Click the Jetta's for a high-res gallery
We're on site here at VIRginia International Speedway for the very first race of the inaugural Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup and qualifying has just concluded. VIR is a gorgeous natural terrain road course in the hills along the border between Virginia and North Carolina and it offers plenty of great vantage points. During the thirty minute session 29 of the 30 drivers posted valid qualifying times with a 4 second spread from first to last. Twenty-three year old Josh Hurley of Cooper City FL came out on the top of the timing sheet with a best lap 2:14.301 (Yes I know that's not Hurley's Oakley sponsored car in the photo, but I didn't manage to catch one of Hurley. These cars are seriously fun to watch on the track and anyone who remembers watching the early 80s GTIs cornering on three wheels will feel right at home with the Jettas as they hike up the inside rear on tight turns. Like their big brothers the Audi R10s the Jettas are remarkably quiet as they circulate the track. The race cars have the same exhaust system that will be on the production Jetta TDI that launches this summer including the NOx trap and particulate filter. You can check out a video clip after the jump.
Our travel and lodging for this media event was provided by the manufacturer.
1. No world on when/where this will air?
If you like that kind of racing, you'll enjoy the Speed World Challenge series. There's a TC (touring car, same class as these cars but more heavily modified) race that airs on Speed on Wednesday at 1P Eastern time.
There is a Diesel VW in Speed TC, but honestly it gets shellacked partly because they don't make enough power and partly because they are probably spending 1/20th as much developing that car as the Mazda and Acura teams are spending.
The Mazdas and Acuras are FWD also, and so show the characteristics of FWD racers. The Acuras rarely life the rear inside wheel though, but the Mazdas do a fair bit, perhaps because a Mazda6 is a rather big heavy car for an FWD racer.
Posted at 3:30PM on Apr 26th 2008 by why not the LS2LS7?