August 12, 2003 – Munroe Falls, OH – Final standings for the Trans-Am Grand Prix de Trois-Rivieres on August 2 have been revised. As a result of these revisions, Bob Ruman moves up to finish in 9th position from 11th.

According the Trans-Am Series, “The penalties, levied against Tomy Drissi (No. 5 Jaguar XKR) and Joey Scarallo (No. 06 Chevrolet Corvette), were the result of violation of rule 2.10 in the Trans-Am Series General Regulations and Technical Specifications: “Ground Clearance” found in post-race inspection. Drissi and Scarallo will be moved to the bottom of the results, with a notation stating “excluded from results.” In addition, neither driver will receive Drivers’ or Team Owners’ points or prize money for the Trois-Rivières event. The rest of the field moves up as a result. The penalties were adjusted to conform to the precedence set in the Trans-Am Series for previous violations of technical specifications.”

Next Race – Road America, August 24, which will be shown at 12:30 on Speed.

August 05, 2003 – Trois Rivieres, Quebec – Bob Ruman finished 11th at le Grand Prix de Trois-Rivieres on Saturday.

“The first two practice sessions went well on Friday,” said Ruman. ” We were in the top-10 all day and the crew gave me a car that handled extremely well. The setup was right on and we’d solved a minor problem with the brake bias control before qualifying. About five laps into qualifying, I brushed the wall with the right front wheel and it bent the tie-rod end and the wheel. Fortunately it didn’t hurt the tire, but it did put a halt to the possibility of turning a faster lap, so I had to settle for 10th spot in qualifying. I felt we probably could have qualified at least in 8th, where we were in Saturday morning’s practice”

Ruman started in 9th for the race, after a competitor moved to the back after an engine change. The race started with everyone getting through turn one neatly and then settling down with Ruman in 9th behind Max Lagod. About 7 laps in, the crew noticed wisps of smoke coming from the right rear wheel as the McNichols/Cenweld Corvette came down the pit-straight. Finally, with the smoke refusing to cease, the crew chief called Ruman into the pits to investigate. The crew removed the right rear wheel and found brake fluid getting on the rotor. It was an extremely minor seep, but a tiny bit of fluid was hitting the hot rotor each time the brakes were applied. The crew resolved that problem and sent Ruman on his way. Unfortunately, they had lost three laps (the field was turning one minute, five-second laps, so three minutes in the pits equals three laps down).

Ruman settled back and worked on running consistent, yet quick laps, while keeping an eye on the brakes. After 5 laps or so, he began to work the brakes harder and consistently turned his fastest times of the weekend. Ruman then tracked down and passed several competitors and picked up the lap that separated him from 11th place and passed him. Tenth place was two laps ahead, so there was no way for Ruman to pick him off in the laps remaining, even though Ruman was going three seconds a lap faster.

“It was pretty disappointing,” said Ruman, “to have a car that was this good and then to have it undone by such a minor problem. The car was really strong right to the end, but we couldn’t overcome the lost laps. The positive note here, though, is that it seems we’ve finally found a solution to the chronic push we’ve been wrestling with for a time. The car was very nicely balanced and no longer punishing the tires, which is always the biggest concern at a tight track like this one. I really love street courses, and this remains one of my favorites.”

“The Canadian fans are amazing; the people who come here year after year are respectful and knowledgeable and so enthusiastic. It makes it a lot of fun to run here. Now we will set our sites on Road America where we can really wind our cars up. “

Next Race – Road America August 23

July 31, 2003 – Munroe Falls, OH – Bob Ruman returns to le Grand Prix de Trois-Rivieres with the Trans-Am Series this weekend. The last two times the Trans-Am Series was at Trois-Rivieres in 2002 and 1999, Ruman finished 4th. The Trois-Rivieres street race is a 1.5 mile, 10 turn circuit. Saturday’s 66-lap, 100-mile race will be broadcast live on Speed Channel beginning at 1:00pm ET.

“Trois-Rivieres is most definitely one of my favorite street races,” said Ruman. ”The entire city treats race-car drivers and teams with such enthusiasm and we really appreciate the incredible turn-out for the race weekend. Our team always looks forward to coming to Quebec and we know that it will be an exciting Trans-Am race. We are eager to get the McNichols/Cenweld Corvette on the track and we’ll be shooting for another top-4 finish here at Trois-Rivieres. ”

Television – Le Grand Prix de Trois-Rivieres will be shown Live on Speed Channel at 1:00pm (ET)

July 10, 2003 – Munroe Falls, OH – Bob Ruman was more than happy to be back at the track to compete at the BFGoodrich Trans-Am on the Tarmac Cleveland Grand Prix race on July fourth. Ruman started the race in 15th and finished 14th, having run as high as 11th during the race.

“We had a number of challenges this weekend. It felt great to be back in the car and working to find the right combination. During the race, I was able to make some definite progress moving up the field until we encountered some wiring and engine issues mid-race. We pitted and were able to correct the problems to some degree, enough to continue to the final lap. In spite of the motor problem, we were still doing quite well until a competitor misjudged his turn in and ran over my nose, causing some fairly extensive suspension and steering damage. Nevertheless, it was great to be racing.“

“The tremendous support from the racing community and from our local fans was amazing. It looks like we will try to make Trois-Rivieres in August.”

“Thanks again to our sponsors, McNichols Co., Cenweld Corp., and Cleveland Hard Facing, Inc.”

July 02, 2003 – Three Regional Sponsors on Board –
McNichols Co., Cenweld Corp., and Cleveland Hard Facing

Munroe Falls, OH – Racing is just part and parcel of hometown driver, Bob Ruman, who will be competing on Burke Lakefront Airport’s Grand Prix circuit for the 8th consecutive year with the BFGoodrich Trans-Am Series during the Cleveland Grand Prix Fourth of July weekend. Ruman is a regular driver in the Trans-Am Series and has raced in a variety of series throughout the Ohio region all his life. The Cleveland Grand Prix will also be a return of sorts for Ruman during an unusual season.

Shortly after the February Trans-Am season opener in St. Petersburg, Ruman was diagnosed with kidney cancer. He was forced to put his Trans-Am season on hold for the first time in 8 years. But today, thanks to the hard work of doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals at Akron General Medical Center and the Cleveland Clinic, Ruman is now cancer-free.

“As is often the case with cancer, the diagnosis came from out of the blue,” explains Ruman. “We were stunned. I had been feeling fine, racing, working, and everything seemed normal. But in the span of two weeks, I became ill and was hospitalized, with tests being conducted continuously. It turns out, Northeast Ohio is a fantastic place to live if you have a problem such as mine. A team of doctors was able to speedily diagnose and operate to remove my infected kidney. The Cleveland Clinic has the top laproscopic kidney operating team in the country and I am extremely impressed with their skill and technological capabilities.“

“My doctors have released me to go racing again and I am thrilled that my first race back is the Cleveland Grand Prix. This is one of the most exciting races on the circuit. The Cleveland fans are incredibly supportive of Trans-Am, and the race is always one of, if not the best, of the weekend.”

“I am extremely pleased to have my Northeast Ohio sponsors returning for the Cleveland race. McNichols Co. is a national distributor of steel products based in Tampa, Florida with service centers around the country, including Cleveland. Cenweld Corp. is a well-established manufacturer and distributor of truck bodies and equipment throughout Ohio and is based in Cuyahoga Falls. Cleveland Hard Facing, Inc. has also come on board for the third year as an associate sponsor for the Cleveland race. Cleveland Hard Facing is a leader in the development and application of high temperature metal alloys and ceramics as overlays on custom fabricated parts.

The Trans-Am race will start at 5:40pm July 4, with practice and qualifying on July 3. The race will be telecast tape-delay on Speed Channel Sunday, July 6 at 3:30pm (ET).