Ryan Ellis in the Washington Capitals Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup car
Heading into the season-opening weekend at Virginia International Raceway (VIR), WDCR member Ryan Ellis’ previous best SCCA Pro Racing Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup finish was seventh, which he earned last year at Mosport International Raceway. Heading out of VIR this afternoon, Ryan now has two poles and two wins under his belt, as he earned back-to-back trips to Victory Lane in the first two rounds of the 2010 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup season.
Racing in his home state, Ryan, who drove in Spec Miata in the WDCR, started on the pole today for the second time this weekend and that’s where he ended the afternoon as well, clinching the victory after completing a last-lap pass on second-place finisher Juan Pablo Sierra Lendle.
“This weekend was just awesome,” Ryan said after the race. “Before the year began, my best finish was a seventh place. To come out to VIR and achieve the results that I did is just amazing. Today’s race was really exciting – it’s the cleanest drive I can remember ever having. Juan Pablo raced me hard and very, very clean. After the side-by-side action we saw today, I have complete trust in him on the track. I’m just so happy and it looks like I’m off to a great start for the 2010 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup season.
The other WDCR member in the field, AJ Nealey, also fared well. After finishing third in the opening race yesterday, he followed it with a fourth-place finish today.
After two rounds of the Jetta TDI Cup, the Championship standings have the winner of both events at VIR, Ryan of course is in the lead with 60 points. Juan Pablo Sierra Lendle is in second with 48, and AJ is third with 48.
The Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup series returns to action May 8-9 at New Jersey Motorsports Park in Millville, N.J.
Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup – Round 2
VIRginia International Raceway – April 25, 2010
Fin. Position/St. Position/Car Number/Driver/Hometown/Sponsor/
1. 1 6 Ryan Ellis/Ashburn/VA/Washington Capitals
2. 2 23 Juan Pablo Sierra Lendle/Puebla/MX/Pirelli
3. 3 19 Jake Thompson/Calgary/AB/Red Bull
4. 4 2 AJ Nealey/Edgewater/MD/Staubli
5. 8 3 Taylor Broekemeier/Ft. Collins/CO/Bosch
6. 5 33 Juan Pablo Delgado/Orizaba/MX/Aggreko
7. 9 12 Jarvis Gennari (R)/Boca Raton/FL/DefNder
8. 12 16 Chris Wehrheim (R)/Norcross/GA/Lamin-X
9. 11 26 Andrew Cordeiro/Woodbridge/ON/VION
10. 16 20 Arie Ouimet (R)/Calgary/MA/VW Parts & Accessories
11. 18 25 Brian Whitmire (R)/Baton Rouge/LA/Staubli
12. 17 14 Colin Thompson(R)/Perkasie/PA/Bosch
13. 23 8 Taylor Tzouanakis (R)/Wauconda/IL/Virginia Tech
14. 22 11 AJ Severino (R)/Hamilton/NJ/Aggreko
15. 14 32 Kevin Gleason (R)/Johnstown/PA/VION
16. 19 39 Mike Mineo-Nardacci(R/East Hills/NY/Oakley
17. 21 9 Rafael Navarro IV (R)/Temecula/CA/Pirelli
18. 24 21 Tony Swan(G)/Ypsilanti/MI/SCCA
19. 25 40 Justine Jackson (R)//JA/SCCA
20. 26 4 Jenna Wagner (R)/Bristol/VA/VW Pre-Loved
21. 13 30 Nate Norenberg (R)/Plymouth/MN/Driver Gear
22. 6 7 JD Mobley/Castle Rock/CO/Castrol
23. 10 18 Wyatt Gooden (R)/Gates Mills/OH/iRacing
24. 20 28 JJ Tomlinson( R)/Park City/UT/Oakley
25. 7 15 Michael Hogg (R)/Vancouver/BC/Castrol
26. 15 29 Andrew Novich/Novato/CA/Hyperfuels
(G) Guest driver – not eligible for points
(R) Jetta TDI Cup Rookie Driver
