Las Vegas, NV (March 6, 2010) – The 2010 Lucas Oil  Off Road Racing Series Rounds 1 & 2 kicked off with a first place win for the Speed Technologies Team at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 6th.   Mitchell DeJong (#524), the youngest member of the Speed Technologies racing team, blew past the competition and captured the first place podium in the Modified Kart category.  This extremely technical track with many banked turns, jumps and elevation changes favored experienced racers and this feisty 12 year-old lapped many of older and more experienced competitors and sped across the finish line as the crowd stood and cheered him on.

“This is so awesome,” said DeJong. “I’ve been practicing everyday and I felt really good going into this race – I couldn’t have done it without the support of my family and the Speed Technologies team.”

Wyatt Kirchner also raced in the Modified Kart Category and completed the opening season race.  Kirchner will continue to battle in out in the Modified Kart Category.

Next up was SuperLite racer Dawson Kirchner (#16), but unfortunately Kirchner experienced wiring problems and had to pull out of the race early.

“This happens,” said Kirchner. “It’s all part of racing and I know we’ll fix the problem and be back at Surprise, AZ with a podium finish.”

Team owner and last year’s overall SuperLite Champion John Harrah (#13), jumped up to Pro 2 Unlimited and Pro 4 Unlimited this year.  Harrah dominated the SuperLite category during the 2009 season and felt like it was time to step up his game and race in a more competitive category.  Harrah finished the Unlimited Pro 4 race with a 10thplace finish, but smashed his hood during the Pro 2 Unlimited and has to pull out because he could no longer safely see the track.  Speed Technologies drivers Chuck Dempsey (# 50) and Jeff Ward (#3) both finished the race the Unlimited Pro 2 Race despite Ward almost crashing during the first lap.  Dempsey, who placed 13th, continued to push it hard and fast during the race keeping up with the lead drivers and battling it out until the very end and Ward finished in the top 10 with a 9th place finish.

“It was a great kick off to our season,” said Harrah.  “I’m glad we are getting more aggressive with our driving and stepping up our game.  I’m excited to see where the season leads us.”

Speed Technologies will race again on April 17th & 18th at Speedworld off Road Park in Surprise, Arizona.

Las Vegas, NV (March 6, 2010) – The 2010 Lucas Oil  Off Road Racing Series Rounds 1 & 2 kicked off with a first place win for the Speed Technologies Team at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 6th.   Mitchell DeJong (#524), the youngest member of the Speed Technologies racing team, blew past the competition and captured the first place podium in the Modified Kart category.  This extremely technical track with many banked turns, jumps and elevation changes favored experienced racers and this feisty 12 year-old lapped many of older and more experienced competitors and sped across the finish line as the crowd stood and cheered him on.

“This is so awesome,” said DeJong. “I’ve been practicing everyday and I felt really good going into this race – I couldn’t have done it without the support of my family and the Speed Technologies team.”

Wyatt Kirchner also raced in the Modified Kart Category and completed the opening season race.  Kirchner will continue to battle in out in the Modified Kart Category.

Next up was SuperLite racer Dawson Kirchner (#16), but unfortunately Kirchner experienced wiring problems and had to pull out of the race early.

“This happens,” said Kirchner. “It’s all part of racing and I know we’ll fix the problem and be back at Surprise, AZ with a podium finish.”

Team owner and last year’s overall SuperLite Champion John Harrah (#13), jumped up to Pro 2 Unlimited and Pro 4 Unlimited this year.  Harrah dominated the SuperLite category during the 2009 season and felt like it was time to step up his game and race in a more competitive category.  Harrah finished the Unlimited Pro 4 race with a 10thplace finish, but smashed his hood during the Pro 2 Unlimited and has to pull out because he could no longer safely see the track.  Speed Technologies drivers Chuck Dempsey (# 50) and Jeff Ward (#3) both finished the race the Unlimited Pro 2 Race despite Ward almost crashing during the first lap.  Dempsey, who placed 13th, continued to push it hard and fast during the race keeping up with the lead drivers and battling it out until the very end and Ward finished in the top 10 with a 9th place finish.

“It was a great kick off to our season,” said Harrah.  “I’m glad we are getting more aggressive with our driving and stepping up our game.  I’m excited to see where the season leads us.”

Speed Technologies will race again on April 17th & 18th at Speedworld off Road Park in Surprise, Arizona.

Murrieta, California (October 21, 2009) – Rounds 9 & 10 of the Lucas Oil Off-Road Series stomped through Surprise, Arizona with Mitchell DeJong claiming a Sunday Round 10 Modified Kart victory and Fastest Qualifier for both days.

With the season winding down, Mitchell DeJong and the Speed Technologies/Bully Dog Super Kart team has been searching for a little luck to bring podium finishes home from the LOORS series. Mitchell has consistently driven around the competition to bring home Fastest Qualifier while breaking track records at all the tracks, but race day has thrown in some twists.

On Saturday, Mitchell drove his Yamaha powered Super Kart to number-one qualifier breaking the track record he previously set in May and securing the lead by over 0.788 seconds.

When the green flag dropped, Mitchell, from his inverted third start position, quickly passed 2nd and 1st, overtaking the lead. From there, the action started as Mitchell maintained the lead in front of the #550 of Conner Hart most of the race, until he felt a hit from the rear while entering Turn-1.

Mitchell commented, “I didn’t know there was damage to my wheel until I was coming out of the mogul section and tried to make turn 2, but my truck wasn’t handling like it usually does with my awesome Fox Racing Shox set up and I soon found out why, my rear tire had popped off! Before I knew it, I was losing speed so I just drove as fast as I could on 3 tires for the remaining 5 laps just to get the truck to the finish line.”

The contact caused the Speed Technologies/Bully Dog Super Kart to bend the rear wheel and unseating the tire. Mitchell relinquished his hard earned positions to settle for a 10th place finish of 17.

Sunday, Mitchell qualified first earning his 7th Pole-Position of 9 qualifying rounds in the Lucas Oil Off-Road Series. It also marks him as the winningest top-qualifier for the complete Speed Technologies Off-Road Team.

Once again, Sunday’s inverted start placed Mitchell in the third starting position within a field of 18 highly competitive trucks. The DeJong Super Kart was ready for the challenge as Mitchell battled for a few laps to make the pass for second position. After making a brilliant pass, Mitchell maintained his speedy lines and chased down the leader.

For the next few laps, both racers were doing a great job racing door-to-door and keeping their lines without contact. Shortly after the white flag flew, the #550 truck turned into Mitchell. Now the great racing turned into a race for survival as each truck was locked together at their bumpers. As Mitchell was being driven off course, Mitchell quickly jerked the wheel breaking each truck loose. When the dust settled, the #524 Team Speed Technologies/Bully Dog came out ahead and took the checkered flag first.

Mitchell continues his 2009 race season this weekend as he travels to Las Vegas, Nevada for the final round of the TORC (The Off-Road Championship Series). He’s currently leading the series and looks to bring home the championship.

Mitchell would like to thank all of his sponsors: Speed Technologies, Bully Dog, DeJong Off-Road, Fox Racing Shox, Yamaha, Streight Edje, Simpson, Traxxas, T.E.C. , Amsoil, Eliminator Motorsports, and PayDirt Media. Visit www.MitchellDeJong.com for more information and to view the latest photos.

With the busy short-course season underway, Mitchell DeJong has been hard at work. With over 9 races completed, Mitchell stands toward the top in 2 series.

• TORC SERIES -  1st Place

• LUCAS OIL SERIES – 4th Place

After suffering a devastating mechanical failure at Lucas Oil – Round 4, which shoved him from first place to a disappointing 15th place finish, Mitchell was ready for some redemption.  The TRAXXAS TORC SERIES Round 3 & 4 stop brought the best Modified Karts to the track and Mitchell showed everyone “how-to-do-it.”
After a blistering qualifying session, Friday night’s main event started with Mitchell in pole position. From the drop of the flag, Mitchell was gone, finishing well ahead of the next truck, and taking home the first place trophy and TRAXXAS Slash R/C Truck.
After qualifying on the pole position for Saturday’s main event, TORC inverted the starting order pushing Mitchell to the back-of-the pack. Mitchell charged hard to gain the lead and stealing it in only two laps!  Mitchell put the Speed Technologies/Bully Dog truck into cruise control as he pulled away from the pack.
After the dust settled, Johnny Greaves, multi-time Short Course Champion commented, “Mitchell drove really smart, but fast! And his truck looked like it was working better than any of his competitors.”  “Thanks Johnny!”
Testing and tuning the new Vince DeJong suspension with Fox Racing Shox and motor tuning with Yamaha Specialist, Matt Taylor, helped to create the winning package.
Mitchell would like to thank all of his sponsors: Speed Technologies, Bully Dog, DeJong Off-Road, Fox Racing Shox, Kartek, Yamaha, Streight Edje, Simpson, Traxxas, Matt Taylor, Eliminator Motorsports, and PayDirt Media.