Convertible Scca
Convertible Scca Mazdspeed Motorsports at Cleveland Updated Aside from good sales of automotive Mazda parts, the car company had multiple professional series this past weekend at the Grand Prix of Cle...
Convertible Scca
Mazdspeed Motorsports at Cleveland UpdatedAside from good sales of automotive Mazda parts, the car company had multiple professional series this past weekend at the Grand Prix of Cleveland. At Cleveland Car Course, 4 series were held: Cooper Tires presented The Champ Car Atlantic Championship powered by Mazda; Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear; BFGoodrich/Skip Barber National Presented by Mazda; and the SCCA Pro Racing SIRIUS Satellite Radio Mazda MX-5 Cup. Champ Car Atlantic Championship Series points-leader Raphael Matos expanded his championship lead by earning the provisional and final pole positions and a flag-to-flag win. From the standing start into Turn 1, Matos led the field and was never headed. With four wins in 2007, he now surpassed his Sierra Sierra teammate James Hinchcliffe by 30 points. Round 7 of the series will be at Mont Tremblant (Canada) on July 1. In the Star Mazda Championship, Jonathan Goring of Norfolk, Conn. bagged his first series win. The 2006 Skip Barber National Series champion, he qualified on the outside of the front row and struggled for most of the 45-minute race with pole-sitter leader Dane Cameron of Sonoma, Calif. Round 7 will be at Toronto (Canada) on July. A drive in the 2008 Champ Car Atlantic Series will be awarded to the 2007 Star Mazda Champion. Meanwhile, the two winners in the previous race weekend of the BFGoodrich/Skip Barber National series did it again. Josef Newgarden of Henderson, Tenn. took starting positions for both Cleveland races, converting the first pole into a victory. And for his second win of the year, another VIR winner, Joel Miller of Hesperia, Calif. took the lead in the second race. Miller is now leading the points-championship. In this series was the debut of 13-year-old Colombian Gabby Chaves who qualified third and made a great start to lead the first lap before being passed by Newgarden, and finished where he began. Rounds 7 and 8 will be at Road America on August 2-5. A drive in the 2008 Star Mazda Championship Series will be awarded to the 2007 Skip Barber National Champion. The Friday race of the SCCA Pro Racing SIRIUS Satellite Radio Mazda MX-5 Cup is an impressively successful event as the record books held eight official lead changes at the start-finish line, but overlook the dozens of passes and repasses around the track. Scoring a come-from-behind win after being bumped-off at turn one on the opening lap was Cleveland-area native Jason Saini. Ara Malkhassian and Andrew Caddell were following him across the line. Saini again earned the same success in the second race after another great battle that saw four different leaders (Saini, Caddell, Matt Cross, & Elivan Goulart) and two lead changes on the final lap. Both races were green flag all the way. Round 7 will be at Trois-Rivieres (Canada) on August 18 to 19. A drive in a MAZDA6 for the 2008 SCCA Pro Racing SPEED World Challenge Touring Car Championship will be awarded to the 2007 SCCA Pro Racing SIRIUS Satellite Radio MX-5 Cup Champion. About the Author Kraig Johanssen is a native of Connecticut and holds a degree in Software Engineering. He now works at a software development firm in Alabama. His love for writing and great interest on cars makes him a proficient contributing author to various automotive magazines. |
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Jeb Burton to Race in Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup Series
South Boston, Virginia – Jeb Burton, 17-year old son of former NASCAR driver and Daytona 500 winner, Ward Burton, has been chosen as a guest driver for the season opener of Volkswagen of America, Inc.’s SCCA Pro Racing Jetta TDI Cup series, hosted by VIRginia International Raceway. Burton will also participate in all of the weekend’s on and off-track events, including practice and qualifying and compete in the series’ second race at VIRginia International Raceway at 2 PM on April 26.
The 2009 season marks the second year of competition for the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup. During the season, young, up and coming drivers between ages 16-26 compete in 10 events on eight road courses around North America. Each driver competing in the series will earn a Pro Racing license from SCCA at the conclusion of the season and the series champion will win $100,000. While Burton will be a full participant in the race at VIR, he is ineligible for driver points or prize money.
In the Jetta TDI Cup series all cars are identical Jetta TDI’s, powered by HYPERFUELS’ SynDiesel® B5 bio-fuel. The environmentally friendly car only uses two tanks of clean diesel fuel in races during the season. Like his father, founder of the Ward Burton Wildlife Foundation, Burton is an avid outdoorsman who cares deeply about conservation.
“I was born and raised by the creed to give back our natural resources to the next generation. I am honored to be selected to be a guest driver for the Volkswagen TDI Cup series and excited to participate in such an environmentally friendly series,” he says.
Currently, Burton drives the No.27 State Water Heaters Chevy Impala in the Limited Sportsman Division at South Boston Speedway. He has participated in two races so far this season and finished in the top three at both.
Burton’s Jetta TDI Cup racecar will also be decked out in State Water Heaters’ orange and blue.
Other guest drivers at the season opener are Simon Dumont, professional freestyle skier and Red Bull athlete and Dan Carney, award-winning automotive journalist.
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About The Jetta TDI Cup Series:
The Jetta TDI 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, Safety-Kleen, Ringer Gloves, Jim Russell Racing School and Trellis Earth.
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.
About the Author