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Jurca Survives to Finish Sixth and Continues With Championship Lead “I was really focused on having a strong qualifying session this race,” explained Jurca. “Unfortunately, due to tire issues and for the safety of the competitors, the session was cut short from 30 minutes to 10 minutes. It caught me by surprise and I just never got the full potential out of the car as I struggled to find a lap free of traffic in the beginning of the session. During the race, I focused on keeping my nose clean and gaining a consistent result for the championship points chase.” Proving just how competitive the Jetta TDI Cup is, the race was won by Chris Castagna, the fourth different winner in as many races. The four winners are also the top four drivers in the point standings. The next race in the series will take place on September 20 at Iowa Speedway in Newton, Iowa. The Jetta TDI Cup series, the first all clean-diesel race series, is sanctioned by the SCCA Pro Racing, Inc. and Volkswagen of America, Inc. The Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup series is an innovative approach to motorsports – 30 factory-prepared and managed 2009 Jetta TDI clean-diesels will be piloted by talented, up-and-coming drivers, ages 16 to 26. The Jetta TDI is lightly modified from spec, featuring race-ready suspension and brakes, and a six-speed double-clutch DSG transmission. Additionally, to highlight its environmental dedication, Volkswagen has partnered with Carbonfund.org to certify the entire race series as carbon free. In the end, the winner of the race series will be awarded $100,000 from Volkswagen to aid them in their next steps as a professional racer. An additional $150,000 will be given to the winner if he or she signs a contract with a professional level team within six months of winning the Jetta TDI Cup series. David Jurca receives support from Pignataro Volkswagen, Redapt, Serengeti Design, CMSI, Washington Cedar and Supply, and Harmon Roofing. Like most drivers in the world of motorsports, he began his racing career in karts. Displaying great natural talent, the 23 year-old quickly progressed up the karting ranks, winning numerous championships along the way and racing head to head against current Formula One, Indy Car, and NASCAR drivers such as Lewis Hamilton, Graham Rahal, and AJ Allmendinger. In 2003, he was a finalist in the Red Bull F1 Driver Search. In the last five years, Jurca has been the number one ranked shifter kart driver in North America three times and is currently ranked third while splitting his efforts between the VW Jetta TDI Cup and the Stars of Karting National Championship. Complete Jetta TDI Cup provisional race results are listed below
with finishing position, starting position in parentheses, driver,
hometown, car sponsor and laps completed. |
Pignataro Volkswagen driver David Jurca, 23, Federal Way, Wash.
finished sixth at the fourth round of the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup
at Lime Rock Park Raceway in Lakeville, Connecticut. With a qualifying
session unexpectedly cut short due to tire reliability issues, Jurca
never found a clear lap in the short session to get a solid lap
time. Starting in the eighth position, Jurca stayed out of trouble
and gained a few spots to finish sixth in the 30 minute race. With
previous finishes of first, third, and fourth, Jurca continued his
consistent finishing record and now holds the championship lead
by seven points.