Melrose Park, Illinois native takes the Championship points lead
Lexington, OH (June 21, 2009) – After a DNF in Round 2 of the SCCA Pro Racing Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup season, Timmy Megenbier has been a driver on a mission. Today, he claimed his second consecutive victory of the season in Round 4 of the season after leading 13 of 17 laps at Lexington, Ohio’s Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
Pole sitter Devin Cates led the field into the first turn on lap one, but went off course in the second turn, opening the door for the second and third-place starters, Joey Atterbury and Timmy Megenbier to advance their positions. Atterbury and Megenbier battled for the remainder of the race with Megenbier taking the lead on lap five. He held on for the remainder of the race to take his second and second consecutive victory of the young season. Megenbier’s win moves him into the Championship lead.
“I really couldn’t have asked for anything more today,” Megenbier said. “Heading into the race, I knew where the good places to pass were going to be, and I just waited for the opportunity to make it happen. I have to give it to Joey (Atterbury) for racing clean today and not trying to block my move. I simply out-braked him, and he let me go. It feels amazing that I’ve been able to make it two in a row now and have moved into the Championship lead. Hopefully, I’ll be able to make it three in a row at our next race, which is at my home track.”
Atterbury and Andy Lee rounded out the podium. Lee’s third-place finish marks the best result for the Maricopa, Arizona native in two seasons. After a difficult qualifying session, Lee started ninth, but didn’t waste any time moving forward. He also ran the fastest lap of the race and the weekend – 1:39.605 (81.610 mph).
“I was pretty disappointed yesterday after qualifying because I definitely think I should have been able to start higher than ninth,” Lee said. “With that starting position, I knew it was going to be a battle for me, so I concentrated on running consistently strong laps and being patient. Thankfully, this strategy paid off with a good result. After almost a season and a half, it feels great to finally be on the podium. I feel like I’m really starting to make some progress in this series, so I can’t wait to get to our next race in Chicago.”
Lee wasn’t the only driver who scored solid, season-best finishes. Andrew Cordeiro (4th), Nicky Boulle (5th), and JD Mobley (7th), all had their best races of the season so far. The day didn’t go so well for series points leader, Jake Thompson who finished 11th. The result drops him to third in the series standings. The top five drivers in the Championship after four races are: Megenbier (140), Atterbury (121), Thompson (111), Lee (104) and AJ Nealey (89).
Mark Gillies of Car & Driver magazine finished 13th, the best finish this season for a guest driver. The Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup series returns to action for Round 5 of the 10 event season, July 25–26 at Autobahn Country Club in Joliet, Illinois.
Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup Round 4 (17 Laps)
Position/Car Number/Driver/Hometown/Sponsor/Best Time/Best Speed
1 3 17 Timmy Megenbier/Melrose Park/IL/Chicagoland VW/ 1:39.832 / 81.424
2 2 14 Joey Atterbury(R)/Renton/WA/SCCA/ 1:39.624 / 81.594
3 9 27 Andy Lee/Maricopa/AZ/Castrol/ 1:39.605 / 81.610
4 12 26 Andrew Cordeiro/Woodbridge/Ont/VION/ 1:39.758 / 81.485
5 11 4 Nicky Boulle(R)/Dallas/TX/Defnder/ 1:39.890 / 81.377
6 5 8 Derek Jones/Philadelphia/PA/Aggreko/ 1:40.684 / 80.735
7 13 7 JD Mobley(R)/Castle Rock/CO/Bosch/ 1:40.674 / 80.743
8 6 23 Juan Pablo Sierra Lendle/Puebla/MX/Castrol/ 1:39.996 / 81.291
9 8 2 AJ Nealey(R)/Pasadena/MD/Sherwin-Williams/ 1:40.162 / 81.156
10 22 22 Andrew Novich(R)/Novato/CA/Oakley/ 1:40.753 / 80.680
11 16 19 Jake Thompson(R)/Vancouver/BC/Lamin-X/ 1:40.053 / 81.245
12 15 3 Taylor Broekemeier/Fort Collins/CO/Oakley/ 1:39.934 / 81.341
7 21 Mark Gillies(G)/Ann Arbor/MI/iRacing.com/ 1:40.394 / 80.969
13 10 5 Ryan Ellis(R)/Ashburn/VA/VION/ 1:40.157 / 81.160
14 19 24 Donny Warren(R)/Winchester/VA/Aggreko/ 1:40.385 / 80.976
15 18 15 Theresa Condict(R)/Lexington/MA/HYPERFUELS/ 1:41.384 / 80.178
16 1 29 Devin Cates(R)/Broad Run/VA/HYPERFUELS/ 1:41.106 / 80.398
17 14 6 David Richert/Niverville/MB/Bosch/ 1:41.324 / 80.225
18 20 16 Eric Morse(R)/Pittsburgh/PA/Amplify/ 1:41.665 / 79.956
19 21 34 Juan Pablo Delgado(R)/Orizaba/MX/Red Bull/ 1:42.854 / 79.032
20 23 28 Rhett Tucker(R)/Cumming/GA/DC United/ 1:41.595 /80.011
21 4 20 Mark Pombo/Duluth/GA/VW Parts & Accessories/ 1:41.329 / 80.221
22 24 32 Andrew Gun Tucker(R)/McDonough/GA/Pirelli/ 1:43.595 / 78.467
23 17 30 Perry Richardson(R)/Los Gatos/CA/Pirelli/ 1:42.073 / 79.637
(R) – Jetta TDI Cup Rookie Driver
(G) – Guest Driver (not eligible for Championship results)
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 TDI’s 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 to more than $50,000 in prize money at stake during the season, the series champion will win $100,000.
The Jetta TDI Cup car is powered by a 2.0-liter, 170hp, 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, Meguiar’s, Sherwin-Williams, Chicagoland VW, Safety-Kleen, Ringer Gloves, Jim Russell Racing School, and Trellis Earth.
Follow the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup series action on:
SCCA Pro Racing Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup Live Timing & Scoring
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