-
The Flying Dutchman Drives Round Ten for Greaves Motorsports
 
-
Appleton, WI (August 19, 2008) - Dan Vanden Heuvel Sr. went to the
CORR event in Pomona, California as a spectator, but ended his
weekend as a competitor. Dan drove for Greaves Motorsports, on
Sunday, in Round Ten, in both the PRO-4 and PRO-2 competition. Due
to a severe crash by Johnny Greaves in Round Nine, Greaves
Motorsports needed an extra truck and a replacement driver to finish
out the weekend.
The severely bent PRO-4 was replaced with the Jenkins Brothers
Traxxas backup PRO-4 truck and Dan Vanden Heuvel Sr. became the
replacement driver for both the PRO-2 and the PRO-4 race trucks.
Off-Road
racing fans at Round Nine of Championship Off-Road Racing, at the
Fairplex in Pomona, California witnessed one of the hardest crashes
on the season when Johnny Greaves rolled his #4 Monster Energy
Forest County Potawatomi BFGoodrich Tire Toyota Tundra several times
on the asphalt in Turn One. Fortunately, Johnny came away only with
a slight concussion and a black eye. Due to the severity of the
incident, Johnny Greaves has to wait five days, as per CORR rules,
before he can compete in another event.
Originally, Jeremy McGrath was to compete in the PRO-4 truck, but
sponsor conflicts prevented the opportunity. Then Greaves
Motorsports asked Dan to drive both race trucks. Without hesitation,
the Flying Dutchman said, yes!
In order to garner valuable Championship points in both divisions,
the driver of record must start the race. The plan was to have
Johnny start the race and before the end of the first lap, the
driver swap would occur in the Hot Pits. CORR agreed to the driver
switch, and everyone got the trucks ready for Sunday’s Round Ten
action.
The
Traxxas Off-Road Race Team volunteered the backup truck of PRO-4
competitor, Mike Jenkins. The next step was to apply the appropriate
decals to the substitute truck and get Dan fitted to both the PRO-2
and PRO-4 trucks.
By the time everything was finalized, Dan was only able to practice
and qualify the PRO-2 truck. After just four laps, the #4 qualified
eighteenth out of twenty-six trucks.
The PRO-2 race everything went to plan, except the driver change
took some extra time, putting the Monster Energy Forest County
Potawatomi Toyota Tundra down a couple of laps. Once Dan got behind
the wheel, he kept out of trouble and brought the truck across the
finish line in sixteenth place.
The PRO-4 race saw an even better result. The driver exchange was so
quick, Dan got out on the tail end of the lead lap. He stayed ahead
of the leaders, so when the mandatory yellow came out, he was able
to come in to adjust his harnesses and still stay with the pack,
when the green flag came out. This time, Dan finished on the lead
lap in tenth place. An incredible finish, considering he has never
driven a PRO-4 truck.
“What an incredible opportunity,” commented Dan Vanden Heuvel Sr. “I
came out to watch the racing and help out my tire WSORR sponsor,
Maxxis Tire. Sunday morning I dropped by the Greaves pit to see how
John was doing, when somebody said, there’s our driver. After
Creighton at Maxxis gave me the okay, I borrowed a driving suit from
Scott Taylor, Harold from Park Pumper loaned me a head and neck
restraint, and Greaves Motorsports had an extra helmet and Ringers
Drivers-X driving gloves for me to use. It’s incredible how everyone
came together. To help out Johnny and his team with the points
championship was an honor. Hopefully this opportunity will open up
the eyes of some team looking a competitive driver, or some company
looking to support a top notch racer.”
After ten of fifteen rounds of racing, Johnny Greaves is currently
in fourth place in the CORR PRO-4 Championship standings, and
eighteenth in the PRO-2 Championship standings.
Dan Vanden Heuvel Sr. would like to thank everyone that made this
opportunity possible:
Johnny and Curt Greaves – Greaves Motorsports
Monster Energy
Forest County Potawatomi
Toyota
BFGoodrich Tires
Mark and Mike Jenkins, Kenny Kincaid - Jenkins Brothers Racing
Traxxas
Creighton King – Maxxis Tire
Harold from Park Pumper
Scott Taylor
For more information about Dan Vanden Heuvel please visit:
www.flyingdutchmanoffroad.com
or
email:
flydtmn77@aol.com
-Mike Reusche, marketing, MTG –
mike@mt-graphics.com
|