Twelfth Podium For Flying Dutchman
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Aug 13, 2008
Appleton, WI - Dan Vanden Heuvel Sr. brought his Flying Dutchman Auto Trans Design AMSOIL Maxxis Tire Chevy Silverado, to Bark River, Michigan, with thoughts of winning the PRO-2WD championship. Already, having won three times this season, Dan had a thirty-six point lead, over second place Evan Evans, in the championship race. The team’s goal for the weekend would be to stay out of trouble and finish both races on the lead lap.
Saturday Round 9
The start saw #99 Probst grab the holeshot and the win, while Dan grabbed the second spot by the end of lap one. While Probst needed the win to stay in the championship fight, the #77 Maxxis Tire needed to just have a solid, trouble free race. And that’s exactly what Dan did, and after ten laps, the Maxxis Tire Chevy finished in a solid third place.
“I wanted to race for the win, but we weren’t going to beat Kevin today”, commented Dan Vanden Heuvel.
“His truck was really hooked up. After Evan passed me and I tried to make a move to get back around him, but then I backed off. It could have become a bad situation, where either one of us could wreck; I didn’t need that. Kevin and Evan finished just in front of me, but that’s okay. I wanted to go for the win, but winning the championship is more important.”
Sunday Round 10
Dan continued his trek for the championship with a clean start, as he watched #99 Probst and #21 Hoek battle it out, the first couple of laps. The #18 Konitzer also got out in front of the Auto Trans Design Chevy, but Dan knew Konitzer had run a limited schedule, and didn’t figure into the championship battle. By the start of the third lap, Dan had his #77 Chevy running well, in the third position.
With the laps running down, #97 Wandahsega began to challenge for the final spot on the podium. There was no way that Dan would give up the position without a fight. On the final two turns of the race, Dan and Wandahesega, went door to door, slamming each other, fighting for the final spot on the podium. At the finish, Dan brought the #77 Auto Trans Design AMSOIL Maxxis Tire Chevy Silverado home in third place.
Afterwards, Dan Vanden Heuvel commented: “This was a tough weekend for me. I caught myself points racing, because the PRO-2WD championship is the one goal that’s eluded me, in my thirty plus years of racing. We’ve won our share this year, but at this point in the season, having solid finishes in every race, is job one.”
Then Dan was asked about the contact between himself and Ben Wandahsega, just before the finish. “Well, I knew Ben was behind me, and when he made his move, I wasn’t about to just let him by, that close to the finish. I wasn’t about to not make it, to the podium.”
The Flying Dutchman has finished on the podium in every round of racing in the 2008 WSORR season.
If you add the win and runner-up finishes in the final weekend of racing in 2007, the podium streak is actually twelve races.
With just two rounds of racing remaining in the quest of the 2008 WSORR PRO-2WD Championship, Dan Vanden Heuvel has a thirty-two point lead, over second place Kevin Probst.
The youngest member of the Flying Dutchman Off-Road family, Mike Vanden Heuvel, continues to impress the off-road world with a runner-up finish on Saturday and a win on Sunday, in the 1600 Light Buggy division. Heading in to the final weekend of racing, Mike is leading the Light Buggy division with a thirty-two point lead over second place.
The final weekend of racing for the Flying Dutchman Off-Road Team, in the 2008 Lucas Oil World Series of Off-Road Racing, is the BorgWarner Off-Road World Championship, August 29-31, in Crandon, Wisconsin.
