2008 JETTA TDI CUP // SPEED TV COVERAGE

When I headed to the Mazda Grand Prix to cover Garth Stein and Sam Moses going head to head in a pair of MX-5 Cup cars, I was not expecting to be strapped into a turbo-diesel powered Jetta and rocketed (silently) around the track. Giving me a new found appreciation for the four banger diesels and the serious competition that the Jetta TDI Cup brings, I decided to follow the series through its inaugural season.

Updated via press-release emails and frequent clicks on the VW Motorsport website, I kept my eye on Northwest native David Jurca and the TDI Cup as a whole. But I couldn’t help but remember the short film I watched in the VW hospitality tent (building) when I was at Portland. It was a preview for the series, sort of a mini-documentary, probably something they used to entice sponsors for their drivers. What this series is missing I thought, is television coverage. You know, Koni Challenge type, maybe with a better time slot... Well, with the season having come to an end, those that missed it will now have another opportunity to catch some of the action. The 2008 Jetta TDI Cup will air on SpeedTV beginning this weekend and run through the end of November. The television coverage will end with a 60 minute documentary on the new series, an expanded version of my hospitality tent short film I assume, which will highlight some races, drivers and take an existential look at what the TDI Cup means to the future of motorsports. Television schedule listed below : :

 
Jetta TDI Cup on SpeedTV : :

Sun 10/26/08 2:30 p.m. - Virginia International Raceway

Sat 11/1/08 3:00 p.m. – Portland International Raceway

Sat 11/1/08 3:30 p.m. - Lime Rock Park

Sat 11/8/08 5:00 p.m. - Iowa Speedway

Sat 11/8/08 5:30 p.m. - New Jersey Motorsports Park Race 1
 
Sat 11/15/08 5:00 p.m. - New Jersey Motorsports Park Race 2

Sat 11/15/08 5:30 p.m. - Road Atlanta

Sat 11/22/08 5:00 p.m. - Documentary – Year in Review
 
**All episodes will air on the Speed Channel, check your local television schedule to confirm time and channel.

A big thanks is due to the guys (and gals) at Arciero-Miller Racing, Volkswagen Motorsports and all of the young drivers that hung it out there every weekend for the chance of a lifetime // 10.25.2008