JOLIET, Ill. -- The 27 drivers competing in Round 5 of the SCCA Pro Racing Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup arrived today at Autobahn Country Club in Joliet, Illinois to compete at a track that is hosting its first professional race weekend. The 21-turn, 3.56-mile road course was largely a mystery for the competitors since only local driver, Timmy Megenbier had ever driven on the circuit.

It was no surprise to anyone that the Megenbier, a Melrose Park, Illinois-native, topped the speed charts in morning practice, while many of the other drivers struggled to master the course with the most turns that the series will see during the season. Megenbier’s time of 2:46.974 during the morning practice session was a half second ahead of the rest of the field that included Andy Lee (2:47.520) and Andrew Cordeiro (2:48.461) in the top three positions.

“With this being the first big race held at this track, it was really hard to prepare for this weekend,” said Cordeiro. “Given my lack of track knowledge, I wasn’t concerned about going out and tearing up the track right out of the box. I just went out and tried to give myself plenty of spacing on the track so that I was able to try different lines going into the corners. With 21 turns, it’s one of the most challenging tracks we’ve run on, so it’s especially rewarding when you put down a good lap time.”

The qualifying session started off much as followers of the series would expect with Megenbier at the top of the speed chart. However, after his sixth lap, he pulled into the pits with .7 sec lead in order to save his tires for the race. As the clocked ticked down to end the session, Megenbier was still at the top until Maricopa, Arizona’s Andy Lee took a flyer on his last lap and put his #27 car on the pole for tomorrow’s race with a time of 2:46.171. Megenbier (2:46.204) and Joey Atterbury (2:46.482) rounded out the top three starting spots.

“I was really frustrated throughout the qualifying session,” Lee said. “It seemed that I couldn’t find clear track to get a good lap. I think that I only was able to get two good ones the entire session. I messed up the first, but thankfully, I was able to regroup and get what I was after. It’s really exciting for me because this is my first pole in any form of racing. However, I know that tomorrow is what really counts, so I’ll do my best to hang on to my spot.”

Despite not hanging on for the pole for his home race, Megenbier has his eyes on the larger prize.

“It’s been a great weekend for me so far with all of my family and sponsors here to watch me,” Megenbier said. “Obviously, I wish I could have won the pole, but I’m happy for Andy (Lee). He had a great lap, so he deserves it. I’m starting up front, and I know what to expect from the guys around me, so I’m hoping for the best.”

Three guest drivers are joining the series for this weekend’s race including Autobahn founding member and local Volkswagen dealer, Richard Fisher, extreme skier and TV personality, Glen Plake and journalist, Jeff Olson. Fisher posted the best time of the three during the qualifying session and will be starting from the fifth position. Plake and Olson will start 26th and 27th respectively.

The Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup series returns to action Sunday at 4:55 pm CT at Autobahn Country Club for Round 5 of the season. Live timing and scoring is available at http://www.livetiming.net/SCCA/VW/livetiming.asp.

RESULTS

Saturday Practice Session:

Position/Car Number/Driver/Hometown/Sponsor/Time/Speed

1 17 Timmy Megenbier/Melrose Park/IL / Chicagoland VW/ 2:46.974 / 76.754

2 27 Andy Lee/Maricopa/AZ/Castrol/ 2:47.520 / 76.504

3 26 Andrew Cordeiro/Woodbridge/Ont/CN/Bosch/ 2:48.461 / 76.077

4 19 Jake Thompson(R)/Vancouver/BC/LAMIN-X/ 2:48.519 / 76.050

5 20 Mark Pombo/Duluth/GA/VW Parts & Accessories/ 2:48.634 / 75.999

6 2 AJ Nealey(R)/Pasadena/MD/Sherwin-Williams/ 2:49.078 / 75.799

7 7 JD Mobley(R)/Castle Rock/CO/VION/ 2:49.215 / 75.738

8 6 David Richert/Niverville/MB/CN/Bosch/ 2:49.480 / 75.619

9 35 Richard Fisher(G)/Evanston/IL/The Autobarn/ 2:49.613 / 75.560

10 4 Nicky Boulle(R)/Dallas/TX/Defnder/ 2:49.770 / 75.490

11 8 Derek Jones/Philadelphia/PA/Aggreko/ 2:50.101 / 75.343

12 29 Devin Cates(R)/Broad Run/VA/HYPERFUELS/ 2:50.222 / 75.290

13 3 Taylor Broekemeier/Fort Collins/CO/Oakley/ 2:50.224 / 75.289

14 34 Juan Pablo Delgado(R)/Orizaba/VZ/MX/Red Bull/ 2:50.329 / 75.242

15 14 Joey Atterbury(R)/Renton/WA/SCCA/ 2:50.330 / 75.242

16 22 Andrew Novich(R)/Novato/CA/Oakley/ 2:50.533 / 75.152

17 23 Juan Pablo SierraLendle/Puebla/MX/Castrol/ 2:51.305 / 74.814

18 24 Donny Warren(R)/Winchester/VA/Aggreko/ 2:51.344 / 74.796

19 5 Ryan Ellis(R)/Ashburn/VA/VION/ 2:51.929 / 74.542

20 30 Perry Richardson(R)/Los Gatos/CA/Tire Rack/ 2:52.158 / 74.443

21 15 Theresa Condict(R)/Lexington/MA/HYPERFUELS/ 2:52.314 / 74.375

22 28 Rhett Tucker(R)/Cumming/GA/DC United/ 2:52.720 / 74.201

23 16 Eric Morse(R)/Pittsburgh/PA/Amplify/ 2:53.252 / 73.973

24 18 Kerstin Smutny(R)/Bothell/WA/iRacing.com/ 2:54.190 / 73.574

25 32 Andrew Gun Tucker(R)/McDonough/GA/Pirelli/ 2:54.418 / 73.478

26 37 Glen Plake(G)/Livermore/CA/Athletes Performance/ 3:03.941 / 69.674

27 31 Jeff Olson(G)/Des Moines/IA/Virginia Tech/ 3:20.359 / 63.965

(R) – Jetta TDI Cup Rookie Driver

(G) – Guest Driver

Qualifying (Round 5 – Sunday Race):

Position/Car Number/Driver/Hometown/Sponsor/Time/Speed

1 27 Andy Lee/Maricopa/AZ/Castrol/ 2:46.171 / 77.125

2 17 Timmy Megenbier/Melrose Park/IL/Chicagoland VW/ 2:46.204 / 77.110

3 14 Joey Atterbury(R)/Renton/WA/SCCA/ 2:46.482 / 76.981

4 20 Mark Pombo/Duluth/GA/VW Parts & Accessories/ 2:46.656 / 76.901

5 35 Richard Fisher(G)/Evanston/IL/The Autobarn/ 2:46.994 / 76.745

6 26 Andrew Cordeiro/Woodbridge Ont/CN/Bosch/ 2:47.587 / 76.473

7 19 Jake Thompson(R)/Vancouver/BC/LAMIN-X/ 2:47.656 / 76.442

8 8 Derek Jones/Philadelphia/PA/Aggreko/ 2:47.673 / 76.434

9 3 Taylor Broekemeier/Fort Collins/CO/Oakley/ 2:47.697 / 76.423

10 2 AJ Nealey(R)/Pasadena/MD/Sherwin-Williams/ 2:47.932 / 76.316

11 6 David Richert/Niverville MB/CN/Bosch/ 2:47.971 / 76.298

12 4 Nicky Boulle(R)/Dallas/TX/Defnder/ 2:48.154 / 76.215

13 7 JD Mobley(R)/Castle Rock/CO/VION/ 2:48.377 / 76.115

14 28 Rhett Tucker(R)/Cumming/GA/DC United/ 2:48.413 / 76.098

15 29 Devin Cates(R)/Broad Run/VA/HYPERFUELS/ 2:48.451 / 76.081

16 30 Perry Richardson(R)/Los Gatos/CA/Tire Rack/ 2:48.607 / 76.011

17 23 Juan Pablo SierraLendle/Puebla/MX/Castrol/ 2:48.936 / 75.863

18 5 Ryan Ellis(R)/Ashburn/VA/VION/ 2:49.508 / 75.607

19 34 Juan Pablo Delgado(R)/Orizaba/VZ/MX/Red Bull/ 2:49.526 / 75.599

20 16 Eric Morse(R)/Pittsburgh/PA/Amplify/ 2:49.535 / 75.595

21 22 Andrew Novich(R)/Novato/CA/Oakley/ 2:49.558 / 75.584

22 24 Donny Warren(R)/Winchester/VA/Aggreko/ 2:50.224 / 75.289

23 15 Theresa Condict(R)/Lexington/MA/HYPERFUELS/ 2:51.081 / 74.911

24 32 Andrew Gun Tucker(R)/McDonough/GA/Pirelli/ 2:52.795 / 74.168

25 37 Glen Plake(G)/Livermore/CA/Athletes Performance/ 3:01.972 / 70.428

26 18 Kerstin Smutny(R)/Bothell/WA/iRacing.com/ 2:51.289 / 74.821

27 31 Jeff Olson(G)/Des Moines/IA/Virginia Tech/ 3:04.476 / 69.472

(R) – Jetta TDI Cup Rookie Driver

(G) – Guest Driver

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, 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. 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:

www.vwmotorsportusa.com

www.tditruthanddare.com

SCCA Pro Racing Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup Live Timing & Scoring: http://www.livetiming.net/SCCA/VW/livetiming.asp

Volkswagen Online Newsroom: media.vw.com

Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/JettaTDICup

Twitter: http://twitter.com/VWJettaTDICup

Volkswagen of America, Inc.

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 Rabbit, New Beetle, New Beetle convertible, GTI, Jetta, Jetta SportWagen, Eos, GLI, Passat, Passat wagon, CC, Tiguan, Touareg 2 and Routan through approximately 600 independent U.S. dealers. All 2009 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 vw.com or www.media.vw.com to learn more.

SCCA Pro Racing

A wholly owned subsidiary of Sports Car Club of America, Inc., SCCA Pro Racing Ltd. 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 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup, as well as provides sanctioning and various operational services for other racing series. For more information, please visit www.sccapro.com.