A Weekend Full of Firsts and Repeat Winners Headline the TORC Sportsman Opener in Antigo
Dave Miah, John Fitzgerald, & Scott Beauchamp Go Back to Back
Mike Vanden Heuvel & CJ Greaves First Wins
Kortens, Chernetski, Lear, Sticker Dude, First Career Podiums

Antigo, WI (June 10, 2010) - The opening weekend of the 2010 Traxxas TORC Series presented by AMSOIL Sportsman Series took place at the Langlade County Fairgrounds in Antigo, Wisconsin. The site had hosted off-road races for twenty straight years before going silent in 2006.

The event was promoted by area businessman Ronn Krueger and MORR (Midwest Off-Road Racing) lent a hand with the organizing of the event. This was the first TORC event under full control of USAC and if this event is any indication of the remainder of the season, short-course off-road racing in the Upper Midwest is in great hands.

When the registration trailer opened for business on Friday, eighty racers signed up to tackle the ¾ mile long track that incorporated the majority of the ½ mile clay circle track and a section of the infield. The course had a few high speed jumps and a lengthy rhythm section right down the middle of the infield. Whether you were driving a buggy or truck, the layout would offer unique challenges to every driver in the field.

The weather the day before was an indicator of what to expect the rest of the weekend. Intermittent showers would yield to bright sunshine all weekend long. With weather like this, a water truck was never needed.

Because of the natural occurring moisture throughout the weekend, practice was cancelled for both days. Unfortunately, the first group of racers each day also served as track driers for the rest of the competition.

Round One
The first group out on the track was the combined Classix and Formula 4x4 race. Both classes ran together, but for separate race and contingency purses. The Formula 4x4 group saw Dave Miah in his red Bronco dominate the field with 2009 Class Champion Dave Demaagd coming in second. Meanwhile, Dale Chestnut lead flag to flag as Eric Chernetski battled through the field for the runner-up spot.

Next up was the Light Buggy race, where seventeen drivers lined up two by two for the rolling start. Matt Gerald came from the back of the pack to win the season opener. While Greg Stingle out dueled Jeff Virnig for the second spot, as Virnig rounded out the podium.

The V8 powered Enduro Trucks were up next. These are truly stock trucks with almost no performance modifications allowed. A strong group of ten racers made the lineup with Brent Smith grabbing the early lead and holding it all the way to the checkered flag. Second place went to antigofitzBrandon Rouse, and the final spot on the podium went to Matt Ives.

The 1600 Single Buggy started the race with twelve competitors. Some of the best drivers in the country compete at this class and Wisconsin's Mark Steinhardt and Nebraska's John Fitzgerald are no exception. These two drivers went head to head with Fitzgerald taking the win and Steinhardt in second. Rounding out the top three was Lower Michigan's Jeff Villemure.

Many consider this next class the most competitive and entertaining class of the TORC Sportsman group, Super Stock Truck. All three domestic truck manufacturers are represented and five tire manufacturers can be seen keeping the 300+ HP machines pointed in the right direction. Michigan's Upper Peninsula dominated the top two spots as Scott Beauchamp's Chevy crossed the line in first, just ahead of his cousin Danny Beauchamp in a Ford. The Beauchamp families are key members of the Iron Mulisha, a group of off-road racers and fans from iron ore country in the Upper Peninsula. Third place went to the 2009 Mole Lake Cup winner, Illinois' Mitch Dorr.

Super Buggy was next, as racers from all across North America came to see who was best. Competitors from five states and two Canadian provinces were represented in the starting lineup. Wisconsin's Scott Schwalbe got to the front after a couple of laps and held it all the way to the checkered flag. The fifteen year old, second generation racer CJ Greaves, made his way through traffic to finish second, and New Jersey's Bob Klaus grabbed the final spot on the podium.

The final race of the day was the combined Limited 2 (formerly Super Truck); Limited 4 race with the V8 powered PRO-Lights added to the back of the field, just to make things interesting for the fans. Al Drews was the only Limited 4 truck to enter the Antigo event, so the decision was made for Drews to come out with the other trucks to put on a good show for the fans.

The three PRO-Lights were there for an exhibition/test session to get the reconfigured trucks some track time before the PRO opener in Crandon. Shawn Morris was driving a Chevy Colorado, Ross Hoek was in his Ford Ranger, and Jenkins Brothers Racing debuted their Traxxis sponsored Ford Ranger.
f4x4
The three class combo was extremely entertaining. On the first lap while making the tight right hand infield turn, Dan Baudoux rolled over and briefly caught fire. The damage was minor, but Baudoux had to wait until Sunday to start his season. After a complete restart, a battle raged for the entire fifteen laps between Mike Vanden Heuvel and Ron Schreiner. At the finish it was Vanden Heuvel taking his first big truck win, with Schreiner second and new comer Michael Baker third.

One of the concepts to assist Sportsman racers with the cost of racing is the "Performance of the Race" award. For each race during Round One, a driver was chosen that drove a really great race. Sometimes it maybe the winner of the race, other times it can be someone that everyone noticed thanks to their driving performance.

The Butch's Speed Shop "Performance of the Race" Winners for Round One were:
Formula 4x4 - Dave Miah, Enduro Truck - Brandon Rouse, Light Buggy - Matt Gerald,
Single Buggy - John Fitzgerald, Stock Truck - Nick Byng, Super Buggy - CJ Greaves,
and Limited 2 - Mike Vanden Heuvel.

About fifteen minutes after the final checkered flag had settled, Mother Nature decided to water the track. The rain didn't let up until late in the evening, making it an adventure for many preparing their vehicles for Sunday's rounds of racing.

Round Two
Thanks to all the overnight rain, the first race of the day was more of a survival test, than an actual race. Once again Dave Miah took the win as Dave Demaegd followed him around for second place. Classix also had a repeat winner with Dale Chestnut in first and Eric Chernetski a distant second.

The large Light Buggy field had two first time podium finishers. Almost immediately Todd Lemke grabbed the lead and held it all the way to the checkered flag. Bill Kortens fought his way to his career best finish with a second place finish. The same was true for third place finisher Eric Lear.

The Enduro trucks had the three best looking trucks in the division land on the podium. Perennial hard charger Matt Ives took the win, as Round One winner Brandon Rouse was the runner up, and Tom Varner occupied the final podium position.

The 1600 Single Buggy began as another Fitzgerald and Steinhardt battle for the top spot. Just before the midpoint of the race, Steinhardt clipped a larger tractor tire that was being used as a course marker, while coming through Turn One. The buggy went in to a spectacular double barrel roll ending with Steiny's buggy definitely worse for the wear. Gladly Mark was able to walk away from the incident. Meanwhile John Fitzgerald took another win, as Mike Seefeldt rebounded from a poor start the day before to finish second, as another Upper Peninsula racer, Brad Erickson came across the line in third.

Speaking of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, Scott Beauchamp did it again; the Iron Mulisha member grabbed the lead by lap three and was never challenged. Eric Ruppel tried to smoke the competition for a second day in a row as his transmission gradually melted down. Nevertheless, the former class champion took a well deserved runner-up finish. Third place finisher Don Demeny barely made the start of the race. Overnight he repaired a driveline issue, rebuilt part of his engine, and just after breakfast the crew had to make a transmission change. The never give up attitude of his family and friends paid off with a spot on the podium.

Super Buggy came down to another shootout between Scott Schwalbe and CJ Greaves, but this time Greaves was first to cross the finish line. This was the teenager's first career short course win. Scott Schwalbe took the second spot as Luke "The Sticker Dude" Zoetmulder finished in third. This was a career best finish for "The Sticker Dude."

Light rain had begun to fall during the Super Buggy race, but by the time the final event of the weekend was ready to start, there was a serious downpour. The combined Limited 2 and PRO-Light became another survival test. The polesitter, Dan Baudoux (thanks to last place finish in Round One) dominated, with all his competition behind him battling the track conditions, the "Rocketman" cruised to victory. Rhonda Konitzer crossed the finish in second, and Round One winner Mike Vanden Heuvel rounded out the top three.

Just as the final race of the weekend was complete, the rain stopped and the sun came out; a perfect ending to the opening weekend of Sportsman racing in the TORC Series.

New for 2010, USAC is streaming all TORC events live on their website: http://www.usacracing.com/usac_live/usac_live_main and every round of racing will be archived online for viewing at anytime during the year.

The traveling off-road show stops at the "Big House" June 19-20 in Crandon, Wisconsin. The Traxxas TORC Series presented by AMSOIL will be hosting the opening rounds of the PRO series as well as rounds 3 & 4 of the Sportsman series.

The opening weekend of Sportsman racing for the TORC series was a big hit with the racers, fans, and the local community. The last few months saw several groups (MORR, TORC, and USAC) concerned with state of Midwest off-road racing, working together to create a larger, stronger form of motorsports. The first public signs of the efforts were evident at the weekend of racing in Antigo, Wisconsin. Look for more Sportsman off-road racers to be back racing when the TORC Series make its next stop in Crandon, Wisconsin.

- Mike Reusche, mtgraphics@ymail.com