VW Jetta: Series news 2009-08-27

Starting signal for exchange: Volkswagen talents around the world

Wolfsburg (27 August 2009). With Maximilian Hacklander contesting the American Jetta TDI Cup next weekend, Volkswagen's proven and successful exchange programme starts to the 2009 motorsport season. Over the next few weeks a total of five drivers from the well-established ADAC Volkswagen Polo Cup will be gathering important experience for the further course of their racing careers in partnering one-make cup series.

"The Volkswagen exchange programme has been a resounding success for years. So, naturally, we decided to again give our young talents the opportunity in 2009 to catch a whiff of motorsport air in other countries," says Volkswagen Motorsport Director Kris Nissen. "By sponsoring this 'student exchange' we're pursuing our prime objective of promoting talent. It's incredibly important for a young driver to get to know various racing series. Each of the individual Volkswagen one-make cups offers new facets to the participants: different technology, different teams and different race tracks. Gaining experience like this is an important part of their development as racers."

Maximilian Hacklander is the first driver of the ADAC Volkswagen Polo Cup to embark on a "foreign internship". The 19-year-old will contest the sixth round of the Jetta TDI Cup at Mosport, Canada. Originally, this honour was to be bestowed on the rookie with the best points score at the Polo Cup's mid-point, Kris Heidorn, but the 20-year-old had to pass up the opportunity for job-related reasons. Consequently, Maximilian Hacklander - the second-best rookie so far - will take his place.

The second stage of the Volkswagen exchange programme kicks off on 17 October. The halftime champion and current leader of the ADAC Volkswagen Polo Cup standings, Maciek Steinhof, will contest two races on the eighth race weekend of the Volkswagen Polo Cup South Africa at Kyalami. After the ADAC Volkswagen Polo Cup season's finale on 25 October at Hockenheim the brand new title winners of the overall and the rookie classifications can look forward to participating in the Volkswagen Scirocco Cup China at Guangzhou, which is about 9,000 kilometres away from home. The Polo Cup driver who demonstrated the best public relations effort on his own behalf will compete in the final event of the exchange programme. He will be selected by a judging panel and as a reward for his efforts compete in the season's finale of the Volkswagen GTI Cup on 15 November at Sudo, Japan. In return, Volkswagen invites the drivers of these one-make cups to Germany to compete in the ADAC Volkswagen Polo Cup. Timmy Megenbier, halftime champion of the Jetta TDI Cup, for example, delivered an impressive performance with a seventh-place finish in the second race at Oschersleben.

-credit: vwm