Sunday, July 13, 2008
Ohio woman seeks better luck at Glen
She takes another pole at Nationals.
By Ron Levanduski
rlevanduski@stargazette.com
WATKINS GLEN — It’s been a case of tough love for Amy Ruman and Watkins Glen International. The 33-year-old from Kent, Ohio, has been snakebit at her favorite track during the Glen Nationals.
On Saturday, she captured her third consecutive GT-1 class pole position at the Glen during the first of two qualifying sessions for the 61st running of the Sports Car Club of America amateur event. However, one lap into the second session, she suffered an engine failure with her No. 23 McNichols Co. Chevy Corvette.
“It’s my favorite track; I really love it,” Ruman said. “I just want to be able to run here and not have any problems. I thought this year would be different and it wasn’t.”
Similar circumstances plagued her last year when she earned the pole, then had two engine failures. Without a third motor, she headed back to Ohio. In 2006, she saw her large lead wiped out late in the race when her tires overheated. She finished third.
“We’re still the fastest here, so I think we’ll be all right for the race once we get the other motor in,” she said. “Hopefully, our luck will change (today).”
Ruman was among 225 competitors who took part in qualifying on the Glen’s 3.4-mile Grand Prix configuration. The 30 classes will compete in seven 14-lap group races today. Admission is $15 and racing starts at 8:30 a.m.
The Group 4 afternoon qualifying session was cut short after Jim Opperman of Pottstown, Pa., had a frightening crash in his Ralt Formula Atlantic open-wheel car at the top of the Esses. Opperman, 68, lost control after hitting an oil patch at about 120 mph. His car careened off the guardrail and became airborne before landing upside down on the edge of the track at the exit of the series of turns. The 44-year veteran racer was shaken up but uninjured.
Ruman’s fourth pole this year, a lap of 1 minute, 52.157 seconds (109.133 mph), was half a second better than the previous track record she set in 2006. Official records are recorded only during the race itself. She has three wins heading into this afternoon’s Group 5 race.
“This is her favorite track, but for some reason we have the most misfortune here,” said Bob Ruman, Amy’s father. “She’s been the fastest in qualifying the past few years and has the track record here, but the frustrating part is that she’s never won here.”
Defending race champion Simon Gregg arrived late for the event and missed the first qualifying session. He posted the fourth-fastest time in the second session with his No. 59 Chevy Corvette. Gregg, the son of American sports car legend Peter Gregg, withdrew his entry earlier in the week because of illness.
In the competitive Formula Vee class, Jim Kearney edged Glenn Tupper by .036 of a second for the pole position. Kearney, of Lancaster, Pa., lapped the Glen in 1:17.209 (89.207 mph) in the No. 77 Protoform. Tupper, of Lake Ridge, Va., drives a similar Protoform, a make of car built and designed by David Green of Horseheads.
Green, an engineer at Schweizer Aircraft, qualified fifth in his No. 80 Protoform, a newer P3 model. Other area drivers in the Group 6 Formula Vee class include Ray Carmody, of Horseheads, who qualified ninth with the No. 81 Mysterian M2; and Arnie Carbaugh, also of Horseheads, who was 10th in the No. 92 Protoform.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Rain makes a difference at Glen
Experience in wet conditions beats speed.
By Ron Levanduski
rlevanduski@stargazette.com
WATKINS GLEN – Rain proved to be the great equalizer for many winners Sunday during the Glen Nationals at Watkins Glen International.
Jeremy Treadway of Ticonderoga, N.Y., and Jack Busch of Torrington, Conn., were among the 30 class winners that benefited from a rain-slicked track in the 61st running of the Sports Car Club of America-sanctioned amateur event.
More than 225 racers took part in seven 14-lap races on the Glen’s 3.4-mile circuit. Rain, heavy at times, persisted all day, making conditions difficult but rewarding some drivers who seemed to navigate the treacherous conditions with ease.
Treadway, a winner of six of seven races heading into the Glen, struggled in qualifying Saturday with a weak motor in his No. 12 Swift Formula Ford. On the rain-swept track, however, he was dominant. He quickly moved from his sixth starting spot and into the lead by the Inner Loop. By the halfway point he had a 26-second lead on the Group 6 field.
“We were quite a bit off the pace in the dry, so we were hoping for rain,” Treadway said. “There wasn’t any traction out there, but I have a knack for finding the faster line. I smile when it rains while everybody else frowns.” Treadway finished 52.072 seconds ahead of Gale Stokkers of Centerport, N.Y., who had started seventh in the No. 05 Swift. For Treadway, who averaged 72.934 mph, the result extended a winning streak here to 14 races in a variety of classes. Treadway’s race wasn’t without incident as he spun out in the Inner Loop after a second-lap restart from caution.
Three Formula Vee drivers, all from Horseheads, didn’t fair well in the Group 6 race. David Green and Arnie Carbaugh finished 15th and 16th, respectively, both in Protoforms. Ray Carmody dropped out on lap four with his Mysterian and was credited for 17th.
In the Group 5 GT-1 race, Busch, a 16-year veteran, used his experience in the rain with his No. 05 Olds Cutlass to beat the faster Chevy Corvette driven by Amy Ruman of Kent, Ohio. The race was slowed by three caution periods and shortened to 10 laps, cutting short a late challenge by Ruman as the track dried.
Busch, 60, who started fourth, led by as much as nine seconds while it was raining but won by just .867 seconds. It was the first win this year for Busch, who averaged 59.385 mph.
“Unfortunately, the rain was the equalizer today,” said Ruman, who holds the track record here for fastest lap in her class but was making only her second-ever rain start. “Jack has been around a long time, and he’s got a lot of experience in conditions like this. It’s a gamble in the rain. You just do your best.”
Ruman, the pole-sitter, fell back to third at the start. The 34-year-old was slowed with a fogged windshield.
“She would have won in the dry,” Busch said. “The rain made it tough for everybody. I was just lucky enough to see a little better at the start.”
By the eighth lap, the track was drier and Ruman was able to keep pace with Busch.
“I was trying to be patient before making my move, but unfortunately they shortened the race,” Ruman said.
Tom Brown of Horseheads, driving the No. 69 Chevy Camaro, finished ninth in the A Sedan class and 22nd overall in the Group 5 race.
