Munroe Falls, OH - The Ruman Racing team had a slightly
tough weekend at Mid-Ohio. Amy Ruman tried to grab a win to
help her regain the lead in the NE division points battle
as well as get some good practice in for the upcoming Runoffs
in September. Despite Ruman\'s efforts the win was elusive
and 2nd place slipped away.
Ruman qualified 4th on the grid, after having an altercation
with a T-1 Corvette in the second qualifying round on Saturday.
She had a great start and got by Trevor Hopwood for 3rd. The
trio of Ruman, Phil Lasco, and Hopwood battled closely for
third, fourth, and fifth. But Ruman held the 3rd place position
and gained ground on 2nd place driver Bret Moyer. Ruman passed
Moyer for 2nd going into turn one and steadily closed the
gap to about 2 seconds on race leader Tom Sloe. With about
6 laps to go, Ruman messed up a downshift and headed into
the grass near the keyhole. She was able to continue but had
to pit to clear the grill. She gained a spot in the final
laps to finish 6th.
\"Wow, another heartbreaker for me. It was a great race
with Lasco and Hopwood. Those guys were really putting on
the pressure. When I gathered up 2nd from Moyer I thought
I might have a shot at the win. Unfortunately, I made a driver
error and went off. If I wouldn\'t have had to pit, I might
have caught the pack again, but it was too late in the race.
I felt really bad for the guys on my team, they put the car
back together for me after the T-1 innocent in qualifying.
This one just got away from me,\" exclaimed Ruman.
Ruman will be heading to the double National at Pocono this
weekend to wrap up her season before the National Runoffs
in September. The tight points race in the GT-1 Northeast
Division could change between Busch, Ruman, and Thummel after
the finial two races at Pocono. Ruman hopes to move ahead
for 1st but at least hold on to 2nd.
On Deck: Amy Ruman in GT-1 and Niki Ruman in SRF at the August
20-21 SCCA Double National at Pocono International Raceway,
PA