July 13, 2006 – Munroe Falls, OH – Amy Ruman and Niki Ruman took to the track this past weekend at Watkins Glen International Raceway in New York.
Amy Ruman was ready to go after the test day on Friday. Ruman captured her third GT-1 pole of the season in the morning qualifier, and it held through round two in the afternoon. Bill Rozmajzl got under Bill Thumel in the afternoon qualifier to set the grid for the top three GT-1’s.
Ruman set the pace early by jumping out in front of the field posting anywhere from a 5 to 11 second gap on Bill Thumel in second place. Ruman broke the track record on lap three, posting a time of 1:52.67. Unfortunately the race moved in the wrong direction for Ruman as she slowly started to loose her lead. Thumel passed Ruman into turn one about halfway through the race, and then Ruman passed Thumel back going up the esses. On the same lap Thumel passed Ruman back heading into the boot. Bill Rozmajzl then caught Ruman on the last lap of the race to make a pass for second, leaving Ruman disappointed in third place.
“The track just ate up our tires today. By mid-race I lost all grip in the rear, I couldn’t get off the corners to put down any kind of speed. My lap times fell and the guys just caught me. We made a mistake and should have run a different tire compound because this track is just so fast. At least we got a track record!” stated Ruman.
Ruman inches back into first in the GT-1 Northeast Division points chase with 31 points.
Niki Ruman was back to racing after welcoming son Robert James Ruman Skinner to the team on March 17. She qualified 18th for the race, which was mid-pack in the large SRF field. She diced it out with a few competitors most of the race and ended up finishing 19th.
“My last race was here at the Glen a year ago, and I was quite happy to get back into the seat. I was able to improve on my times throughout the weekend and was pleased with that. I had a tough start in the race; I got caught up in a slower lane and lost several spots. I spent most of the race trying to recover those lost positions. But I had the best cheering section, with my two and a half year old daughter Katie and three month old son Bobby!”
Next up: July 30: National at Nelson’s Ledges Road Course, OH
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