Ruhlman set to defend 2nd place finish at Trois Rivieres Trans-Am

CHEVROLET CORVETTE DRIVER RANDY RUHLMAN SET TO DEFEND PODIUM AT
TROIS-RIVIERES TRANS-AM, SIGHTS SET ON WIN

 

Greensboro, NC (July 30)  -- The 2002 Trans-Am Series ³Most Improved Driver
of the Year² Randy Ruhlman returns this weekend to defend his second place
finish at the street course in Trois-Rivieres, Quebec, Canada.  Ruhlman, the
highest finishing driver returning from last year, is poised to take his
first win at Trois Rivieres, one of his favorite tracks on the circuit.

 

         Ruhlman, who finished second last year at Trois Rivieres to his Tom
Gloy Racing Corvette teammate Butch Leitzinger, is ready to take the next
step and get his first win at Trois-Rivieres in his familiar blue and white
#49 Preformed Line Products Canada/Coyote Closure Chevrolet Corvette.
Ruhlman calls Trois-Rivieres, ³overall one of my favorite tracks and venues
in the Trans-Am Series².

 

 ³Whether it¹s the track, or the excitement the city generates, this race is
always one that I look forward to year after year.  We have always been fast
here and have always run well, even if we have had our share of final lap
disappointments.  Last year was a truly great moment in my racing career
with Butch and me on the podium together.  And that is a factor too,
confidence breeds confidence. I know I can win a race, and I know I can do
well here,² states Ruhlman.

 

         ³We did some significant testing in the Corvette at Omaha last week
and learned a great deal,² continues Ruhlman. ³We went a lot faster and had
a much better car than we had, even at Cleveland.  There, I believe, we had
a podium car, but I managed to get into every incident around, so we had to
settle for sixth.  For Trois-Rivieres, Jim Derhaag and the team have been
working exceptionally hard to try to improve the car.  This test showed what
we are capable of doing.²

 

³I have a great deal of faith in this car now and in what I can do with it,²
remarks Randy Ruhlman.  ³We have a fantastic team and we are growing
together.  I can¹t say enough about the efforts they have made to get us up
front.  I have confidence in what I can do at Trois Rivieres, and I am
confident that the car is ready to be in the Winner¹s Circle.²

 

Ruhlman has moved steadily forward in overall driver¹s championship points
and is currently seventh at the halfway point in the season.  The race at
Trois-Rivieres will be the 133rd start for the Greensboro, North Carolina
driver in the Trans-Am Series for the BFGoodrich Cup.

 

The 66-lap, 100 mile Trans-Am race will be run on Saturday, August 2nd at
1PM and televised LIVE on SPEED channel at 1 PM EDT.  The track is a 1.52
mile, nine turn temporary street course located in the town of Trois
Rivieres, about an hour east of Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

 

The Trans-Am series took several weeks off from official racing before
beginning this August swing of races that begins with Le Grand Prix du Trois
Rivieres on August 2nd.  This race is followed by Road America on the 24th,
and immediately to Denver with CART on August 31st.

 

Preformed Line Products Canada is looking forward to entertaining its guests
and long time supporters at the Saturday race at Trois Rivieres.  Preformed
Line Products Canada is located in Cambridge, Ontario, Canada.

 

Ruhlman's Chevrolet Corvette is fielded this year by the Minneapolis-based,
Derhaag Motorsports team, led by former Trans-Am driver Jim Derhaag.  Jim
Derhaag himself made 150 starts as a driver in the Trans-Am Series before
his successful move to full time ownership in 1998.  The team has fielded
many successful drivers, including top Trans-Am drivers Justin Bell, Kenny
Wilden, Tony Ave, Dorsey Schroeder, Chris Neville and Darin Brassfield.

 

Preformed Line Products (PLP) is an international manufacturer and supplier
of hardware and support systems for the communications and energy
industries.  Products include the COYOTE Closure and GUY-GRIP Dead-End used
in the telecommunications, cable and energy industries. Manufacturing
facilities are located worldwide in the USA, Canada, China, Brazil, Mexico,
England, Spain, South Africa, Australia and Japan.