Randy Ruhlman gets another Top Ten finish at Long Beach Grand Trans-Am Race

Long Beach, Calif. (April 18, 2004)  -- The 2002 Trans-Am Series ³Most
Improved Driver of the Year², Randy Ruhlman got another top ten Trans-Am
finish on the streets of Long Beach at todayıs 45 lap race of the 1.968-mile
11-turn track. Narrowly avoiding a first turn crash, Ruhlman in the familiar
blue and white Preformed Line Products/Coyote Closure Chevrolet Corvette,
had moved up by the end of the first lap into fifth place from his 11th
place starting position.  Ruhlman maintained position, falling back only
when he lost second gear at Lap 36, eventually holding on to finish tenth in
the first race of the 2004 Motorock Trans-Am Series.

 

³I saw the wreak happening in Turn 1 and went to the inside and managed to
just stop.  I got bumped from behind, but it was minor.  I was able to run
well and knew that we were right there for the podium, but after half way, I
went for second gear and it just wasnıt there.  It took me a couple of laps
to get the hang of how to go fast without second gear, but once I did I was
able to make up for lost position and turn some really fast times.
Eventually though, the Weisman transmission just got stuck and I was forced
to come in.  The guys did a good job getting us back out there, but by that
time I had lost a lot of laps. Itıs great to get another Top Ten finish, but
there was definitely a Top Five, if not podium there, so it is tough to
take. This was really disappointing for me today,² said Ruhlman.

 

The Long Beach Grand Prix has been a favorite event for driver Randy
Ruhlman, who first raced here as a Trans-Am rookie in 1990.  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 everyoneıs day.
Ruhlman finished 4th in his back-up car in 1998, and his sixth place finish
in 2002 with Tom Gloy Racing was the beginning of a streak of top finishes
of eighth or better in the first ten races that year for Ruhlman.

 

The race was shown Live on HD Net Television and will air on a tape-delayed
basis at 10 a.m. on Sunday, April 25 on Spike TV, during ³Dangerous Curves.

 

            Randy Ruhlmanıs accomplishments on the racetrack are noteworthy.
He finished sixth overall in the Driverıs 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.

 

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.

 
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