TRAXXAS/Red Bull’s Mitchell DeJong VICTORIOUS with 1st and 2nd Place at Lucas Oil Off-Road Racing Series

CC | August 12, 2011

Mitchell DeJong drove his #1 TRAXXAS/Red Bull DeJong SuperKart to the top of the podium and a 2nd place finish in front of 15,000 plus fans at Glen Helen Raceway for Rounds 9 & 10 of the Lucas Oil Off-Road Racing Series.

The stellar weekend started with the #1 qualifier, Mitchell DeJong, and his field of 18 competitors with heads down during opening prayer & remembrance of our recently fallen soldiers. Lucas Oil Off-Road quickly cranked it up with a spectacular hard rock guitar solo of the National Anthem bringing fans to their feet. Without hesitation the complete Kart field was announced and then those famous four words “Drivers start your engines!”

The highly anticipated Round 9 was underway with Kart Modified leading the show for the very first time and after a month of pre-race preparation, Mitchell was ready to battle for the championship points title. Starting on the inside first row, Mitchell launched his TRAXXAS/Red Bull SuperKart into the lead at the drop of the green flag and from there he set the pace. Just after the competition yellow flag lap, Mitchell had an abrupt scare when his tire caught a rut in turn 4, bicycling his truck on two wheels but he quickly regained control. After numerous cautions on the track, Mitchell stayed focused and flew through the checkered flags for his 4th victory and 8th podium of the season, with a special thanks to his guest spotter and multi-time Pro-4 champion, Johnny Greaves.

After the television interview with CBS broadcasting, Mitchell stood high on the podium with a big smile. Commenting after the win, “My truck is SO fast right now, the Duncan Racing motor and Fox Racing Shox give me SO much confidence. I feel like I can drive as hard as I want!” Mitchell spent the rest of the night watching his heroes race while taking some mental notes for Sunday’s main event.

Round 10 promised to be a great fight, especially since an inversion starting order was drawn pushing the #1 TRAXXAS/Red Bull DeJong SuperKart to the 4th start position. While an obvious disadvantage, Mitchell has come to appreciate the challenge, and when it was time he charged hard for the lead quickly overtaking 3rd position. 2 laps later, Mitchell slid his #1 machine around the outside to claim the 2nd position. After the competition yellow lap it became a 5 lap chase and race for the lead, but in the end a risky pass attempt would have outweighed the reward, so the defending champ settled in for a 2nd place finish.

Mitchell commented after the race, “I tried to make an inside pass and realized that I was going to need to be more aggressive to make it stick. Winning races is what I want, but today I had to think about winning the championship, no mistakes.”

At the end of the weekend Mitchell claimed fastest practice lap, an extra point for fastest qualifier, and an additional point for leading the complete Round 9 race from start-to-finish. Those extra points, plus the well deserved 1st and 2nd place trophies are keeping the #1 TRAXXAS/Red Bull DeJong SuperKart pilot in a strong position for the title.

Join Mitchell through the final stretch of the 2011 season. This year has been highly competitive and the points chase could be down to the wire! He will be racing in the next ASCC Off Road Championship on September 10th at Speedworld Off Road Park in Surprise, Arizona then returns on September 24th-25th for rounds 11 and 12 of the Lucas Oil Off Road Series.

Special thanks to: TRAXXAS, Red Bull, DeJong Off-Road, Fox Racing Shox, DWT, Method Race Wheels, Simpson Racing, Ultra Custom Boats, Schampa, Eliminator Motorsports, Streight Edge, Duncan Racng, Zip-Tie Productions, Fast-Aid, and PayDirt Media.

Say “Hi” to Mitchell on Facebook, Twitter or check out his new website at www.MitchellDeJong.com