Currently, there are three teams from the Netherlands competing at the European level in Pro Modified. Pro Modified, or Pro Mod, is the fastest doorslammer category in drag racing. It’s a head-up race where cars are allowed to use either a Nitrous Oxide system, turbochargers, or superchargers as forced induction to propel the engine’s power to an average between 2,600 and 4,000 horsepower. One of those teams running these high-horsepower vehicles is Vegter Pro Mod Racing, with David Vegter behind the wheel. In this edition of Behind Staging Lane, we reflect on David’s history in drag racing, his achievements, dreams, and passion for the quarter-mile lifestyle.

Text: Benjamin Wefer
Pictures: Benjamin Wefer, Vegter Pro Mod

So, who is David Vegter, and who are the main people behind Vegter Pro Mod Racing? The team operates as a single organism, with David Vegter and his wife, Elin Vegter-Lindegren, at its core. David works in the pumps industry, while Elin is in the Motorsport Safety Equipment industry. They are both true race enthusiasts who met and got engaged at a racetrack. Elin herself is a quarter-mile passionate and is working on her FIA Pro Mod license, and is racing for fun when David is not busy with the European Championship.

But what drew David into drag racing? One wouldn’t believe it, but David got into quarter-mile racing through illegal street racing in Amsterdam. But after a few times, he thought it would be safer, better, and faster if he continued exploring his new hobby in a secure environment: a race track. Therefore, David began visiting the airfield in Drachten and started competing in the street category with a 1970 Chevrolet Nova. But soon enough, the eagerness for more power, more speed, more adrenaline kicked in. In 2002, he bought a Chevrolet Camaro race car and began competing in the Super Gas class (9.90 Index). But after a few years into the index world, David was still hungry for more speed and adrenaline and was ready to go higher in the drag racing world. As David’s favorite models are Camaros and Novas, and by coincidence, the body of a 1967 Chevrolet Camaro came into his path, he decided it was time. He got in touch with Andy Robinson from Robinson Race Cars (RRC) in the UK, and the build of a Pro Modified Camaro started.

Picture by Vegter racing team/ team/explosion.nl

In 2009, David got his License to run Pro Modified. Still, that season ended soon when one of his opponents lost control and crashed into him. Therefore, the entire back half of the car had to be rebuilt, which also cost him the 2010 season. After that, David and the team continued racing Pro Modifieds to this day with the same car. Obviously, the vehicle underwent multiple upgrades over the years to keep up with the competition. Today, it is one of the oldest active Pro Mod built by RRC and remains the fastest RRC ever constructed. David has a personal best of 5.740 seconds at 401 km/hrs, which is 0.016 seconds (5.724 seconds) from the European record set by Jan Ericsson back in 2022, and has been second in the championship for three years in a row (2022,2023,2024). This year, they had a slight chance of ending up in the top three. Still, a technical problem in the first elimination round at Hockenheimring changed all that, and David ended up sixth. Hearing this fantastic story of how David started, we naturally wanted to know more!

Have you always wanted to race in Pro Modified, and what makes it so interesting? Yes, this was the ultimate goal, David replied. Driving a Pro Mod is wild. These cars go everywhere but straight, so it’s definitely not easy to drive, and I will never get tired of driving one of these wild doorslammers. In addition, Pro Mod is the largest class of the European Championship tour, featuring intense competition and various engine combinations, which is also one of the factors that make Pro Mod so interesting.

Who usually builds the engine? How much horsepower is the engine generating? Well, I built and maintain both engines myself, David replied. Of course, with the help of my crew. Which is sometimes a logistical miracle, as our team members are from all over Europe. At the track, each team member has their own dedicated task. For me, it is not only driving the car, but also tuning is on my shoulders.

Today, we run a Roots supercharged Noonan Hemi 4.8 race engine with X2 heads and manifold, which produces 3,500 horsepower.

What are your expectations for your current setup? With this combination, our goal is to dip into the 5.6 seconds, which will replace our current best of 5.740 seconds on the quarter mile.

What would be the most remarkable moment you have ever experienced in your racing career? And what would be the worst/least funny moment? Losing a race is never fun, and having part failures is never fun, but you forget it all when you have that one fast, good run or the win you have been longing for the most. So definitely our 5.740 is at the top of great moments.

Our hardest day was probably in the semifinals of the last race of the 2024 season. We were on a good run, but at halfway down the track, two engine rods decided they had had enough and kicked a hole through the pan. The weekend was over, but also our chance of becoming European Champions. However, the damage was so severe (from the bottom to the cylinder heads) that I really doubt we would have had sufficient time to prepare it all for the final race if we had won the semifinals.

But all this, the good days, the rainy days, and the hardest days couldn’t be possible without our racing family behind us, David added. I want to take this opportunity to thank our crew, our family and friends, as well as the following companies: Race Winning Brands Europe, Red Line Oil, Velocity Classics, LV Performance, Fuel Tech, Noonan Race Engineering, Post en Dros, and Resolution Racing Services.

So, what does drag racing mean to David? All our free time is spent on drag racing; we live and breathe the sport! It is a hobby, but it escalated a bit and turned into a lifestyle. What people don’t always see is the amount of time you put into racing to be able to travel across Europe. There are numerous preparations, including managing relations, organizing travel for the crew and truck, maintaining the car and parts, and keeping up with social media.

Now you know a little more about David Vegter, where he started, and where he would like to be. And of course, his passion for the quarter-mile races.

Chassis Build-by: Robinson Race Cars
Make and model: Chevrolet Camaro
Year: 1967
Wheelbase: 115 inches
Engine: Noonan 4.8-inch Hemi with X2 heads
Transmission: 3-speed B&J
Supercharger: Hammer roots
Differential: Strange 1:4.57
Fuel Type: Methanol
Best E.T.: 5.740s @ 401 k/hm / 249.19 mph