Flying Dutchman Off-Road Race Team

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CRANDON, WI

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.