Regular readers will already be familiar with the happenings of the 2008 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup season; we've been bringing you updates throughout the year on the drivers, the races and, of course, the cars. The race versions were outfitted with 170hp 2.0L TDI engines and six speed DSG transmissions, but the closest most drivers will be able to get to these versions is the $26,995 Jetta TDI Cup Street Edition.

VW must be pleased that the final episode of the eight-episode SPEED TV documentary on the TDI Cup comes the weekend after the Jetta TDI was named the 2009 Green Car of the Year. The doc that airs later today is an hour-long look at the entire season, focusing on how the drivers - all of them new to the scene - adapted to the new cars and grew throughout the series. Check your local listings for airtime.


[Source: SPEED TV]

We've been covering Volkswagen's Jetta TDI cup races since the very beginning of the series. We've also heaped some high praise on the efficiency of VW's 50-State clean diesel technology. Unfortunately, you can't take one of VeeDub's racers off the track and on to the street, but perhaps the next best thing is coming straight from the factory. With VW's Jetta TDI Cup "Street" edition, buyers who want the look of one of the racers will be able to get it. Expect a modified fascia and ground effects to go along with a price of $26,995. This will almost surely be an appearance package only, so we don't expect any changes to the car's powertrain or suspension components. We're fine with that, as changes to make the car faster would likely have an adverse effect on the car's fuel mileage. Volkswagen is set to introduce the new Jetta TDI Cup Street edition at the upcoming SEMA Show in Las Vegas.


[Source: Motive]

The inaugural season of Volkswagen's Jetta TDI Cup wrapped up a couple of weeks ago at Road Atlanta with Josh Hurley taking home the gold. For those of you that didn't get a chance to see the eight races, Speed TV is going to be airing them over the next several weekends starting this Sunday. The first race from VIRginia International Raceway runs at 2:30 EDT. On November 22, Speed will run a documentary they have been filming over the course of the season starting with the driver selection process last April. VW has now opened up registration for drivers interested in competing in the 2009 edition of the Jetta TDI Cup. Drivers aged 16-26 who haven't had a professional race deal are eligible.


[Source: Volkswagen]

The first ever season of the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup wrapped up this weekend before the start of the Petit Le Mans race at Road Atlanta. After eight races at tracks around North America since April, Josh Hurley's second place finish in the last race was enough to put him over the top for the series championship. Hurley captured the pole position for the opening race at VIRginia Internation Raceway and then ran consistently enough, including a win at Portland, to accumulate 260 points. Liam Kenney won the Road Atlanta race and finished second in the championship. The championship means Hurley earns $100,000. If Hurley manages to get a professional racing contract within the next six months, Volkswagen will give him another $250,000 toward furthering his racing career.


[Source: Volkswagen]

Volkswagen kicked off its Jetta TDI Cup race series a couple of weeks ago at VIRginia International Raceway with a close fought and exciting battle to the finish. This weekend they are heading north to another of the toughest tracks in North America at Mosport Park, north-east of Toronto. The Jettas will be racing as part of a program that includes the Mazda MX-5 Cup and the Canadian Touring Car Championship, among other races. This race will be something of a homecoming for the four drivers in the thirty driver lineup who hail from Canada. If you're in the area and interested in checking out some great racing head out to Mosport, you won't be sorry.

[Source: Volkswagen]

Several hours after yesterday's inaugural Jetta TDI Cup race, VW informed us that although Speed TV did record the entire race, it won't actually be on TV for a while. The cable network that seems to be almost all NASCAR all the time, will record all the races this year along with background on the program and drivers. At the end of the series they will broadcast a documentary covering the whole series.

To avoid keeping you waiting until this fall, we've got the full standings of the race after the jump. Mark Pombo managed to keep his car out of any significant contact to move up from fourth on the grid to take victory at the end of the thirty-minute race. The equally prepared cars made for some fantastic racing on the picturesque VIRginia International Raceway. Groups of three, four and five cars at time went at it door handle to door handle. A few cars made off track excursions but only four of the 29 starters failed to finish. If you are in the vicinity of any of the remaining six races this year, it's definitely work checking out the TDI cup action.


Photos Copyright ©2008 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.
Our travel and lodging for this media event was provided by the manufacturer.

Since the first Jetta TDI cup race is going to be broadcast on Speed TV next Saturday don't follow the jump if you don't want to know who the winner was...


Photos Copyright ©2008 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.
Our travel and lodging for this media event was provided by the manufacturer.

The activity going here at VIRginia International Raceway this weekend definitely does not qualify as hyper-miling. In fact it is anything but. The thirty young racers competing in the Volkswagen Jetta TDI cup are hustling their cars around this beautiful 3.27 mile long circuit as fast as they can. But they are still doing it in a relatively thrifty manner. The racing Jettas are putting out 170hp which is enough to average over 87mph here. While most race cars get mileage in the single digits and the national fleet average is 20.2mpg the racers are averaging 25mpg running on regular pump ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel. That's good enough to go the entire race weekend without filling up. Starting with the next race at Mosport on May 17-18 the cars will start using B5 biodiesel which is what the production Volkswagen's are certified for. The cars are also running with the same exhaust after-treatment system as the production fifty state legal models. That means every car has a lean NOx trap and diesel particulate filter installed.


Photos Copyright ©2008 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.
Our travel and lodging for this media event was provided by the manufacturer.

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.

Click for a high-res gallery

The opening round of Volkswagen's new Jetta TDI cup race series is happening this weekend at VIRginia International Raceway and AutoblogGreen is on the scene. We arrived here in Virginia late yesterday evening and missed the first on-track session of the new Cup racers. We'll be on hand all weekend to provide feedback on what should be the first racing series featuring all clean diesel cars. The thirty cars are based on the upcoming 2009 Jetta BlueTDI that launches later this summer. Stay tuned for more updates this weekend from VIR.


[Source: Volkswagen]