Munroe Falls, Ohio – Round 8 of the Trans Am Championship Presented by Pirelli 2023 SpeedTour did not go according to plan for the Ruman Racing team last weekend at Watkins Glen International (WGI), NY.
Ruman and the team were excited to be back to racing at her favorite track Watkins Glen International, NY, but sadly she faced multiple mechanical issues throughout the weekend. A hose failure caused an overheating issue on Ruman’s primary ECR R07 engine during Thursday morning testing, so the team swapped it out to an older backup SB2 engine. After sorting through a few more issues, she qualified the No. 23 McNichols Chevrolet Corvette seventh for Saturday’s race. After completing six laps, the backup engine started running hot as well, causing Ruman to retire very early from the race.
“We battled problems all weekend, unfortunately its racing you know. We lost a motor on Thursday and now this one was running hot too, we don’t know what the issues are yet, this is an old backup so we knew it was a gamble. The McNichols team was awesome this weekend, I mean they worked their tails off and I wanted to at least try and get a finish. The points race was so tight with us, but we didn’t have good luck this weekend. I love this track and I was glad it dried up for us but regrettably this McNichols 23 didn’t last today,” remarked Ruman during the live MAVTV telecast of the race.
Due to the short turnaround in between races and supply chain parts issues, Ruman is not likely to be able to participate in the upcoming TA race at World Wide Technology Raceway, St. Louis, MO Sept. 23, 2023, effectively hindering her chances at landing a second or third place in the Championship points race.
After Round 8, Chris Dyson leads TA National class championship with 802 points, followed by Tomy Drissi in second – 661, David Pintaric in third – 645, Amy Ruman is fourth – 628, and Justin Marks is fifth – with 599 points.
SPONSOR: 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 | sales@mcnichols.com
OMP Racing, Inc., OMP Racing is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of racing safety equipment and tuning accessories with a catalog of over 3,000 different items. Operating from a technologically advanced 80,000 sqft facility in Italy, OMP products are renowned for its quality, the meticulous attention to details that is constantly challenged by setting higher standards. For products and information visit ompamerica.com or ompsport.com.
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Ruman Racing, Inc., is based in Munroe Falls, Ohio.
