Winners!

© David Nickerson / RumBum.com

Drivers at the Fresh From Florida 200 got a swift kick in the bumper as the Rum Bum Race Team exploded onto the scene and sped away with victory on Friday at Daytona. The event was the inaugural race of the GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge and also the debut of the Bacardi/Plumb driving duo. And the pair just went from the new team to the team to beat. Things could not have gone better for these Rum Bums, especially Gian Bacardi who just walked away with a win in his first pro ever pro race.

“I thought it was going to take a couple more months to get the car into place,” said Bacardi, who celebrates his 20th birthday in a few short days. “I just thought it was going to take a while to tune the car and get everything right. I guess we did it in a short period of time and it worked.”

Rum Bum’s No. 13 car, a E92 BMW M3 wrapped in cool blues and fiery reds, blazed through the 200 laps at an average of 93.455 mph. Taking the wheel first, Bacardi took his challengers by storm as he dashed into the top 10 pool. Though he could have passed the laps over to his co-driver then – Matt Plumb, the Rum Bum Race Team coach and veteran pro driver – Bacardi, the newest big name in pro race car driving didn’t leave the driver’s seat until he had whooshed into second place.

“I think my proudest moment was seeing Gian doing as well as he did in the race under such pressure,” Plumb beamed. “That was a huge accomplishment for me as a coach.” After a couple brief setbacks in the pit after Plumb took over, he continued to come from behind to take the lead. With 30 minutes left in the race, another pit stop left Rum Bum in 10th – but not for long.  With only 10 minutes left, Plumb charged ahead once more to hold fast in 3rd before finally overtaking the top two drivers for a climactic win by a tenth of a second. The Rum Bum Race Team polished off the arduous 200 laps with a time of 1:49.825.

“One of the key components to our success was Joe Varde,” Plumb said of their Crew Chief. “I mean the car was brilliant. There’s a little magic out there, but most of the magic happens in the car.”  Whether it be magic, mechanics, or the tireless months preparing for this race, Bacardi and Plumb just ignited this series Rum Bum style.

You can watch the Rum Bum victory when the SPEED Channel runs the Fresh From Florida 200 at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday, February 13. The next race in the series is March 5th and 6th at the Homestead-Miami Speedway. Go Team!

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