Wandahsega Maintains Sportsman 2
Point Lead As Podium Streak Comes To An End…
Team Wandahsega battled power steering
troubles all weekend but with a 3rd and 6th place finish Ben Wandahsega
goes into the final two point rounds of the year with a 17 point lead
over defending and 2-time Sportsman 2 champ Dan Baudoux.
Ben had perhaps his best year in racing
to date winning 4 times, finishing 2nd once and with four 3rd place
finishes he had not finished off the podium once in the first nine rounds
of racing in 2005. Unfortunately all streaks must come to an end as
this one did on Sunday in Round 10 with a 6th place finish.
But the big picture is the points race
and his consistency in the first nine rounds are definitely paying off.
Baudoux also has 4 wins this year but the difference in the points standings
is that Wandahsega has been much more consistent when he can’t
make it to victory lane than Baudoux has this year.
Wandahsega hopes to begin a new chapter
in the relatively young CORR series as Dan Baudoux is the only Sportsman
2 champion the series has ever known.
Weekend Report:
Saturday (8/13)
Ben started on the far left side, which
is the customary starting position for the point leader (farthest position
from the first corner). As the green fell Ben’s Forest Co. Potawatomi/Toyo
Tires Chevy got caught up in a pile up as everyone tried to be the first
truck to the first corner through the heavy dust at Bark River.
This put Team Wandahsega in the 2nd to
last place on the first lap. Meanwhile Mike Oberg and Ken Hallgren got
a great holeshot on the rest of the field being the only two trucks
to avoid the pileup. As if playing catch up wasn’t hard enough
for Wandahsega at this point disaster almost struck again as Ben was
coming up on another truck to pass him. The other truck lost control
of his truck going over the whoop section in front of the crowd landing
on the front bumper of the Wandahsega truck. As the trucks were hooked
together both struggled to separate as precious time was wasted. Ben
knows from experience that this is a fast unforgiving track with some
areas with great speed, which makes it difficult to make up large amounts
of ground, as these trucks are so equal in speed.
Ben did make up some ground only to have
his power steering go away midway through the 15 minute event. He waited
patiently for each driver to make a mistake and he would begin to make
his move. It didn't take long and Ben was nearing 6th position, making
a few smooth passes in the cemetery turn and an unfortunate landing
off the "long jump" for Rhonda Konitzer . Ben had his chance
to take over 5th place. Meanwhile, race leader Mike Oberg was getting
some major heat from Ross Hoek. The two had been battling for the 1st
position when nearing the white flag lap the two made contact and that
finished the race for the two of them with wheels and tires flying in
the air. Incredibly, that launched Ben's Potawatomi flames Chevy into
the 3rd position and Dan Baudoux into the 1st position. Dan Baudoux
took 1st , Gordon Zema took the 2nd position and rounding out the podium
was Ben's incredible 3rd place and 9th podium finish of the season.
Sunday (8/14)
Although the Ben Wandahsega Off-Road Racing
team had changed the power steering system and pulleys for Sunday’s
Round 10 event it was to no avail. Our crew and their efforts weren't
able to fix the problem from the day before.
Starting out same as the day before we
had to once again try to get through the dust and carnage as Mike Oberg,
Ross Hoek and Dan Baudoux were up front on the start once again. It
didn't take long and Ross Hoek was pulling away from the pack. As Ben
did all he could do to muscle the truck around with little to no power
steering he still was able to do some passing and did well in the straight
away sections of the track with his awesome horsepower Wegner Motor.
As the racers were nearing the white flag
lap Mike Oberg and Baudoux were battling it out for the 2nd position.
As they came over the front to back section the two gave the crowd some
intense side by side racing action and Dan's truck went too far to the
right into the loose dirt and ended up into the guardrail. This may
have been the break Ben needed as Dan was frantically trying to free
himself from the embankment. Not long after realizing he had suffered
a flat tire in the aftermath. Ben's Forest County Potawatomi/Toyo Tires
Chevy gave it all it could to catch the rest of the pack but the end
came to soon as the checkered flag was waving for Ross Hoek, 2nd position
went to Mike Oberg and rounding out the field in 3rd was Mike Savage.
Ben took home a respectable 6th place finish
and a firm hold of the year end points lead of 17 going into round 11
and 12 at Crandon, WI on Labor Day Weekend.
To view the latest news, press releases,
photos, etc. on Ben and the Wandahsega Off-Road Racing Team “click”
your mouse and web browser to: http://www.benwandahsega.com
News Contact:
AMSOIL Racing Coordinator
AMSOIL Building
Superior, WI 54880
(715) 392-7101 ext. 220
racing@amsoil.com
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