June 08, 2004 – Munroe Falls, OH – After four second places in a row, Amy Ruman finally sealed the deal at the GT-1 Mid-Ohio National this past weekend. This was her first win of the 2004 season in the number 23 McNichols/Cenweld Corvette. Ruman was on the pole in Saturday morning’s qualifier, but was bumped to third in the afternoon. The weather cooperated and it was a beautiful 75-degree weekend.
In the eleven car GT-1 field, Trevor Hopwood secured the pole, Phil Lasco was second, Amy Ruman was third, and Tom Sloe started fourth. Ruman slipped to fourth at the start of the race, as the top four GT-1 cars pulled away from the field. About three laps in, Lasco and Hopwood tangled holding up Sloe at the exit of the keyhole, and Ruman weaved through to take the lead. From that point, Ruman led Sloe laps 3-12. Lap 13 Sloe got by Ruman at the end of the back straight. She stayed right with him and on lap 17 Ruman repassed Sloe in the keyhole. She put a little distance on him and took the checkered flag on lap 20 for the win. Ruman’s margin of victory was 1.864 seconds and she scored the second fastest race lap.
“Wow, what a race! I finally got that win I have been working towards all year. Sloe and I were dicing it out through the field; it was just an awesome time. My engine was running on seven cylinders about halfway through the race, so I wasn’t sure if the motor was going to hold up for me, but it did! Toward the end of the race, both Sloe and I had loose handling cars. Although Sloe had an advantage down the straight because of my motor, the McNichols/Cenweld Corvette was in better shape in the turns, and I was able to secure the win,” stated Ruman.
“I am just so happy for the Ruman Racing Team this weekend. My guys gave me a great car and my Dad gave me a stellar set-up on Goodyear tires which got me to the checkered flag first. It was a well deserved win for the team, and I couldn’t have done it without them!”
This was Ruman’s sixth National for the 2004 season. She is currently leading the GT-1 Northeast Division with 48 points.
On Deck: Amy Ruman at the June 19-20: SCCA National at BeaveRun Motorsports Complex, PA
