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Dry Track Challenges Vanden Heuvel - Stays in the Top-6 of Championship Battle

Appleton, WI (September 14, 2009) - For the last twenty seven years, Dan Vanden Heuvel Sr. has made the trek to Crandon. During those years, he has competed at two of the locations that have hosted the Labor Day Weekend event. Along the way the Flying Dutchman has collected five World Championship rings in two different classes. In 2009, the #77 Maxxis Tire PRO-2WD had its sites set on ring number six, but nineteen other PRO-2WD were looking for that elusive ring and the $10,000 payday that went along with winning Round 11.

After Friday’s practice session, drivers could not believe how well the banked corners were holding up as most of the veteran drivers were turning the fastest laps ever, during their Crandon race career. Dan Vanden Heuvel was no exception. Lap times were almost two seconds faster than the laps during the June event. Radar guns were clocking race trucks approaching 100 mph in three different locations on the track.

The second TORC visit to the “Big House” saw the return of the land rush start. Fourteen of the twenty PRO-2WD trucks lined up side by side, on a slight angle, with the remaining six trucks creating a second row.

World Championship Saturday – TORC Round 11
When the green flag flew, over 16,000 horsepower came charging into Forest County Potawatomi Turn One; and somehow everyone came through the corner without any damage.

Quickly, the #77 Maxxis Tire ATD Chevy was racing among the leaders. His unique driving style saw the Maxxis Chevy taking driving lines other competitors wouldn’t think of trying. Heading into the mandatory caution lap, disaster nearly ended Dan’s day early. Suddenly the transmission couldn’t find a forward gear. Calmly, Dan kept shifting the transmission back and forth, until just as sudden, the transmission found high gear. Unfortunately it was only high gear.

Undaunted, when the field went back to green flag racing, the Flying Dutchman was able to get up to speed and continue his pressure on the trucks in front of him. Late in the race, Dan dodged another bullet when he clipped the concrete wall in front of the skyboxes. The contact bent the right front lower control arm and effected his steering. Somehow it didn’t break, allowing the Maxxis Chevy to keep running hard all the way to the finish. At the checkered flag, the #77 Chevy finish a hard fought sixth place.

Overnight the Flying Dutchman crew replaced the transmission and the broken linkage, the bent control arm, and changed the gearing looking for a better bite coming out of the corners.

ABC Sports Broadcast Sunday – TORC Round 12
The first class to race on Sunday was PRO-2WD. The electricity could be felt as the trucks lined up for the land rush start (or was that tension brought on by the ABC Sports coverage). Once again everyone made it through the first corner without a serious incident. Dan Vanden Heuvel was running in sixth place when the track seemed to dry out and the “blue groove” was beginning to show up in several places on the track. The rubber from the tires was sticking to the hard pack dirt, making the track very slippery. The blue groove slick track really presents a challenge to racers and to Dan it was no different. The loose track where he has an advantage was gone and now it was a fight with The Flying Dutchman pulling down a respectable 8th place.

“Yesterday we had a tranny problem, but somehow we worked through it,” noted Dan Vanden Heuvel. “Today was a different story. They just didn’t get enough water into the track before we went racing. That becomes a real problem when they put all this horsepower on the track early in the day. Someone has to rethink this race order before we get back here in the Spring. Even with all the slipping and sliding we came out of the weekend in pretty good shape. The finishes were not what we wanted, but the truck isn’t all waded up like some others.”

Currently Dan Vanden Heuvel is currently in sixth place in the 2009 Traxxas TORC Series present by AMSOIL PRO-2WD Championship. There are only four rounds of racing in the season and every point is extremely valuable at this point of the season.

The next stop on the 2009 TORC Tour is September 25-26, under the lights, at the Perris Auto Speedway in Perris, CA

Dan Vanden Heuvel Sr. and his team also thank the continued support from the following companies:

Maxxis Tires, ATD, AMSOIL, Mastercraft, HJC Helmets, Independent Off-Road, MSD Ignition, Autometer, Catco, Loctite, AirGas, Jaz Products, Miller Electric, and Phil’s Inc.

Dan Vanden Heuvel Sr. and the Flying Dutchman Off-Road Race Team still have marketing opportunities available for the rest of the 2009 TORC season.

For more information about Dan Vanden Heuvel Sr. and the Flying Dutchman Off-Road Race Team, visit: www.flyingdutchmanoffroad.com or email: flydtmn77@aol.com