Three Rookies Finish in the Top-Five!
Wayne Gerdes -
CleanMPG - June 6, 2010
Canadian Jake Thompson lead wire-to-wire in Utah to clinch his third career Jetta TDI Cup victory earlier this afternoon.
Jake Thompson stole the show at this weekend's Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup event as he led every lap in today's race at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah. His victory today marked Thompson's third career Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup win, as he won twice in his rookie season last year.
"I had a great car today and I was able to run the exact pace that I wanted to all afternoon," said Thompson after the race. "I'm really excited about the win today; I just went out and drove my race. I was relaxed and patient and my Jetta TDI Cup car handled perfectly all day. I wasn't happy with my position in the point standings coming into this weekend, but I have a new outlook; we have a lot of races left and I'm going to take this momentum into our next event in two weeks at Mid-Ohio."
Series veteran, JD Mobley, finished second, which marked his first Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup podium appearance in two years of competition. Three rookies rounded out the top-five as Wyatt Gooden finished third, Arie Ouimet finished fourth and Nate Norenberg finished fifth. JJ Tomlinson, of Park City, finished the day in 22nd after being able to move up three spots from his starting position. The Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup will head to Ohio for Round Five at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on June 20th.
Progress of the entire field of drivers
With four rookies finishing in the top-six today in Utah, it's safe to say that the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup driving instructors are getting ever-closer to accomplishing their goal of grooming the best up-and-coming drivers for careers in motorsports.
"What a fantastic event," said Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup Driving Instructor, Mark Miller. "My hat’s off to Jake Thompson – he ran a great race and he was fast all weekend; he certainly deserved the win here in Utah. I also can't express enough how impressed I am with JD Mobley; to have to switch to a car he'd never driven and then qualify third is amazing. That speaks volumes to his character and the skills he's developing here in the Jetta TDI Cup. I think we saw a lot of close, clean racing which is certainly consistent with the messaging we're giving these drivers. I'm very happy with where we are at this point in the season and I look forward to the drivers all continuing to impress us throughout the year."
Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup Top 10: Round Four - Miller Motorsports Park
| Finish | Start | Car Number | Driver | Hometown | Sponsor |
| | | | | | |
| 1 | 1 | 19 | Jake Thompson | Calgary, Canada | Red Bull |
| 2 | 3 | 7 | JD Mobley | Castle Rock, CO | Castrol |
| 3 | 2 | 18 | Wyatt Gooden ® | Gates Mills, OH | iRacing |
| 4 | 6 | 20 | Arie Ouimet ® | Plymouth, MA | VW Parts & Accessories |
| 5 | 5 | 30 | Nate Norenberg ® | Plymouth, MN | Driver Gear |
| 6 | 4 | 15 | Michael Hogg ® | Vancouver, Canada | Castrol |
| 7 | 10 | 23 | Juan Pablo Sierra Lendle | Puebla, Mexico | Pirelli |
| 8 | 7 | 6 | Ryan Ellis | Ashburn, VA | Washington Capitals |
| 9 | 9 | 29 | Andrew Novich | Novato, Canada | BOSCH |
| 10 | 12 | 32 | Kevin Gleason ® | Johnstown, PA | VION |
® - Rookie Driver
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