Ruhlman fifth for tomorrow's Trans-Am race in Puerto Rico

RUHLMAN QUALIFIES FIFTH FOR INAUGUARAL GRAND PRIX OF PUERTO RICO

 

San Juan, Puerto Rico (Oct 25)  -- Randy Ruhlman will be starting fifth for
the Trans-Am race at the inaugural Grand Prix of Puerto Rico tomorrow.  This
will be the final race of the eleven race 2003 season of the Motorock
Trans-Am Tour for the BFGoodrich Tires® Cup.

 

         Ruhlman was able to put together a time of 1:06.540 on the 1.6
mile, ten turn track.  łThe track is still a bit slippery.  We have been
doing some extensive work on the setup and went out for qualifying trying
something that we hoped would work.  We were pretty excited about things
after the first session, but we went backwards in the second session and
were incredibly loose everywhere,˛ says Ruhlman.  łWe fixed that for
qualifying and have a decent setup now for the race.˛

 

         łOne thing I think will happen out here during the race is that
about halfway through the race, setup wonąt really matter.  It is going to
be a battle of survival, of being able to stay on track, pass without
getting hit, and just being able to stay alive for the whole race.  The
track surface is a bit sandy, and it can be a bit hard to see when the sun
is on the windshield.  I think we are ok for the race, but with 11 rookies
out there and some intense points battles, it could get interesting.˛

 

         It will indeed be a tough battle this weekend, as four drivers have
little to lose in trying to get to that coveted fifth place in the Driverąs
Championship.  Ruhlman is poised just twelve points from fifth in the
series.  Randy Ruhlman has 168 points and is currently seventh. Bobby Sak
overtook Ruhlman at Miami, when Ruhlman scored out of the points after an
early mishap with the wall.

 

Moving into sole possession of fifth today with 180 points, Bobby Sak gained
two points today for his second fast qualifying at Puerto Rico.  Sak,
though, crashed after turning in his fast time, and will either fix that car
or start at the back in a backup car.  Stu Hayner is sitting in sixth with
178 points, but is not racing this event. A win is worth 30 points and fifth
is 21 points, with the points descending by one thereafter. There are also
bonus points for the top three in qualifying and for leading a lap.

 

The inaugural Grand Prix of Puerto Rico is set to begin on Sunday at 2 PM
AST, and will be run Live on SPEED at 1PM EST.  Round Eleven is the final
race of the 2003 season and is scheduled for 63 laps and a 100.8 mile
distance. 

 

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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.