Randy Ruhlman ready to start the 2004 Trans-Am Season at Long
Beach Grand Prix Opener
Long Beach, CA (April 12, 2004) -- The Long Beach Grand Prix has been a
favorite event for top Trans-Am driver Randy Ruhlman, who also considers
this track to be one of the most challenging on the circuit. The 2002
Trans-Am Series ³Most Improved Driver of the Year², Ruhlman returns to the
streets of Long Beach for the opening race of the 2004 Motorock Trans-Am
Series. His first race here was in 1990 as a rookie in Trans-Am and Ruhlman
has competed here in Trans-Am almost every year since. Ruhlman who finished
sixth in Driver¹s Championship last year is poised to get his first win at
his favorite track in the familiar blue and white Preformed Line
Products/Coyote Closure Chevrolet Corvette.
Ruhlman calls Long Beach ³one of the best tracks and events on
the Trans-Am circuit². ³Whether it is the track, or the excitement the city
generates, this race is one that I look forward to year after year. We¹re
always very fast here and show well, even if we have had our share of final
lap disappointments,² states Ruhlman. ³And that is a factor too, Confidence
breeds Confidence. I know I can win a race, and I know I can do well here
in Long Beach.²
Always running near the front, Ruhlman has had his share of excitement and
close races at the Long Beach Grand Prix over the years. Running third on
the final lap with Chris Neville and John Miller in 2001, Ruhlman was
crashed out in the final corners, as Neville and Miller bounced off the
walls, after hitting each other. All three ended up blocking the track,
ending everyone¹s day. Ruhlman finished 4th in his back-up car in 1998, and
his sixth place finish in 2002 was the beginning of a streak of top finishes
of eighth or better in the first ten races that year for Ruhlman.
³I have a great deal of faith in this car and in what I can do with it
here,² remarks Ruhlman. ³We have a fantastic team and we have grown
together. I can¹t say enough about the efforts they have made to get us up
front. I have a great deal of confidence in what I can do at Long Beach,
and also have great confidence that the car is ready to be in the Winner¹s
Circle.²
³I am excited once again to be part of Trans-Am and to be back with my team
from last year, Derhaag Motorsports. We are out here to win races and be on
the podium each and every race. The fact that we have the same people
working together again, I believe is the winning combination in Trans-Am
this year.
Randy Ruhlman¹s accomplishments on the racetrack are noteworthy.
He finished sixth overall in the Driver¹s Championship in 2003 and was
seventh overall in 2002 with a second (and a 3rd in 2003) at Trois Rivieres
and third at Miami. He was named the 2002 ³BBS Wheels Most Improved Driver
of the Year and Randy Ruhlman is sixth overall in Top Ten finishes in
Trans-Am history.
Before the race cars take to the track at Long Beach, top drivers in the
2004 Trans-Am Series for the BFGoodrich Tires Cup will be signing autographs
as part of the street festival, ³Thunder on Pine Street² on Thursday
evening. Live music, radio station remote broadcasts, show cars and
racecars, and a pit stop competition will add to the pre-race activities.
The Trans-Am cars will begin competition at 12:30 PM Friday for the first of
three practice sessions. Qualifying will be held at 9AM on Saturday, and
the race will immediately follow the Champ Car event on Sunday afternoon.
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.
