Munroe Falls, Ohio – Amy Ruman and team struggled through Round 4 of the Trans Am Series Championship Presented by Pirelli at the 3-Dimensional Motor City 100 race in Detroit this past weekend. It seemed the No. 23 McNichols Co. Corvette was plagued with mechanical issues from the start of Friday morning’s practice. Despite being second fastest in the first practice session, the team found itself with problems after coming back to the paddock.
A clutch and drivetrain issue caused the team to pull the motor before practice 2 started and got it re-assembled just prior to the start of the session. Once on track, however, the car was still having issues forcing Ruman to park it. Due to the tight schedule between sessions, the crew was unable to make the necessary repairs before Friday afternoon qualifying, so Ruman missed the session.
Ruman started the race from the rear of the field and quickly moved up some positions all while battling third through fifth, but ultimately retired from the race early after burning up two spark plug wires that had wedged themselves against the headers.
“Unofficially, I don’t think we have ever missed a qualifying session in all of the years we have been racing…maybe one at the most,” mentioned Ruman. “It was really unexpected to have such a poor outing this weekend, especially after grabbing a second place at Road Atlanta last round. When we pitted during the full course caution, I was hoping Dave (Ruman’s crew chief) could make a quick fix, but we just didn’t have enough time to inspect and find the problem without going a lap down. I re-entered the race but the problem got worse so I decided to come in. We will put this one behind us and off to Indy we go!”
Ruman slid to third in the Championship points standings following the results this weekend. Ernie Francis, Jr. remains in first with 119 points, followed by Vincent Allegretta – 91, Amy Ruman – 89, Tomy Drissi – 78, and Simon Gregg – 77. *Subject to change, results were still provisional at time of release.
Fans can tune into the taped delayed National Television Coverage of both races on CBS Sports Network. The TA race will be 12:00pm ET on Saturday, June 24, 2017 and the TA2 race will be broadcast at 12:00pm ET on Saturday, July 1, 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.
For quick news and updates during race weekends, please follow Ruman Racing and the Trans Am Series on Twitter: @rumanracing and @gotransam. Be sure to “Like” our official pages on Facebook: Ruman Racing, Amy Ruman (Official Fan Page), McNichols Company, and Go Trans Am.
Race Info/Scoring/Results: www.gotransam.com Ruman Racing, Inc., is based in Munroe Falls, Ohio.
