Mesa, AZ (7/27/2018) - R-N-R
Steel Racing’s Robert VanBeekum let nothing
get in his way as he finished sixth in the
Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series Production
Turbo UTV race at Wild West Motorsports Park
in Sparks, NV. The finish allowed him to retain
his fifth-place in points.
After having engine issues in qualifying,
VanBeekum borrowed a car from Dan Kelly, despite
being unfamiliar with his car, VanBeekum got
up to speed quickly. After starting at the
back of the field, he quickly made it up into
the top 10 before finishing sixth.
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R-N-R
Steel's Robert Vanbeekum |
“The car ran great last weekend at a regional,
but we had engine issues and we needed to
save points,” explained VanBeekum. “Thankfully
Dan Kelly was nice enough to allow me to borrow
his car.”
What the track lacked in technical driving
challenges, it more than made up for in setup
requirements. Situated nearly like an oval
on the side of a mountain, the track featured
a huge elevation change that made clutching
a key to success.
“The track was amazing,” said VanBeekum.
“The track was pretty simple to drive, but
the setup was the struggle. You had to be
able to go the hill fast, and then go downhill
at 90 mph.”
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Steel's Robert Vanbeekum |
With car counts on the rise and six races
left on the schedule, VanBeekum is in a good
place to make a title run. He’ll also bring
a backup car to the next event and will continue
to run regionals to make sure he’s ready.
“We started the season with six cars in the
class, but now there are 10-15 cars, and the
points can change a lot faster,” said VanBeekum.
“I know I can get to the top step of the podium
and we’re looking forward to a strong second
half of the season. We’re doing a lot more
racing in regionals for the next three months.
We’re also planning to run Crandon and then
head to Glen Helen. We can still make things
happen.”
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Steel's Robert Vanbeekum |
VanBeekum will be trading his short course
car for his desert racing Polaris RZR when
he heads next to the Vegas to Reno Best in
the Desert race. The longest desert race in
the United States is scheduled for August
17-18. He’ll return to LOORRS competition
August 24-25 when the series holds a doubleheader
event at Utah Motorsports Campus in Tooele,
UT.
Robert VanBeekum’s
2018 Sponsors:
Polaris, Maxxis Tires, Walker Evans, DragonFire,
Method Wheels, R-N-R Steel, LSR Racing, Rugged
Radios, Xtreme Machine & Fabrication,
Muzzy
