Munroe Falls, Ohio – The weekend was looking optimistic for Ruman and her team as they had their sights set on breaking the winless barrier they seem to have at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Ruman’s home track. Ruman hoped to put all of her 2017 frustrating moments behind her this weekend, but it just didn’t turn out right once again.
It was Round 7 of the 2017 Trans Am Championship presented by Pirelli, the halfway mark of the thirteen race schedule. The teams sat out qualifying on Friday afternoon as it was cancelled due to stormy weather conditions, and the drivers were then gridded by points. Ruman would start third.
Ruman was off to a great start and immediately jumped into second place, pressuring Francis Jr. who was in first. The top five ran quite close for the first 10-12 laps, when a caution bunched the field back up. Ruman battled the top 4 positions for most of the race, when disaster struck for the two-time defending champion. With less than ten laps to go, Ruman and Drissi were in a multi-lap nose to tail battle when they came upon lapped traffic. While trying to get around, the three cars tangled sending Ruman flying off the track with heavy damage, unable to resume racing after heading to pit lane.
“I just cannot catch a break here,” remarked Ruman. “The No. 23 McNichols Co. Corvette was really running great today and we had some fun racing, unfortunately in multi-class racing the speed differences play a role and today turned out horrible and very costly for us. We have fallen further behind in the race for the championship; this weekend was detrimental to us. I just want to thank all my family, friends, sponsors, and fans for coming out to support us this weekend, I couldn’t do it without all of you! We will try and deliver for you here next year I promise!”
Ruman finished the race 11th in the TA class, and 19th overall. Ernie Francis, Jr. continues to lead the Championship with 198 points, followed by Vincent Allegretta – 160, Simon Gregg – 132, and Amy Ruman – 127.
Fans can tune into the taped delayed National Television Coverage of both races on CBS Sports Network. The TA race will be 10:00pm ET on Wednesday, August 30, 2017 and the TA2 race will be broadcast at 10:30pm ET on Wednesday, September 6, 2017.
SPONSORS: McNICHOLS CO. is the nation’s largest distributor of Perforated and Expanded Metals; Wire Mesh; Bar, Plank, and Safety Gratings; Stair Treads; Matting; and more. Products are carried in all styles and materials–stocked for 24 hour shipment. “Inspired to Serve”™ 800.237.3820 mcnichols.com.
OMP Racing, Inc., OMP Racing is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of racing safety equipment and tuning accessories with a catalog of over 3,000 different items. Operating from a technologically advanced 80,000 sqft facility in Italy, OMP products are renowned for its quality, the meticulous attention to details that is constantly challenged by setting higher standards. For products and information visit ompamerica.com or ompsport.com.
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Race Info/Scoring/Results: www.gotransam.com Ruman Racing, Inc., is based in Munroe Falls, Ohio.
