Braselton, Ga. (5 November 2012) – Racing on the track where she first broke through for a history making Trans Am victory, Amy Ruman capped off a stellar 2012 Trans Am season with a double podium weekend at Road Atlanta. The strong results in the season-finale double-header event saw Ruman solidify her runner-up finish in the 2012 Trans Am Championship.
The double podium run was a final flourish for Ruman’s already impressive season, having collected seven podium finishes including two victories – New Jersey Motorsports Park and Brainerd International Raceway.
Last year, Ruman became the first woman in history to claim a Trans Am victory when she won at Road Atlanta, and this year the Ohio native had been hoping for a repeat performance at the 2.54-mile road course.
Driving the No. 23 McNichols Co./Goodyear/Cenweld Corvette which has proven to be quick all season long, Ruman was poised to do just that, but some setbacks saw Ruman fighting back to stand on the podium after both events. In Saturday’s 40-lap race, Ruman showed strong speed in the No. 23 and after posting the third quickest time in qualifying, started from inside the second row before taking over the second position during the early stages of the race.
Running in second for most of the race and trying to chase down the leader Tony Ave, her efforts were temporarily thwarted after a quick spin and contact with the wall exiting Turn 5 with nine laps to go. That contact caused some front end damage, but Ruman was able to keep the car going and drive it home to third at the finish.
The result translated into a third place spot on Sunday’s grid, as the qualifying order was set by the finishing results of Race 1. At the start, Ruman advanced to second place in Turn 1, but that didn’t last long. Unfortunately, she spun exiting Turn 7 on Lap 1, and Ruman found herself playing catch up for most of the race. The entire 22 car field went by before Ruman could rejoin the pack, but she made quick work of regaining the lost time on the field – improving to 13th on the second lap and maneuvering through traffic to run ninth on Lap 3.
By the seventh lap, Ruman had moved the No. 23 McNichols Co./Goodyear/Cenweld Corvette into fourth and was running lap times faster than the leaders as she began to dig into the nearly 30-second gap between her and the leaders.
As she closed the gap, Ruman took over the third position on Lap 15 where she would continue to run until a full course caution came out on Lap 27, which was welcomed by the Ruman Racing group as it closed the gap for Ruman and the leaders.
The second place car of Tony Ave hit pit road during the caution period, which moved Ruman into second place for the restart. With the stage set for an eight-lap dash to the finish, rain started to fall on the course, making a valiant battle between Peterson, Ruman, and Ave for the win. The battle was heated with a slick track, and Ruman eventually relinquished the second place position to finish third for her seventh podium result of the year.
“There was a lot on the line this weekend, and it proved to be a tough one for us!” said Ruman. “I was a bit disappointed that I didn’t grab one of the wins this weekend, but at least I was able to finish out the season with two podium thirds and bring home second in the Championship. My crew worked overtime for me this weekend, the whole season for that matter, I couldn’t do it without them! Congratulations to Simon (Gregg) on his championship, and a huge thanks to McNichols Company, Goodyear, and Cenweld for their support this season.”
The Road Atlanta results concluded an outstanding season for Ruman as she added two more victories to her racing resume and claimed her career-best finish in the Trans Am championship.
“We made a big commitment this season to go to the new car, and I think the results back up our decision,” said Ruman. “It can be a risk any time you change equipment, but my team did a fantastic job learning the car and the preparation was outstanding all year long. I’m really grateful to have this kind of group–a great family around me. We had another very strong year, and I think the new management of the Trans Am Race Company did an outstanding job as well. I’m looking forward to continuing to see the Series grow and to keep getting stronger in the future. I can’t believe the season is already over, but we are already working on our plans for 2013!”
Ruman Racing would like to thank McNichols Company and Cenweld Corp. for their support during the 2012 season, as well as the Trans Am organization, and all of our fans that came out to the races.
