July 21, 2002 – RUMAN RUNNING WELL IN 7TH WHEN BRAKES FAIL AT CAPITAL TRANS-AM 100
Washington, D.C. – The inaugural Capital Trans-Am 100, Cadillac Grand Prix of Washington this past weekend was a hot thriller. Bob Ruman in the Cenweld/McNichols Corvette was coming on strong when a brake failure cut short his race.
Ruman qualified 12th on Friday and then ran the 9th fastest time in the final practice session. Ruman had a good start in the race and worked his way up to 7th from his starting position of 12th. On lap 24, however, the right rear brake caliper became so hot, a brake piston seal blew out and all the rear brake fluid was lost.
“The Cenweld/McNichols Corvette was strong,” said Ruman. “Everything was coming together nicely. The car had been handling well and we had improved our times every session, including the race.”
“I was pacing the car early in the race. On lap 24, when I entered the braking zone for the chicane, the brake pedal went all the way to the floor. I pumped it again, but there wasn?t much there. With no rear brakes, the front brakes immediately locked and there was no steering. It was only ‘hello tires.’ Fortunately, the tires were very deep there. As a testament to the strength of the Trans-Am cars, it seems that the damage was confined to the front end of the car and didn’t really hurt the engine or chassis. Sometimes it’s that $2.00 part that fails and that’s the end of the race. I also found out the hard way that the HANS device I’ve been using for over a year now works very well. We’ve already begun repairs so that we can make Trois Rivieres in two weeks.”
“I liked the track a lot, the design is good and the track condition was superior; the organizers did an incredible job. We saw large numbers of fans at the track on both Friday and Saturday, despite extremely hot temperatures. The Washington fans were very enthusiastic and supportive of this extremely exciting inaugural Capital Trans-Am 100.”
Ruman is currently 13th in the Trans-Am Series Point Standings.
On Deck – Trans-Am Race – Saturday, August 4, Trois Rivieres,
