Speedgroup Club Europe

David Vegter was looking forward to his first run in the Camaro. But still that last run, one and a half years ago, was not what you want to have in mind when you go out for your first qualifying attempt. On his first run, the launch was not bad at all and 9.10 seconds was good to start with. But oil pressure problems forced Vegter to stop the car after the burnouts for runs number two and three. Still not qualified, he needed it all to happen in the fourth and last session, and it did. A good burnout, an even better start and the young Dutchman did not lift until the quarter-mile finish line. The result? A 6.505sec ET, a new personal best, the number eight qualifying position and best Dutchman.

“The last part of the run was far from perfect but I kept my foot down. I was yelling on the radio when I crossed the finish line. This feels so good. I didn’t feel comfortable and felt stress on the first three runs. I talked to Andy Robinson and when I was strapped in for run number four I felt much more comfortable. I wanted to attack that quarter-mile and let the car and engine do what they are built for and not be too careful with it. It worked out. This is far beyond my expectations, the first full pass and already 0.1sec faster than I have ever been before. To qualify would already have been a great achievement and now we are number eight and best Dutch team. I have to say a very big thank you to Andy Robinson for everything he did, Egbert from Post & Dros, Marck Harteveld for the great paintjob he did in just one day, Gerard Huizinga from HKR Techniek, MPM Oil and, last but not least, my fantastic crew. Without all these people this would not have been possible.”

The next trip for David Vegter is his delayed business trip to Egypt. The next opportunity to see the Vegter Pro Mod Racing ’67 Camaro in action comes at the second round of the Open Dutch Championship at Dragstrip Drachten on July 15, 16 and 17. David Vegter and his crew can’t wait to get the car back on track again.

Talking with Racers David Vegter - Pro Modified Over the moon No happier people could be found throughout the whole Santa Pod area on Sunday afternoon than David Vegter and his crew. His 6.50sec ET in the fourth round of qualifying made them forget three weeks of working around the clock to get the Vegter Pro Mod Racing Camaro race-ready. “This feels so good. I was yelling over the radio to the crew. They did such a great job to make this happen, absolutely fantastic and far beyond my expectations for this weekend,” says David Vegter. Everybody will remember the nasty accident David Vegter had at the 2009 FIA European Finals when the six-runs-old, Andy Robinson-built ’67 Camaro was hit from behind at 200kph by Ingo Rolla’s out-of-control Dodge Avenger. David and his brother Jos had already invested all their money in the car so the severe damage to the chassis, body, rear axle and so many other parts forced them to skip the 2010 season and concentrate on rebuilding the car. Many hours were spent in the workshop and the comeback was planned for the middle of July at Dragstip Drachten. “The car was with Andy Robinson for the final repairs and the engine with Post & Dros when Michiel of MPM Oil called to ask if we could race at the Main Event. There were only three weeks left and I had to go to Egypt for a business trip. But we all changed our game plans and decided to go for it. This was our chance to show what we were capable of. Andy Robinson was the first one whose schedule we screwed up but everybody involved did such a great job to make this happen. I spent almost two weeks at 18 hours a day with Nick in the workshop and, the Monday before the Main Event, the car was ready and the MPM decals could be put in place. But we had to wait until Friday at Santa Pod to fire up the engine for the first time. It was a big relief when the V8 came to life and no leaks were found. A great team effort.”	David Vegter was looking forward to his first run in the Camaro. But still that last run, one and a half years ago, was not what you want to have in mind when you go out for your first qualifying attempt. On his first run, the launch was not bad at all and 9.10 seconds was good to start with. But oil pressure problems forced Vegter to stop the car after the burnouts for runs number two and three. Still not qualified, he needed it all to happen in the fourth and last session, and it did. A good burnout, an even better start and the young Dutchman did not lift until the quarter-mile finish line. The result? A 6.505sec ET, a new personal best, the number eight qualifying position and best Dutchman. “The last part of the run was far from perfect but I kept my foot down. I was yelling on the radio when I crossed the finish line. This feels so good. I didn’t feel comfortable and felt stress on the first three runs. I talked to Andy Robinson and when I was strapped in for run number four I felt much more comfortable. I wanted to attack that quarter-mile and let the car and engine do what they are built for and not be too careful with it. It worked out. This is far beyond my expectations, the first full pass and already 0.1sec faster than I have ever been before. To qualify would already have been a great achievement and now we are number eight and best Dutch team. I have to say a very big thank you to Andy Robinson for everything he did, Egbert from Post & Dros, Marck Harteveld for the great paintjob he did in just one day, Gerard Huizinga from HKR Techniek, MPM Oil and, last but not least, my fantastic crew. Without all these people this would not have been possible.” The next trip for David Vegter is his delayed business trip to Egypt. The next opportunity to see the Vegter Pro Mod Racing ’67 Camaro in action comes at the second round of the Open Dutch Championship at Dragstrip Drachten on July 15, 16 and 17. David Vegter and his crew can’t wait to get the car back on track again.

Text & Photos: Remco Scheelings / Edited by Robin Jackson This article is part of the Speedgroup Club Europe Newsletter #6/2011 Published by Speedgroup www.speedgroup.eu All material, text, images and logtypes are the property of Speedgroup AB Any use of the above requires permission from Speedgroup email: asa.kinnemar@speedgroup.eu © Speedgroup 2011