Munroe Falls, Ohio – A solid weekend showing for Amy Ruman and the team last weekend in Rounds 8 & 9 of the Trans Am by Pirelli SpeedTour at Watkins Glen International (WGI), NY. The weekend featured a double race format combining all classes together to run in both races.
With sunny skies and perfect racing temperatures prevailing all weekend, testing started out on the tough side for Ruman. Mechanical issues arose during the second session, consequentially missing the only official practice session Friday morning before evening qualifying. The crew worked on fixing the issue just in time to make the 5:35pm qualifying session.
With limited track time, Ruman qualified the No. 23 McNichols/Cornertech Chevrolet Corvette in ninth place for race one Saturday afternoon. Race one started out with lots of action throughout the field, with Ruman making advances throughout the race. She ultimately took the checkered flag in fourth, but some post-race penalty assessments moved her up to third in the final results.
“We were really happy with our results today in race one after having some mechanical issues in testing and missing practice,” said Ruman. “The crew worked diligently to get the No. 23 back in action just in time for qualifying. I started P9 and kept my nose clean and took the checkered in fourth. There was some controversy upfront near the end of the race, and I was just informed that we moved into third place after some penalties were assessed. It’s not normally how I like to get onto the podium, but that’s racing, and we’ll take it,” remarked Ruman.
Qualifying for race two was set by fast lap times in race one, and Ruman would be positioned in sixth for the start of the race. Ruman had another great start moving her up to fifth place. Great battles continued throughout race two. Ruman made her way into third but could not hold off Guy Smith in the No. 21 Ford Mustang resulting in a fourth place finish. With two solid finishes, she moves up to forth in the championship points battle.
The Series continues to VIRginia International Raceway (VIR) in Danville, VA. Sept for Round 10 in the 2021 Championship. Trans Am is running in conjunction with SVRA’s Gold Cup event, part of the SpeedTour. Forty-eight competitors are entered across all classes for the weekend at the 18 turn, 3.27-mile renowned road course, with twelve running in Ruman’s TA class. Testing, practices, and qualifying will take place Thursday through Sunday. Both races will be held on Sunday September 26th, the TA/XGT/SGT/GT at 11:05am ET, followed by the TA2® race feature race at 3:35pm ET, 31-laps. Races will be LIVE STREAMED on the Trans Am by Pirelli Racing App. Visit vir.com, gotransam.com, speedtour.net, svra.com for tickets, schedules, and all other weekend information.
After Rounds 8 & 9 at Watkins Glen, Chris Dyson leads in the TA class championship with 267 points, followed by Tomy Drissi in second – 221, Ernie Francis Jr. in third – 204, Amy Ruman in fourth – 172, Ken Thwaits sits in fifth – 171, Simon Gregg in sixth – 138.
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Ruman Racing, Inc., is based in Munroe Falls, Ohio.
