Following a month-long break in Trans Am competition, Amy Ruman is more than ready for her return to race action this weekend as the Trans Am Series travels to the fabled Road America, WI circuit for the sixth round of the 2012 championship.
After scoring her second career Trans Am victory at New Jersey Motorsports Park earlier this year with the No. 23 McNichols Co./Goodyear/Cenweld Corvette, Ruman will look to score her fifth consecutive podium of the year and her second win of the season this weekend.
Ruman, who became the first woman in history to win a Trans Am race at Road Atlanta last year, has not always had luck on her side at the 4-mile permanent road course located in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. But with the opportunity to close in on the championship title in her sights, she hopes to turn that luck around with a win in Friday’s 100-mile race.
Though Ruman has plenty of podium experience at the historic Road America facility – having raced both Trans Am and GT-1 at the circuit since 2008 – she is still chasing her first victory at the track.
With a high finish of second in GT-1 and third at the SCCA National Runoffs in 2010, a variety of unfortunate mechanical issues have prevented the Ohio racer from netting the results she’s been capable of at Road America. With her previous best Trans Am finish of third at the track in 2010, Ruman will look to utilize both her experience at the famous venue and the performance of the new No. 23 Corvette for a strong finish as she rides a wave of momentum into Friday’s event with four consecutive podiums already under her belt.
“Road America is a classic track and it just brings a smile to a driver’s face, especially when you get to race with something as fast as these Trans Am cars,” said Ruman, who with her Ruman Racing crew behind her has quickly adapted to the team’s new Corvette machine. “I’ve had some good days and some tough finishes up at Elkhart, and hopefully this weekend is a good one! The first half of the racing season was really intense, so it’s been good to have a little bit of a break, and of course now everyone is anxious to get back to racing!”
Ruman is currently second in the championship standings with 131 points – just nine points out of the top spot. A large field of 28 cars is expected for Friday’s race, which is the largest of the year with 13 cars taking part in the Trans Am class. The deep field of talent will make it all the more important for Ruman to qualify well and run a strong race to capture maximum points as she keeps her eyes toward the championship title.
The Trans Am event is held in conjunction with the American Le Mans Series and will kick off with a promoter test day Wednesday, August 15. Official practice will take place on Thursday morning with a 30-minute qualifying session set for Thursday at 12:15 PM (ET). The 25-lap, 100-mile race will begin at 9:00 AM (ET) on Friday, August 17.