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Tough conditions do not slow
down off-road drivers
Antigo, WI (June 10, 2001)—Mother Nature
could not be more cruel to the drivers in the CORR EXXON Superflo
Series. Following a postponement of Round 2 in Fort Dodge, Iowa,
caused from too much rain, the skies opened again for the Kiwanis
Off-Road Championships presented by Precision Gear in Antigo, Wis.
The rain and slick mud could not stop the off-road competitors from
battling for the 2001 championship.
Rob
MacCachren’s TrailMaster Ford continues to lead the Pro-4
division following three rounds. In fact, dating back to Tour 2000,
MacCachren has been in first place for 21 consecutive rounds. In
Round 3, Adrian Cenni maintained the lead for the first half of the
race until his left-rear tire went flat and lost the tire shortly
afterward. MacCachren, who was moving to the front quickly, took
advantage and did not relinquish the lead. Amazingly, Cenni
finished third, running with three wheels for over half the race.
Cenni took the lead in the first lap of Round 4, with Scott Douglas
close behind. Douglas’ RANCHO Ford could not catch up with
Cenni, who recorded the fourth win of his career.
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Kent Brascho puts the power to the ground with
a truck from Walker Evans in Pro-4 |
Douglas’ Ford ran strong both rounds
following an unlucky roll in Round 1. His RANCHO Ford displayed
impressive speeds on the tight Antigo track. His second place in
Round 4 was his best finish this year. In Round 3, he battled to
second place before falling back later in the round. Curt
LeDuc’s NAPA Chassis Ford has three top-four finishes,
showing that he is an early favorite for the 2001 Pro-4
championship. He had a second and fourth place finish in each
round.
In the Pro-2 division, Scott Taylor
and his EXXON Superflo Ford picked up career victory number
nineteen in Round 3. He worked his way to the front, and took
advantage of the many drivers who had traction problems. The slick
track condition in Round 3 was difficult for many of the drivers,
who were in staging while two heavy downpours covered the track.
Quick ‘n Brite Rookie Larry Gourlie and R.J. Flanagan proved
that patience is a virtue in short course off-road racing. Gourlie
had his best finish as a Pro, placing second. Flanagan finished
third, which is his best finish since 1998.
In Round 4, Evan Evans stormed to the front in his GM
Hydra-Matic/Goodyear Chevrolet, and he did not allow anyone to stop
him from picking up his first checkered flag in 2001. The battle in
Round 4 was between the BF Goodrich Tire Chevrolet of Dan Vanden
Heuvel and Taylor’s EXXON Superflo Ford. Vanden Heuvel took
advantage of a front-row start. Taylor came from the eighth
starting position and moved to the front. Halfway through the race,
he overtook Vanden Heuvel for second place. Vanden Heuvel regained
the position after one lap, and held on to finish second.
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Race fans were able to get a close look at
some of the FORD trucks in CORR at the Langlade Ford
Dealership. |
Pro-Lite driver Art Schmitt and his Nissan
Frontier had his first victory since 1999 in Round 3. Jeff Kincaid
and his Forest County Potawatomi Toyota started tenth, and was
battling with Schmitt and Jason Crowder at the halfway mark.
Kincaid had the lead with less than a lap to go when his power
steering hose broke and started a fire. Schmitt was in position to
take the victory, the sixth of his career. The Ingle’s Market
Toyota of Rookie Steve Federico finished second, and point’s
leader Jason Crowder placed third.
Kincaid’s pole position in Round 4 proved to be too much
for the rest of the Pro-Lite field. His Toyota did not let up
throughout the race, and his 15th career victory moved him into a
three-way tie for third with BOSS Snowplow Rookie Chad Hord, and
Fabtech’s Rick Huseman in the 2001 point standings. Huseman
finished second in Round 4. Jason Crowder finished third.
Each division in the CORR EXXON Superflo Sportsman
Series has been competitive throughout the first three rounds. In
the Sportsman 2 division, Mike Oberg has won each round of racing.
He is three for three, and has lengthened his lead to twenty-two
points over second-place driver Michael Savage. Savage, along with
Jason Janusz, debuted Kumho Tires in Rounds 3 and 4. Savage
finished fifth both days, and is five points ahead of Andy Morter,
who is in third.
Stock driver Keith Steele
swept Rounds 3 and 4 in Antigo, which helped him extend his lead to
eight points over Mark Kleiman. Kleiman, who won Round 1, finished
third in Round 3 and eighth in Round 4. Rhonda Konitzer finished
third in Round 4, and she is now in third place in the 2001 points.
Don Williams recovered from a disappointing first two rounds,
finishing second in Round 4.
In the Super
Buggy division, Ryan Mulder and Corry Heynen received their first
career CORR victories in Rounds 3 and 4. Doug Hafner leads Todd
Wallace by three points, 42 to 39. Hafner finished fourth in Round
3 and third in Round 4 to maintain his lead. Gary Nierop finished
second in Round 4, which helped him move into fifth place.
Steve Socha had a first and second place finish in
Rounds 3 and 4 to lead the Single Buggy division by two points over
Michael Seefeldt. Socha’s win in Round 3 was the first of his
career. John Svanda also picked up his first career CORR victory in
Round 4. Svanda, who had 16 starts prior to his first victory,
moved into fourth place, 13 points behind third-place driver Shayne
Pagles.
In Round 3, Greg Stingle held off
John Huven and Ben Andrews for his first victory of the year in the
Light Buggy division. Jeff Virnig had a strong weekend, finishing
fourth in Round 3, and claiming the checkered flag in Round 4. With
a second place in Round 3, John Huven leads Tracy Peebles by one
point, and Ben O’Connell by two points.
The 2001 CORR EXXON Superflo Series has a short break before
returning to action at the legendary Crandon International Off-Road
Raceway June 23-24. Call 715-478-2222 for ticket information or
visit www.crandonoffroad.com |
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