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The Flying Dutchman Leads the
PRO-2WD Points Championship
Appleton, WI - (June 25, 2006) - After a successful opening weekend
of racing in Wheatland, Missouri, the Flying Dutchman Off-Road Race
Team continued their championship ways with back to back podium
finishes at the Forest County Potawatomi Brush Run in Crandon,
Wisconsin. Dan Vanden Heuvel, the former factory driver, now racing
out of his own pocket, has been a model of consistency during the
first four rounds of competition.
Round Three
The land rush start saw Dan and his #77 ATD Maxxis Tire Chevrolet
Silverado tuck in behind the leader, #99 Probst as the PRO-2WD field
headed down the front stretch. Dan held the second spot much of the
race. Just past the halfway point of the race, Dan and #8 Taylor
were in a door to door battle. With only three laps to go, Taylor
made the pass for the position. At the checkered flag, Dan crossed
the line in third place.
“What a fun race,” noted Dan Vanden Heuvel. “To be able to race with
Probst, Taylor and the rest is just awesome. Today Kevin had all of
us covered. I knew Taylor was coming from way back. I tried to step
up my pace when he got close, but my engine temperatures really got
high. So I backed off and ran a good pace without blowing a motor.
That’s okay, I’ll take third, if it means saving the engine. Tonight
we’ll fix whatever is causing the high engine temperatures.”
Round Four
The mad dash for Potawatomi Turn One saw Probst and Taylor neck and
neck with Dan right behind them, ready to move up if either made the
slightest mistake. As Taylor took the lead, Dan ran a fast pace
keeping the rest of the field PRO-2WD field at bay. At finish Dan
and his #77 ATD Maxxis Tire Chevrolet Silverado crossed the finish,
again in third place.
Now Dan, and the volunteer Flying Dutchman crew, had about three
hours to get the #77 Chevy ready for the Chairman’s Cup Heavy Metal
Showdown. Unfortunately the weather went from mostly sunny to a
torrential down pour about an hour before the start. Now the
four-wheel drive trucks definitely had an advantage over their
two-wheel drive counterparts.
The start of the Chairman’s Cup race saw all the two-drive trucks
get a half a lap head start as race officials were trying to make
this ten-lap “dash for the cash” a fair fight. Even with the
sizeable head start, the sloppy conditions of the race track ensured
that the winner would be from the PRO-4x4 ranks. Just as the green
flag flew, the rain stopped and skies cleared, but the PRO-2WD and
Super Trucks were no match for the PRO-4x4s.
Kent Brascho, from Alabama, driving his #8 PRO-4x4 Chevy took the
top prize. Meanwhile Dan and his #77 Chevy was fighting the terrible
track conditions, just like almost everyone else, hoping just to
stay on course. In the end, Dan was the fourth PRO-2WD to cross the
finish line.
“Wow, what a difference from the points races,” commented Dan Vanden
Heuvel. “What in the world made me want to go our there and race in
those conditions. The damage racing in mud like this can be huge. I
guess it’s the racer mentality that keeps me believing no matter the
conditions, I still have a chance at the win. No matter, we have
been on the podium all four rounds and now we are tied for the
PRO-2WD points championship. The next race in Bark River is
technical track to drive, and that will work in my favor.”
After four rounds of racing, Dan Vanden Heuvel leads the 2008 WSORR
PRO-2WD Points Championship. The next race is Island Casino/Boss
Snow Off-Road Challenge, July 12-13, in Bark River, Michigan.
Dan Vanden Heuvel would like to thank all its supporters, including:
Maxxis Tires Fox Racing Shox Auto Trans Design Mastercraft Seats
Catco Parts AMSOIL MSD Ignition Loctite Motive Gear Autometer Miller
Electric AirGas Jaz Products
Dan Vanden Heuvel and his Flying Dutchman Off-Road Team still have
sponsorship opportunities for the 2008 off-road race season.
Interested parties can reach Dan at his email address:
flydtmn77@aol.com
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www.flyingdutchmanoffroad.com
-Mike Reusche,
marketing MTG
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