylor Broekemeier(R), Fort Collins, Colo., Oakley, 33, -12.851
17. (19), Wyatt Dallenbach, San Antonio, Texas, SCORE, 33, -13.414
18. (17), Evan Pflock(R), Redondo Beach, Calif., DC United, 33, -13.933
19. (18), Derek Jones, Philadelphia, Pa., Bosch, 33, -14.971
20. (23), Chad Brassfield(R), Phoenix, Ariz., Kyosho, 33, -15.253
21. (26), Adam Love(R), Normal, Ill., SCORE, 33, -24.674
22. (25), David Heinz(R), Pittsburgh, Pa., Pre Loved, 33, -26.500
23. (21), David Richert(R), Niverville MB, Canada, ViON, 33, -27.077
24. (29), Adam Kretschmer(R), Brampton, Ontario, VW Credit, 33, -27.563
25. (24), Adam Crepin(R), St. Louis, Mo., SCCA, 33, -27.989
26. (28), Ryan Buetzer, Long Beach, Calif., Hoopla, 33, -30.272
27. (27), Noah Arundel, Tonka Bay, Minn., VW P&A, 33, -34.794
28. (6), Nick Mancuso, Mettawa, Ill., Auto Logistics, 32, -1 lap
29. (5), Timmy Megenbier, Melrose Park, Ill., SCCA, 32, -1 lap

The Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup series is an innovative approach to motorsports – 29 factory-prepared and managed 2009 clean-diesel Jetta TDIs will be piloted by talented, up-and-coming drivers, aged 16 to 26. Volkswagen’s goal is to find the driver with the most talent and help them break into the world of professional motorsports. The Jetta TDI Cup series, the first all clean-diesel race series, is sanctioned by SCCA Pro Racing Inc. Sponsors for the race include: Aggreko, Athlete’s Performance, Bondurant, Bosch, ful®, Holder, Hoopla, Ironclad, Kyosho, Oakley, RedBull, UTI and ViON.

[Source: VW]