RUHLMAN SIXTH FOR THE START OF
TOMORROW=?ISO-8859-1?B?uQ==?=S ROAD AMERICA 100 TRANS-AM
RACE
RUHLMAN SIXTH FOR THE START OF TOMORROW¹S ROAD AMERICA 100 TRANS-AM RACE
Elkhart Lake, Wisc. (Aug 23) Randy Ruhlman is poised to repeat his last
race podium finish by qualifying sixth for tomorrow¹s Trans-Am race for the
BFGoodrich Tires® Cup. Ruhlman, who finished third at the Trois-Rivieres
Trans-Am race on August 2nd, will be starting on the outside of row three
with a time of 2:09.657. Driving his familiar blue and white #49 Preformed
Line Products/Coyote Closure Chevrolet Corvette, Ruhlman prevailed over his
problems of yesterday, during which his two fast practice sessions were each
cut short and followed by an engine change. Last year, Ruhlman finished
sixth in the 100-mile race at Road America after qualifying eighth.
Today, Ruhlman, the 2002 BBS Wheels ³Most Improved Driver of the Year²,
overcame the uncertainty of an unfamiliar, borrowed motor to further improve
his time in today¹s qualifying by over 0.8 seconds in a red flag shortened
session.. Ruhlman is very optimistic about tomorrow¹s upcoming Trans-Am
race. After qualifying, Ruhlman commented, ³The car really was just
getting good. We had about two more fast laps and we had been coming down
in time fast. I messed up a corner on the lap just after my fast one, and
then was perfect on the next lap, when they threw the red flag and stopped
the session short. I know that I left some time out there, but I also know
that it will be there for the race.²
Ruhlman continued, ³We didn¹t have to changed the car after practice, the
setup was great. The crew did a fantastic and very professional job all
day, changing my motor twice, and my teammate (for the week) Justin Bell¹s
once. Both cars were flawless for qualifying. Tomorrow¹s race is a long
one and it is important to have a car that can make the distance. This
year, for the first time, we are on the 200 soft tires, so tire conservation
will be a big factor at the end of the race. Our setup is good on tires and
fast, so it looks good to get on the podium here. I have been so close too
many times at this track, that I think Road America owes me one
The 25 lap, 101.2-mile race on the 14 turn permanent road course will be run
at 10:45AM CDT tomorrow, Sunday, August 24 and shown at 12:30 EDT on the
Speed Channel..
Ruhlman will be making his 134th start in Trans-Am in a Chevrolet Corvette
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.
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