The Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup Series began its 2010 season in exciting fashion at the Virginia International Raceway (VIR). The weather was picture-perfect and the young drivers provided a thrilling and competitive race. While the rookie drivers put on a strong showing, it was veteran Ryan Ellis, who took the checkered flag in the #6 Washington Capitals car.
The Ashburn, Virginia native held off fellow driver, Juan Pablo Sierra Lendle of Puebla, Mexico, for the coveted first win of the Jetta TDI Cup season. Lendle finished second, but was neck and neck with Ellis throughout the race. Series veteran A.J. Nealey rounded out the podium with his third-place finish.
“This is the best day of my racing career. The weather was ideal for racing and my car ran perfectly today,” said Ellis. “Juan and I were jockeying for position throughout the race. He ran an amazing race and his driving was very clean and error free. This was a great way to start the 2010 season. However, I know there is still a lot of racing to go this season, so I need to stay focused.”
Guest driver Tony Swan, Senior Editor at Car and Driver magazine, improved six positions during the race today to finish in 19th place. Though Swan has over 30 years of racing experience, he was really impressed with the quality of racing that the young drivers of the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup race delivered today.
“These young drivers really showed me something today. I have been involved in racing for 30 years but I was blown away by the quality of racing that I saw today,” said Swan. “The Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup is a great racing series, and I am proud to have had the chance to participate in the first race of the 2010 season. I am really excited to see how I finish tomorrow.”
Clark Campbell, Motorsport Manager, Volkswagen of America, Inc. shared Swan’s feelings regarding today’s strong racing.
“Heading into our third season, everyone expects clean and competitive racing from our Jetta TDI Cup series,” said Campbell. “The quality of racing was amazing today. This is a true testament of all the hard work that everyone puts into the making Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup series a success. This was a great way to start the 2010 season. I am looking forward to our drivers putting on another great show tomorrow.”
