Flying Dutchman Off-Road - TORC Crandon Racer Report

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

Appleton, WI (September 10, 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. When this happens, the DOT tires  
on the #77 Chevy don?t stand a chance against other team?s PROJECT  
tires (specially made race tires). Dan did all he could to hold onto  
his position, but towards the end he lost a couple of positions and  
finished eighth.

?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 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   

- Mike Reusche, race report ? www.mt-graphics.com 
- Jeff Nemechek, photos ? www.jnlphoto.com