Sebring, Fla. (11 March 2014) – The next chapter in Luis Bacardi’s Rum Bum Racing history will be written this Saturday as the team takes on the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh From Florida. The outing marks the team’s first-ever IMSA TUDOR United SportsCar Championship effort as the Florida-based team takes on a new challenge with a step up to the bigs in the 62nd running of the 12 Hour.

Drivers Jan Heylen, Madison Snow, and Matt Plumb tested the No. 13 Rum Bum Racing Porsche GT America machine at Sebring last month and are eager to get back to the track this week for Saturday’s huge event. After a late change to driver rankings last week by IMSA, Rum Bum Racing has added Hugh Plumb to the driving line up for the Sebring race.

“It appears that nepotism is alive and well at Rum Bum Racing,” joked Matt Plumb. “Adding Hugh to the lineup wasn’t about that, he will be a great addition to the team. We got word about my driver rating situation very late in the game, but we were lucky that someone able, and close to the team could be called up. I am glad to have Hugh be a part of this effort because he’s got a ton of experience in these cars and in long races and we know he can get the job done.”

Hugh Plumb raced with the squad in the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge season-opener, bringing home a fourth place finish with Kaz Grala.

“After competing against this team for so many years, it was great to get the chance to drive for Rum Bum Racing at Daytona and now I’m really grateful for this opportunity at Sebring,” said Hugh Plumb. “I was so impressed with the depth of talent on this team and I think that’s going to be key this weekend. Even though this is Rum Bum Racing’s first-ever Sebring 12 Hour, I can’t think of any other group that I’d want behind me.”

The Sebring outing sees the Heylen/Snow duo looking to build on their season-opening run to the GTD podium at Daytona as the two Porsche aces join Rum Bum Racing with technical support from Wright Motorsports.

“Well we were at Daytona to win and finished third and now we’re here for the same reason—to win,” said Heylen. “I think we have the tools, team, and drivers to do that with but we’re a little dependent on the series and the BOP (Balance of Performance) and we’ll see what the other cars are doing. As far as I’m concerned we have a good team, good drivers and if everything is fair and well then that’s what we’ll need to win the race.

“Working with Rum Bum Racing has been great and I hope we just do well,” said Snow, who won the 2013 Porsche GT3 USA by Yokohama championship. “We’ll get the car figured out and then get back down here for the race and just look for a strong finish.”

Rum Bum Racing will take to the track on Thursday, March 13 for the first official practice session, with the group slated to reveal a dynamic new livery on Wednesday.

Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh From Florida
Round 2
2014 IMSA TUDOR United SportsCar Championship

Thursday, March 14
9:55 AM-10:55 AM      Practice
4:05 PM-5:05 PM        Practice
8:00 PM-9:30 PM        Practice

Friday, March 15
9:55 AM-10:55 AM        Practice
4:10 PM                        Qualifying

Saturday, March 16
8:00 AM-8:25 AM        Warm Up
10:15 AM-10:15 PM    Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh From Florida

The post Rum Bum Racing Takes to Sebring For TUDOR Debut appeared first on Rum Bum Racing.

Sebring, Fla. (21 February 2014) – Rum Bum Racing quickly got up to speed in IMSA testing at Sebring International Raceway on Thursday and Friday as the team not only tested its No. 13 Rum Bum Racing Porsche in Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge competition but also made its on track debut in the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship.

Rum Bum Racing Team Manager and driver Matt Plumb teamed with Madison Snow and Jan Heylen in the No. 13 Porsche GT America as the trio are set to contest the Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring in the GT Daytona (GTD) class.

Working through a variety of different set-ups on the Porsche, Rum Bum Racing logged plenty of laps during Thursday morning’s test session and was prepared take what the team had learned and apply it during the afternoon session. Traffic is sure to be a major factor on the challenging 3.74-mile circuit at race time, and the team got an unfortunate preview of that on Thursday. Heading into the hairpin, that traffic came into play as an LMPC machine brought too much speed and ambition into the corner, braking hard to make up for it but only succeeding in spinning directly into Plumb’s path as he had no where to go and took a hard hit from the Prototype machine.

Damage to the right front of the car forced the team to sit out the remainder of the session. Undeterred, the Rum Bum group made the necessary repairs and was ready to return right back to the testing plan Friday morning.

“We’re just getting used to the track and the car so it was interesting to see what the car could do here at Sebring,” said Snow. “It went well yesterday until we had the incident but the good thing is that it was at the end of the day so it didn’t ruin the entire day. But the guys got the car fixed and got everything going again and we’re just working on the car to make it better for the 12 Hours of Sebring. It’s been awesome working with Rum Bum – everyone works well together and it’s been really good.”

“We had a little bit of a setback yesterday – it’s too bad that these things happen in practice,” added Heylen. “But the team made a good recovery this morning and we had a good session and tried a few things that all worked so I’m excited. Overall, it was a good test. I’m very excited to be here with Madison (Snow) and I think we have a good line-up for the race. The team is just blending together well and Matt (Plumb) has really done a good job in the car – it’s not an easy car to drive so he’s been doing great.”

After running among the top-10 in the first and third test sessions, Rum Bum Racing had hoped to carry that positive momentum through the fourth and final TUDOR session of the test but unfortunately an engine issue just seven laps in saw the team’s day end early.

Rum Bum Racing will return to its Orlando, Florida-based shop to continue to make improvements to the Porsche GT America machine in preparation for the Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring.

The squad also made solid progress in Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge testing with both Plumb and co-driver Nick Longhi taking laps in the No. 13 Porsche.

“It was a good few days for us here at Sebring,” said Plumb. “Everyone has meshed well together and we learned a lot in a short amount of time. It was great to start to get a feel for this new Porsche 911 GT America. Jan and Madison were great to work with and even though we were frustrated to get hit yesterday, it was a great test overall and now we know what we need to focus on in the next few weeks to be ready to go when we come back. It is another race in Mr. Bacardi’s home state, and we’re really motivated to do well in both races. ”

Rum Bum Racing will be back in race action in three weeks when the group returns to Sebring International Raceway for its TUDOR debut and for the second round of the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge championship as Rum Bum pursues its third consecutive championship title.

The post Rum Bum Racing Up to Speed in Sebring Testing appeared first on Rum Bum Racing.

Snow, Heylen, and Plumb set for IMSA GTD effort

Orlando, Fla. (19 February 2014) – Luis Bacardi’s Rum Bum Racing will return to the top level of IMSA Racing when the team makes its IMSA TUDOR United SportsCar Championship debut with the No. 13 Rum Bum Racing Porsche GT America in the Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring on March 15. It marks the second start for the Florida-based team in the IMSA GT ranks after the team had a scene-stealing run in the 2013 Rolex 24 At Daytona.

The Rum Bum Racing driver line up for Sebring boasts youth, experience, and a lot of speed as team manager and driver Matt Plumb will team with young rising talent Madison Snow and experienced pilot Jan Heylen in the GTD category for the 12-hour endurance classic.

At just 18 years old, Snow has already achieved remarkable success through his young racing career. He is the youngest driver ever to win a Porsche Cup race and he took home the Platinum Cup driver Championship in 2013. Snow recently completed his third IMSA GT3 Cup season and clinched the overall 2013 championship title some two races before the season ended.

In 2013, Snow teamed with his mother Melanie Snow as the duo made history as the first ever mother-son teammates in the Rolex 24 At Daytona. Snow scored a podium finish in the 2014 event in just his second start, taking third place with co-drivers Heylen and Marco Seefried.

Affable and quick, Heylen brings experience from his exploits in IndyCar, Indy Lights, and IMSA to the effort. The Belgian finished fourth in the 2013 12 Hours of Sebring event as well as third in 2012. He won the prestigious Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch in 2002 and was the 2005 Renault Eurocup Champion. He spent a season racing in IndyCar competition with Dale Coyne Racing and gave the team its best finish at the time of fifth at the Cleveland Grand Prix. Heylen has also campaigned in the European Sports Car Championship in a Porsche as well as in both the American IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge and TUDOR United SportsCar Championship.

Plumb, who will have a busy weekend as he and his fellow IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge champion Nick Longhi will also be in action in defense of their 2012 and 2013 IMSA titles, also brings experience at the top levels to the effort.  Plumb led in his very first race as a Daytona Prototype driver, and had established himself as a force in GT competition before being called up for the Audi Sport customer racing effort in 2013.

Rum Bum Racing nearly won in the Rolex 24 At Daytona last year in the group’s first attempt, running just one lap shy of fuel before being forced to pit on the final lap and ultimately finished seventh.

Calling the shots for the effort will be the cagey and experienced Joe Varde, who himself knows what it is like to take on the 12 Hour race having driven a Porsche 911 RSR in the 1999 running of the event.  Well-respected for his leadership atop the pit box, Rum Bum Racing will look for the same leadership from Varde that has led the team to two consecutive Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge championships. Adding to the strength of the effort will be John Wright of Wright Motorsports, who will provide technical support for the 12 Hour classic.

Rum Bum Racing will continue its pursuit of a third Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge championship when Plumb and co-driver Nick Longhi once again combine together for the first CTSCC race at Sebring International Raceway which will be held on March 14, the day before the 12 Hours of Sebring.

The team will get both cars up to speed this week at the IMSA test held at Sebring International Raceway on Thursday and Friday.

“This is an exciting opportunity for Rum Bum Racing and I couldn’t be happier about how everything came together for this Sebring campaign,” said Plumb. “Getting the chance to move up to the GTD Class, which we’ve already seen is incredibly competitive, is a very positive step for the organization. The 12 Hour is a very big race and this year it should be the best yet. All the ingredients are here for this effort so everyone is just chomping at the bit to get going in testing this week!”

Rum Bum Racing Information:
2010: 3 Wins (Daytona, Trois-Rivières, Miller Motorsports Park)
BMW Manufacturer Championship
2011: 3 Wins (Daytona, Lime Rock Park, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course)
BMW Manufacturer Championship
2012: 5 Wins (Barber Motorsports Park, Homestead-Miami Speedway, Road America, Watkins Glen, Lime Rock Park)
IMSA Team Champions, Porsche wins Manufacturer Championship
2013: 3 Wins (Barber Motorsports Park, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Road America)
IMSA Team and Driver Champions, Porsche wins Manufacturer Championship

The post Rum Bum Racing Ready for TUDOR Debut at Sebring appeared first on Rum Bum Racing.

Daytona Beach,  Fla. (24 January 2014) –  Since the very first day the team debuted at the track with a victory, Rum Bum Racing has been setting records at Daytona International Speedway.

Friday was no different as the team once again made history when the No. 03 Rum Bum Racing BMW M3 of Hugh Plumb and Kaz Grala finished fourth in the BMW Performance 200 as young Grala set a record as the youngest-ever racer in IMSA history at just over 15 years old.

The race, which marked the opening round of the 2014 IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge season, also saw the sister No. 13 Rum Bum Racing Porsche of Nick Longhi and Matt Plumb finish 14th. The result came as a disappointment after the car was leading the race with less than 10 minutes to go. An unfortunate momentary mechanical issue slowed Plumb from the lead with just a few laps to go in the race before he was able to recover and take the checkered flag.

Longhi opened the race from the front row, with the pole-winning BMW surging to the lead. But it was not even one lap before Longhi moved to the point. 22 laps later, Longhi pitted to turn the car over to Plumb and take on fuel and a new set of Continental Tires.  A textbook Rum Bum Racing pit stop helped to grow the advantage, and when the full field cycled through the pit stops, Plumb was in a familiar position—leading.

While the BMW machines—which ended up taking the top-six finishing positions, seemed to have the upper hand with outright pace, Plumb fought hard to keep the lead and was successful as the race wound down to the final 10 minutes. A dream day at Daytona came to an agonizing halt as the Porsche stalled for moment, slowing to a crawl as the other cars sped by. Plumb stayed calm and cycled through the fuel reserve to get the car back going. But the lost ground—and a final yellow flag to keep him from fighting to gain the track position back—was costly as he finished the race 14th.

“Under green, all of a sudden, it just died coming out of turn two,” offered Plumb, who has scored 14 IMSA wins with Rum Bum Racing. “It just cut out entirely. I immediately went to the reserve (fuel pump) but it was so starved out that it took a bit to get it going. I don’t know what happened. The car up to that point was perfect. We’d conserved fuel in the first half of my stint to keep the stop shorter. We had to be quick in the pits because we didn’t have the pace of the BMW guys. I couldn’t shake them today. So it is a shame not to be able to take home the win but we’ve got a lot of racing ahead of us and the best team in the business behind us.”

“The team strategy, was, again, perfect,” said Longhi. “The car was great, exactly what it needed to be. I was fighting with the BMW’s, and we knew they’d be strong here. Joe (Varde) made the strategy calls and we were able to stay out front. These things happen and it shows how incredibly competitive this series is to be leading with 10 minutes to go and have a two second stutter and end up 15th.  This is a long championship—longer than ever. We had the team to win and the car to win and we were going to win, but that just didn’t happen today. It’s a long season and we’ll just pick it up in Sebring.”

The day was a little more straightforward for Grala and Hugh Plumb, with Grala moving up from 13th on the grid to run in second place just some 20 laps into the race. The young NASCAR racer set the fastest lap of the race at that point for good measure before turning he car over to Hugh Plumb to take to the finish. Returning to the track in 19th, the elder Plumb moved steadily forward, but his progress was halted after moving up to fifth as a balky gear exchange was keeping him from being able to carry crucial momentum through the bus stop chicane.

“Kaz did a great job and brought it in, right where he should,” said Plumb. “We caught some bad breaks with where we came out after the pit stop. We were hoping we’d be able to have helped the 13 guys more but we had an issue with third gear so we were getting hammered through the bus stop and couldn’t make up more ground. But the Rum Bum guys did a great job and the car handled great. It was a great experience to run for this team and Kaz just did a great job.”

“It was a blast, I had a lot of fun driving the car,” said an enthused Grala. “The yellow came at a great time for us to do the pit stop, and Hugh went out and just wheeled it. The most difficult thing for me was maneuvering in the traffic-with the GS cars and the ST cars. I wasn’t used to it at first, but I kept learning as the race went on. It was a great weekend and I learned a lot. A really big, big thanks to Rum Bum Racing for this opportunity.  I’m really thankful to get to do this and they are clearly a great team.”

The next chapter in the 12-race championship story will unfold at Sebring International Speedway on March 14.

The post Leading Late, Rum Bum Racing Suffers Late Stumble at Daytona appeared first on Rum Bum Racing.

Daytona Beach,  Fla. (23 January 2014) – They say that being lucky can be better than being good, but as Rum Bum Racing showed on Thursday at Daytona International Speedway, being well-prepared can sometimes trump both.

Having the car prepared well in advance of the session, the championship team was first in the qualifying line and ready to go as the 2014 IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar (CTSC) Championship launched with the first grid-setting session of the season.

That preparation paid dividends as Rum Bum Racing drivers Nick Longhi and Kaz Grala made the most of the open track when the field took the green flag for the 15-minute session.

The two were able to score a fast lap time before a red flag came out, which sent all the cars back to pit lane to wait for the track to go back green. With Longhi putting the No. 13 Rum Bum Racing Porsche on the top spot on the board and Grala nabbing third with the No. 03 Rum Bum Racing BMW M3, it was a long wait for the team before the green flag came back out. When it did, there was but three minutes left on the board.

Once again heading out in formation, but this time mired in traffic, Longhi and Grala looked to make the most of the last lap flyer but were stymied by slow traffic in the bus stop as the checkered flag flew.  But Longhi’s first lap time was still good enough to score a spot on the front row, with Grala set to start from the seventh row in 13th.

“The fact of the matter is that in this series, you have to go, right away,” said Longhi, who will share the No. 13 Porsche with Matt Plumb. “It was just about everything the car had. We knew there wouldn’t be much time and we were right in the middle of traffic. We gapped a little bit and it worked well until we got into the bus stop and someone was just parked there. But I’m super happy with how the weekend has started-the team put me in position to have that clear track. It was great to get one fast one in before the red flag. We do not have the fastest car at this track, so it was down to the team that put us in this position. I’m amazed by the job that Kaz Grala has done, he’s a NASCAR star of the future to keep an eye on, there is no question.”

Grala, who is the youngest driver in IMSA history, will make his Daytona debut tomorrow as he takes the green flag for the first time at the famous circuit before handing the car off to his co-driver Hugh Plumb.

“The  Continental tires felt really good – it felt like I had a lot of grip,” said  Grala, who is set to co-drive with Hugh Plumb. “We had a pretty good lap, some nice drafting with my teammate. We did  catch a bit of traffic on that last lap which unfortunately ended up killing my run on the front stretch. But Nick (Longhi) wasn’t as affected so he ended up  really fast and we were just a bit slower. But all in all, it was a really, really good qualifying run and I am pumped for tomorrow. I think we are in a great starting spot and it’s a 2.5-hour race so we should have plenty of time to make up ground.”

Rum Bum Racing will see a final 30-minute practice session tomorrow morning and the BMW Performance 200 will go green at 1:45 PM (ET).
Live timing and scoring can be followed at www.scoring.imsa.com. FOX Sports 2 will have same-day television coverage of the season opener at 6:00 PM (ET).

Rum Bum Racing Information:
2010: 3 Wins (Daytona, Trois Riviers, Miller Motorsports Park)
BMW Manufacturer Championship
2011: 3 Wins (Daytona, Lime Rock Park, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course)
BMW Manufacturer Championship
2012: 5 Wins (Barber Motorsports Park, Homestead-Miami Speedway, Road America, Watkins Glen, Lime Rock Park)
IMSA Team Champions, Porsche wins Manufacturer Championship
2013: 3 Wins (Barber Motorsports Park, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Road America)
IMSA Team and Driver Champions, Porsche wins Manufacturer Championship

Kaz Grala Bio:
At 4 years old, Kaz got his first kart – a CRG Bambino with a 50cc Comer, which he raced at the F1-Outdoors road course in Massachusetts.

At 7 he started racing year-round at F1-Boston, a multi-track indoor road racing facility also in Massachusetts. He accumulated over 100 wins and 2 championships.

At 10 he started racing Bandolero cars in Charlotte NC. This was his introduction to oval racing. He won multiple championships (oval and road course) including the most prestigious Summer Shootout at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

At 12 Kaz moved up to Legend Cars. In 2012 he won 15 of 58 races run all over the country on both ovals and road courses. Ended Legends by winning the Winter Heat Championship at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the highest and age-unlimited Pro Division.

Kaz kicked off 2013 as the youngest NASCAR driver ever to compete at Daytona International Speedway. At 14 years and 51 days old he started his first ever race in a Late Model Stock Car at the inaugural Battle at the Beach. On June 22, 2013 Kaz won his first LMSC race at Hickory Motor Speedway – becoming the youngest winner in UARA series history.

At the Roar test (Jan 3-5), Grala was 15 years and 5 days old, the youngest driver ever to participate in an IMSA/Grand-Am sanctioned event.

The post Front Row Start for Rum Bum Racing at Daytona appeared first on Rum Bum Racing.

Orlando, Fla. (20 January 2014) – The two-time defending IMSA Champion Rum Bum Racing squad is ready to get the season off to another fast start, and the team has doubled down to score a big result this weekend in the home race.

The team will kick off the 2014 IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge championship in Friday’s BMW Performance 200 at Daytona International Speedway (Rum Bum Racing Fans can tune into same day broadcast on Fox Sports 2 at 6:00 PM ET) with a strong two-car entry for the opening round of the 2014 season.

Rum Bum Racing will return to a two-car effort for the season-opener with 2013 IMSA champions Matt Plumb and Nick Longhi returning to the No. 13 Rum Bum Racing Porsche, while  15-year-old Kaz Grala will join sportscar veteran Hugh Plumb in the No. 03 Rum Bum Racing BMW M3.

The addition of the No. 03 BMW for the Daytona event followed a successful and productive test at the Roar Before the 24 two weeks ago when Grala and Hugh Plumb each logged laps around the 3.56-mile roval circuit driving the BMW machine during the three-day test. It was the first experience in the BMW, and first taste of professional level road racing,  for Grala, who currently competes in the United Auto Racing Association Late Model Stock Tour, and the young racer immediately impressed the team.

Rum Bum Racing will make history at Daytona as Grala is set to become the youngest driver to compete in IMSA history. He is the son of Darius Grala who raced in the GT and Daytona Prototype ranks from 2002-2005, winning at Watkins Glen in his debut race.

“Kaz did an absolutely amazing job at the test,” said team manager Matt Plumb. “He really set everyone’s minds at ease that he could get the job done and he fit in perfectly working well with all of us. He is very professional, especially for his young age. I also love the fact that Rum Bum Racing is once again part of making history. I think that he’s going to raise some eyebrows this weekend and we are very excited to have him on board.”

Rum Bum Racing, which operates its race shop in nearby Orlando, Florida, has traditionally performed well at the Daytona circuit, which features the famous Daytona high banks as well as the twisty infield sections of the road course.

The 2014 event marks Rum Bum’s fifth Daytona race and the team has never finished outside of the top-five at the track. The group claimed victory in its first-ever race in 2010 in the No. 13 BMW with drivers Gian Bacardi and Matt Plumb. Rum Bum Racing returned the following year and once again claimed top honors with the No. 13 BMW. 2012 saw Rum Bum Racing take fifth at the finish. The road to the championship in 2013 kicked off with a run to the podium for Longhi and Plumb as the potent duo claimed the team’s third Daytona podium as the two took a second-place finish.

“Going into this race is an insurmountable challenge because everybody raises their game,” said Plumb of the season-opening event. “The one thing you can be sure of is that as the bar is raised, our crew rises with it. We have done a tremendous amount of work over the off-season to make sure we are at the level or above everybody else. Just like last year, we didn’t have the five wins that we had the year before, but we had the consistency. We got the car reliable, the handling is consistent and we can make it run over a long period of time. So that is going to be our strong point and our focus, keep finishing and keep it reliable.”

Rum Bum Racing is the first to field a 15-year-old driver in an IMSA-sanctioned event and the team will target another first this weekend: with a strong two-car effort, the group looks to take its first double podium finish.

“The Roar test allowed me to get comfortable in the car and with the track, both being new to me,” said Grala. “Heel-toe down-shifting is a technique that I wasn’t completely confident with coming into the test, but by the second day, it felt completely natural. The most important thing for me in the race will be to stay relaxed. I enjoy road racing a lot and this car is a blast to drive. I very much appreciate this opportunity from Mr. Bacardi to be with a championship winning team. I cannot wait for the race on Friday!”

The team was further encouraged in the test by the pace that the BMW showed with both Grala and Hugh Plumb at the wheel, underscoring the strength of preparation by the team as the M3 had not turned a wheel in anger for over a year yet was right on pace in testing.

“I’ve raced against Rum Bum Racing this team for several years, and now, getting the chance to run for this team is an incredible honor and I’m really grateful to Mr. Bacardi for the opportunity,” said Hugh Plumb, who has countless laps of experience with the BMW M3 platform. “Everyone is 100% dedicated to winning, and the level of preparation is just incredible. I’m really looking forward to racing with Kaz (Grala)-he was just really incredible in the test. He approached it like an experienced 25 year old racer, not a 15 year old who was coming from a circle track background. What he did in the test was pretty amazing and I am sure he will continue to hit his marks and just keep improving. This is a great opportunity and I’m just really looking forward to Daytona.”

Both cars will take to the track for official practice on Wednesday (1:30 PM – 2:30 PM, 3:45 PM – 4:45 PM). Thursday will see a third round of practice (11:45 AM – 12:15 PM) before a 15-minute qualifying session which is set to begin at 2:30 PM. A 30-minute final practice will take place at 9:45 AM on Friday with the 2.5-hour race to begin at 1:45 PM. All times are Eastern Standard.

Live timing and scoring can be followed at www.scoring.imsa.com. FOX Sports 2 will have same-day television coverage of the season opener at 6:00 PM (ET).

Rum Bum Racing Information:
2010: 3 Wins (Daytona, Trois Riviers, Miller Motorsports Park)
BMW Manufacturer Championship
2011: 3 Wins (Daytona, Lime Rock Park, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course)
BMW Manufacturer Championship
2012: 5 Wins (Barber Motorsports Park, Homestead-Miami Speedway, Road America, Watkins Glen, Lime Rock Park)     IMSA Team Champions, Porsche wins Manufacturer Championship
2013:    3 Wins (Barber Motorsports Park, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Road America)
IMSA Team and Driver Champions, Porsche wins Manufacturer Championship

Kaz Grala Bio:
At 4 years old, Kaz got his first kart – a CRG Bambino with a 50cc Comer, which he raced at the F1-Outdoors road course in Massachusetts.

At 7 he started racing year-round at F1-Boston, a multi-track indoor road racing facility also in Massachusetts. He accumulated over 100 wins and 2 championships.

At 10 he started racing Bandolero cars in Charlotte NC. This was his introduction to oval racing. He won multiple championships (oval and road course) including the most prestigious Summer Shootout at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

At 12 Kaz moved up to Legend Cars. In 2012 he won 15 of 58 races run all over the country on both ovals and road courses. Ended Legends by winning the Winter Heat Championship at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the highest and age-unlimited Pro Division.

Kaz kicked off 2013 as the youngest NASCAR driver ever to compete at Daytona International Speedway. At 14 years and 51 days old he started his first ever race in a Late Model Stock Car at the inaugural Battle at the Beach. On June 22, 2013 Kaz won his first LMSC race at Hickory Motor Speedway – becoming the youngest winner in UARA series history.

At the Roar test (Jan 3-5), Grala was 15 years and 5 days old, the youngest driver ever to participate in an IMSA/Grand-Am sanctioned event.

*2013 was another championship year for Rum Bum Racing, watch the video here: http://www.imsa.com/imsa-tv/episode/rum-bum-racing-2013-championship-season
*Youngest-ever driver in modern IMSA Era as promising young NASCAR pilot joins Rum Bum Racing for Daytona round with experienced BMW veteran Hugh Plumb
*BMW and Porsche dual-attack for 2012 and 2013 IMSA Champions

The post Defending Champs Rum Bum Racing Ready To Take on Daytona with Two-Car Entry appeared first on Rum Bum Racing.

Daytona Beach, Fla. (5 January 2014) – Following a quick turnaround from the holiday season, Rum Bum Racing went back to work this weekend as the team looks to not only return to victory lane at Daytona International Speedway, but also make progress towards a third consecutive IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge Championship.

With a mixture of old and new, the team struck a great balance over the weekend and is prepared to take on the challenge of the new IMSA era.

With three days of testing for the Roar Before the 24 test at Daytona International Speedway this weekend, Rum Bum Racing was in full force as the team took to the track with two entries.

Leading the effort was the defending champion No. 13 Rum Bum Racing Porsche 911 with Matt Plumb and Nick Longhi behind the wheel, with the sister No. 03 BMW M3 being shared by Rum Bum Racing newcomers Hugh Plumb and Kaz Grala. The BMW hadn’t been used in anger for quite some time, and arrived to the test fully prepared as Rum Bum Racing fans have come to expect.

“It was important for us to bring the BMW to give us a kind of baseline of where everybody really is,” said Matt Plumb. “And to be able to dust this thing off after sitting for two years and have it be top-two and top-three on the time sheets every time we tried to go fast shows us that we have a lot to look out for this season.”

Laying down over 200 laps throughout the three day test gave the Rum Bum crew valuable information and experience going into the opening race of the season, and the entire team feels confident in their ability to contend with the field and finish the race well.

Although the Rum Bum crew comes into this season with two consecutive championships under their belts and a great amount of familiarity among the team, they are by no means taking anything for granted and know what it will take to get that elusive top spot on the podium at the BMW Performance 200.

“With all the years that this team now has worked together, it is comfortable–but there is no complacency–we are just as motivated as the first day we showed up here in Daytona four years ago,” added Plumb. “Everybody knows how everybody else works and as I have said before, everybody had been so familiar with everybody from the moment we started this deal.”

Grala, who is the 15 year old son of former Daytona Prototype pilot Darius Grala, set a new mark as the youngest to participate in an IMSA event at Daytona International Speedway. But the outing was no mere statistical exhibition run, as the youngster was right on the pace with the BMW as he soaked up as much guidance as he could from his experienced co-driver Hugh Plumb.

“This week was awesome! I have never raced on this track, never driven it and actually never even seen it until this week,” said Grala, who also was in short track action on Saturday night at the fabled New Smyrna Speedway just down the road. “I had also never been in this car before so it was a whole new experience for me. I had a little bit of experience with the heel-toe downshifting, but not much at all. I was never able to do it really smoothly until this weekend. I got really comfortable with it because this track has a lot of heavy braking zones and downshifts. Really I have just been having fun out there this weekend.”

Hugh Plumb, who has won in IMSA with brother Matt as his co-driver, was impressed with what he saw in his first outing with Rum Bum Racing.

“First of all what a privilege it is to drive with such a team of absolute champions,” said Hugh Plumb. “They prove it on and off the track. So it is a huge privilege to be able to drive with them and hopefully we can continue the relationship. My co-driver, Kaz Grala, did an amazing job, and a big thanks to Luis Bacardi and my brother Matt Plumb for giving me this opportunity today.”

With such a big weekend, it was understandable that Grala could hardly shake the grin from his face.

“It was huge to be able to partner with Rum Bum Racing,” said Grala. “Everything from driving tips, downshifting tips, just everything. These guys really helped out and they seriously know what they are talking about, obviously coming off of two championships they are no slouches.”

Rum Bum Racing will be back in action in three weeks’ time for the BMW Performance 200 at Daytona International Speedway January 25.

The post Double Success for Rum Bum Racing at the Roar Before the 24 appeared first on Rum Bum Racing.

Orlando, Fla. (2 January 2014) – This weekend, Luis Bacardi’s Rum Bum Racing will return to Daytona International Speedway, the site of its dramatic breakthrough debut victory, for a three day test as the team looks to score a third consecutive IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge Team Championship  in 2014.

The team has enjoyed remarkable success at the fabled high-banked track and will open the 2014 IMSA season with three days of testing during the traditional “Roar Before the 24” test. The team is pleased to have Matt Plumb and Nick Longhi return to co-drive the No. 13 Rum Bum Racing Porsche as the 2013 IMSA Driver Champions look to add to their stellar race record together.

Also on hand with Rum Bum Racing for the Roar test will be Kaz Grala and Hugh Plumb, who will be testing the No. 03 BMW M3 machine that the team first scored a victory with at the track in 2010.

Kaz Grala, who is the son of former Daytona Prototype pilot Darius, has been building a career on the NASCAR path and has already notched several championships and records on his way up. The wins and accomplishments are all the more impressive given that he is yet to turn 16 years old. (15 years, 5 days old as of the first day of the test, setting a record for youngest driver to participate in an IMSA event).

The young driver is eager to soak up as much experience as he can get as he samples the car in the test.

Hugh Plumb has raced the BMW M3 platform the last two years and will take part in the test to support Grala’s progress on the track while also helping the team get reacquainted with the BMW platform.

“Nick (Longhi) and I have known Darius for ages and have literally watched Kaz grow up, so we’ve followed his progress in NASCAR and it’s been nothing short of impressive,” said Plumb. “We mentioned to Mr. Bacardi that there was a young talent who was looking to get some experience in a sports car and he was 100% behind us bringing this M3 out for the test. Hugh has a lot of current experience in the BMW so he should be a great help to Kaz to learn the car and the track as well. This is going to be another incredibly competitive season, and we have a big list of things we want to learn this weekend to be in as strong a position as possible for when we come back to race in a few weeks.”

The test will run from Friday to Sunday (schedule link: http://www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com/Tickets-Events/Events/2014/Roar-Before-The-Rolex-24/Schedule.aspx). IMSA.com will post timing and scoring information throughout the weekend.

###

Kaz Grala notes:
- At 4 years old, Kaz got his first kart – a CRG Bambino with a 50cc Comer, which he raced at the F1-Outdoors road course in Massachusetts.
- At 7 he started racing year-round at F1-Boston, a multi-track indoor road racing facility also in Massachusetts. He accumulated over 100 wins and 2 championships.
- At 10 he started racing Bandolero cars in Charlotte NC. This was his introduction to oval racing. He won multiple championships (oval and road course) including the most prestigious Summer Shootout at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
- At 12 Kaz moved up to Legend Cars. In 2012 he won 15 of 58 races run all over the country on both ovals and road courses. Ended Legends by winning the Winter Heat Championship at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the highest and age-unlimited Pro Division.
- Kaz kicked off 2013 as the youngest NASCAR driver ever to compete at Daytona International Speedway. At 14 years and 51 days old he started his first ever race in a Late Model Stock Car at the inaugural Battle at the Beach. On June 22, 2013 Kaz won his first LMSC race at Hickory Motor Speedway – becoming the youngest winner in UARA series history.
- When he climbs into the Rum Bum car tomorrow, he will be 15 years and 5 days old. The youngest driver ever to participate in an IMSA/Grand-Am sanctioned event.

The post Rum Bum Racing Ready to Roar in Daytona Once Again appeared first on Rum Bum Racing.

Notes:
2nd consecutive GRAND-AM Team Championship
First driver championship for both Matt Plumb and Nick Longhi
Rum Bum Racing Helps Porsche Secure Manufacturer Championship (Rum Bum Racing team manufacturer affiliation has won every year that Rum Bum has raced in GRAND-AM)
2013 Rum Bum Racing: 11 starts, 1 pole, 3 wins, 7 podiums, 9 top-fives,  91 laps led
Total since 2010 GRAND-AM debut: 41 starts, 14 wins, 5 poles, 22 podiums, 28 top-fives, 2936/3168 laps completed (93%)

Lakeville, Conn. (29 September 2013) – On Saturday at Lime Rock Park, Rum Bum Racing made history, once again.

With scores of friends and family as well as team owner Luis Bacardi and wife Jennifer on hand, Matt Plumb and Nick Longhi combined to bring the No. 13 Rum Bum Racing Porsche home on the podium at Lime Rock Park to secure the team’s second consecutive GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Team Championship.

The run to the podium finish capped an 11-race run to the championship as the Bacardi-led squad completed a successful defense of their breakthrough 2012 championship.

The 2013 season saw Rum Bum Racing utilize both teamwork and speed in equal measure to score three wins and seven podiums, including the incredible debut for the team’s in-house built Porsche 911 that saw Rum Bum win at Mid-Ohio. After track debris went into the engine area at the penultimate round of racing at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca,  Rum Bum Racing fans had to wait until Lime Rock Park for the team to confirm the championship goal.

“Winning one of these championships is like getting struck by lightning; it rarely ever happens twice,” said Plumb. “And the fact that we have won it twice like this is really a testament to the team, from the top-down. From Mr. Bacardi to Joe Varde to all the guys going over the wall, everyone knows what their job is, they know how to do it.

“In 2009 when Joe Varde and I sat down and tried to map out what this was all going to look like, winning the 2012 and 2013 championship was not necessarily ‘hanging off the tree’,” said Plumb, who also works outside the cockpit as the general manager for the team. “But we knew we wanted to win races and we knew we had to please our owner whose goal was to win races and so we are just thrilled to have had the luck and the good fortune to get here.”

Longhi, who qualified sixth, then took a heads-up and conservative approach in the early stages of the race before turning the car over to Plumb to take to the finish. On the final pit stop during the all-green-flag race, Varde eschewed new Continental Tires to score track position.

The race, like much of what Rum Bum Racing has set out to achieve, went largely according to plan as Plumb was able to move up to fight for a third place finish as the team capped off an incredible year with yet more champagne.

“It was obviously a culmination of a lot of effort,” said Longhi. “It all started with Luis Bacardi and Matt Plumb who were the originators of the entire concept and approach, and then Joe Varde bringing that team together that Matt has run. Not only does he drive the car but he also runs the team, and over the last few years it has been a fantastically successful arrangement.”

Claiming his first-ever driver championship was something that Longhi was happy to do, but the New York resident has been focused on what the team could accomplish from day one.

“It’s an incredibly privileged position to be in, to be involved with this group of people because they are fantastic,” said Longhi. “It’s a fantastic group of people. I don’t know if ‘chemistry’ is the right word, but we are all friends and I think that is extremely important.”

Rum Bum Racing will look forward to continuing its legacy of success, and will announce plans for 2014 in the coming weeks.

The Lime Rock Park Champions Weekend race will be broadcast on Fox Sports 1 on October 6 at 5:00 PM ET.

The post Rum Bum Racing Wins Second Consecutive GRAND-AM Championship appeared first on Rum Bum Racing.

Lakeville, Connecticut (27 September 2013) – With a conservative approach in play, Rum Bum Racing will start from sixth on the grid for the GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Championship Weekend event at Lime Rock Park on Saturday.

Nick Longhi, who along with co-driver Matt Plumb, leads both the team and driver championships, will open the race from the third row after he posted a fast lap time of 57.697-seconds around the quick 1.53-mile Lime Rock Park track. With a significant gap in the points, Rum Bum Racing is poised to score a second consecutive GRAND-AM championship on Saturday.

“The car is great,” said Longhi of the qualifying run. “We know what we have to do for the race and as usual (crew chief) Joe Varde and the crew have prepared an immaculate car. It’s good, it’s quick and it’s reliable. It’s a great track. We love Lime Rock. It’s my and Matt’s (Plumb) home track. We’ve won the last two races here. We just love this place. There is no place like it in North America. In terms of the feeling of this racetrack and the fans, I just love it. Well done for the crew, having the car ready to go off the trailer. I don’t think we’ve touched it in terms of set up changes. Joe (Varde) just nailed it.”

With just one 45-minute practice session held ahead of qualifying, the GS teams had limited time to work on car setups. But the Rum Bum Racing crew delivered yet another strong car with both drivers happy with the setup before the practice session was even completed. After just 18 laps of running, Rum Bum Racing was happy with the car as the team posted the fifth quickest time of the session.

Though the team has played a conservative hand entering the season-finale event, Lime Rock has traditionally been a very strong circuit for Rum Bum Racing with the squad having won the previous two events at the track.

“We’re being careful in terms of saving the car mechanically for the race,” continued Longhi. “We know we have to score the points because the big picture is the championship. We don’t want to get in the middle of other people’s races as well. There are plenty of races going for 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd, in the championship. Once we have done what we need to do, we’ll move on to the next thing, but right now we’re being conservative. The car is great and we’re ready to go.”

The qualifying session marked the final time the GS cars will be on track ahead of the race which is set to go green Saturday at 9:50 AM ET. Live timing and scoring is available on www.grandam.com. FOX Sports 1 will televise the race Sunday, October 6 at 5:00 PM (ET).

The post Title in Sight As Rum Bum Racing Set for Third Row Start appeared first on Rum Bum Racing.

Orlando, Fla. (25 September 2013) –  In a season that has seen Luis Bacardi’s Rum Bum Racing take three victories and six podiums while remaining at the top of the championship standings throughout the year, the 2013 GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge championship has come down to the final race of the year at Lime Rock Park this weekend.

While the Florida-based team will be looking to add to its podium tally in Saturday’s race around the 1.53-mile Connecticut road course, Rum Bum Racing could well be celebrating its second consecutive team championship at the drop of the green flag as the provisional championship standings would see Rum Bum clinch the championship title at the start of the race.

Rum Bum drivers Nick Longhi and Matt Plumb are also well on their way to the Driver Championship title as the provisional standings see the pair holding a 34-point advantage.

The Rum Bum squad has traditionally run very well in the No. 13 Rum Bum Racing Porsche at Longhi’s home track of Lime Rock Park, which stages two separate races for the GS and ST classes. He and Plumb drove from third to claim victory in 2011 and then followed up that effort last year by taking the pole and then leading 85 laps en route to taking the victory and winning the 2012 Team Championship title.

Though the team has shown strength at Lime Rock before, Rum Bum Racing will still have work to do in the one 45-minute GS practice session held ahead of GS qualifying on Friday as the team takes its first laps around Lime Rock in its new Porsche 997 which Rum Bum Racing debuted earlier this year at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.

“Hopefully, with the limited track time, we can roll off the truck with a quick car,” offered Plumb on the Porsche 997 that the team built from the ground up. “But we have seen that this car sometimes likes different set ups than the cars we’ve had in the past, so there is a little bit of a question mark for us. But the team has stepped up to every challenge, time and time again, and we are all looking forward to having another strong weekend at Lime Rock and hopefully having something to celebrate on Saturday.”

As Rum Bum Racing pursues its second consecutive GRAND-AM Championship at Lime Rock Park this weekend, the group will also be targeting a fourth win on the season as many of Longhi’s hometown family and friends will be in attendance.

“Lime Rock has been a special track for this team, and there would be nothing better than to have a big result this weekend,” said Longhi, who resides in nearby Nyack, New York. “Being so close to home, having the finale at this track is great for me and I’m looking forward to Saturday in a very big way.”

It will be a very quick weekend for Rum Bum Racing with just the one practice session scheduled ahead of qualifying which is set to begin at 1:55 PM (ET). The 2.5-hour GS race will take place Saturday at 9:50 AM (ET).

Live timing and scoring is available throughout the weekend at www.grand-am.com.

FOX Sports 1 will televise the event Sunday, October 6 at 5:00 PM (ET).

The post Championship Goal for Rum Bum Racing at Lime Rock Park appeared first on Rum Bum Racing.

Monterey, Calif. (8 September 2013) – With team owner Luis Bacardi and wife Jennifer on hand, Matt Plumb and Nick Longhi combined to bring the No. 13 Rum Bum Racing Porsche home in 16th place in the Continental Tire Sports Car Festival as the team moved closer to the goal of securing a second consecutive GRAND-AM Championship on Sunday.

The race didn’t feature the team’s trademark speed and strategy to create results. Instead, it was teamwork that ruled the day after debris got into the motor area and shredded the serpentine belt. The part is a crucial one, driving a range of motor functions including the all-important water pump to cool the motor.

Recognizing the issue as the race hit the 30 minute mark, Longhi returned the car to pit lane after turning the motor off at the top of the hill and coasting all the way into the pit box to preserve the motor.

“Something–could have been a rock or any other kind of debris–shredded the belt,” said Longhi. “I felt the power steering fail.  The belt also runs the water pump so the car started to overheat and I had to stop. Obviously that’s a big fix. They changed it fast, but unfortunately it’s not the kind of thing you can change during a race and not lose laps, so we lost laps but we’ll never give up and keep going.”

The team jumped right into the overheated area and started to work on the very complicated repair, which would likely take several days in the service bay of the dealer down the street. But for Rum Bum Racing, it was less than 20 minutes work although it came at the cost of nearly 15 laps lost to the leader.

Plumb took over the driving duties, and worked on making the laps as he tried to convert the team’s hard work into crucial championship points.

“What goes around, comes around, and we have gotten our share of great luck this season,” said Plumb after the race.  “Everything has gone our way from strategy to mechanical durability, so it’s just a matter of time when something’s going to happen. But it’s just kind of crushing when it happens at a time like this.  The good news is that we’ve got a big enough lead where we can come back, not trying to do anything stupid, like we’ve done for the whole season and see what happens.  The Rum Bum crew, once again—a problem pops up, a lot of people panic, they don’t, they just figure out what needs to be done and luckily we were able to get out and finish it all. Great team effort. This wasn’t what we came out here to do, but we’ll just focus on making the most of our chance at Lime Rock Park.”

A second driver change helped to make sure that both pilots earned their points as the team now holds a 34-point lead in the provisional points.

The group will look to close the championship with a strong run at Lime Rock park, having won at the track in 2011 and 2012.

The post Rum Bum Racing Moves Closer To Goal in Monterey appeared first on Rum Bum Racing.

Monterey Calif. (7 September 2013) – The GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge championship-leading team of Rum Bum Racing will start  the Continental Tire Sports Car Festival at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca from the seventh row after Nick Longhi set a lap time of 1:37.800-seconds during Saturday afternoon’s 15-minute qualifying session. The No. 13 Rum Bum Racing Porsche will line up 13th on the 54-car combined class grid.

Rum Bum Racing holds a 51-point advantage in the 2013 championship with just two rounds yet to run, and could secure a second consecutive GRAND-AM Team Championship with a finish of 11^th or better in Sunday’s 2.5-hour race.

The group utilized Saturday’s two practice sessions ahead of the qualifying session to dial in the No. 13 Rum Bum Racing Porsche to ensure that Longhi and Matt Plumb have the proper set-up for Sunday’s race around the 2.238-mile Laguna Seca road course.
Longhi will open the race before handing the controls over to Matt Plumb who will take the Porsche machine to the finish. The team has four poles to its credit, but hasn’t yet fully unlocked the speed in the No. 13 as the group continues to work towards finding the best balance for the penultimate race of the season.

“We’ve improved the balance with the car, but for some reason we just are not as quick as we were hoping we would be,” said Longhi. “I made a mistake in turn nine and that certainly cost us some time that we left on the table. But, even if that hadn’t happened we still are not where we thought we would be. But this is just an incredible team, and we’ll keep working on it and be ready to go. We are very focused and will just keep working.”

Both Longhi and Plumb have years of experience at the California circuit and will look to use their knowledge of the 11-turn track to move forward with a clean, trouble-free run and come home with a top-11 finish to clinch the 2013 GRAND-AM championship title.

The 2.5-hour Continental Tire Sports Car Festival event is set to begin at 10:00 AM local time (1:00 PM ET). Live timing and scoring can be followed at www.grand-am.com.

The event will be televise on FOX Sports 1 on September 15at 4:00 PM (ET).

The post Rum Bum Racing Focused on Championship at Laguna Seca appeared first on Rum Bum Racing.

Notes:
3 wins in 2013 (Barber, Mid-Ohio, Road America), 14 total wins since 2010
2013: 91 laps led in 7 of 9 races so far
2012: Rum Bum led late at MRLS before controversial call sent the team back
2011: Finished 3^rd at MRLS

Orlando, Fla. (5 September 2013) – After winning the 2012 GRAND-AM championship in the season-finale race at Lime Rock Park last year, Rum Bum Racing had one goal for the No. 13 in 2013: repeat.

And the team could do exactly that this weekend at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca as the Joe Varde-led group holds a point advantage that could see the group clinch the championship title with a finish of 11^th or better in Sunday’s race.

With just two races remaining in the 2013 championship, Rum Bum Racing enters the race weekend firmly atop the standings with a 51-point lead. Drivers Matt Plumb and Nick Longhi also lead the Driver Championship by the same margin.

In a season that has seen Rum Bum Racing travel to a range of tracks as varied as the wide open spaces of Road America and the tight confines of the Kansas Speedway roval, consistency has been key. Rum Bum Racing has won three races this year (Barber, Mid-Ohio, Road America) and has finished among the top-five in all but one race (the team finished 10^th at Road Atlanta). The No. 13 Rum Bum Racing Porsche has completed all of the race laps in 2013 and has led laps in seven of nine races for a total of 91 laps led. These impressive stats have seen Rum Bum Racing at the top of the championship standings throughout most of the year.

As Rum Bum Racing returns to race action this weekend at Laguna Seca, the group takes to a track where it has been strong before. While driving the No. 13 BMW in Rum Bum Racing’s Laguna Seca debut in 2011, Longhi and Plumb drove to a podium finish of third. In last year’s race, the Rum Bum squad looked well on its way to another podium finish in the No. 13 Porsche until a curious and confusing call from GRAND-AM came after Plumb followed the leading car to the green on one of the final restarts. The leading car as well as Plumb was forced to pit road to serve a stop and go penalty with just six minutes remaining in the race, and with that, Rum Bum Racing relinquished a sure podium finish and a possible win.

While Rum Bum Racing looks for redemption this year, the group maintains its championship goal. Just as the team as done all season long, Rum Bum will focus on collecting points with a clean and straightforward race around the 2.238-mile California circuit.

“We’ve been really focused on the championship, ever since last year when we first started working on plans for the 2013 season,” said Plumb. “But now that we are so close, I have to admit that I don’t want to think about it at all! Hopefully we can just have a clean race and just see where we come out. Joe (Varde) has all the guys really focused as usual, and we will just look to come in and execute on our plan, the same way we’ve done every weekend this year. ”

The race weekend begins with a promoter test day on Friday. Official practice will take place on Saturday with the 15-minute GS qualifying session set for Saturday at 4:00 PM (PST). The 2.5-hour Continental Tire Sports Car Festival event will go green at 10:00 AM (PST) on Sunday.

Live timing and scoring is available at www.grand-am.com. FOX Sports 1 will televise the race Sunday, September 15 at 4:00 PM (ET).

The post Championship Revs Up for Rum Bum Racing at Laguna Seca appeared first on Rum Bum Racing.

Notes:
*Rum Bum Racing continues to lead the championship, with a provisional 51-point margin
*22nd podium result for Rum Bum Racing

Kansas City, Kan. (17 August 2013) – Just one week after taking a dramatic race victory at Road America last weekend, Rum Bum Racing was back on the GRAND-AM podium on Saturday.

Matt Plumb and Nick Longhi combined for a run to second place with the No. 13 Rum Bum Racing Porsche at Kansas Speedway after Plumb fought “…like a terrier chasing a tennis ball” for the lead in the final laps of the race.

But with a championship chase to consider and knowing that the car he was dueling with had a better launch from the slow-speed corners, Plumb ran out of time to make a move to the front, coming home in second place as Rum Bum Racing celebrated its 22nd GRAND-AM podium result.

Longhi opened the race from third on the grid and held station on the inside line at the start. The race was set on a bipolar race track, with a long wide open section of oval combined with the slow tight infield section. The claustrophobic confines of the infield made for some dicey moments, particularly as the GS class machinery moved through the ST class field. It was exactly that kind of traffic that saw Longhi take side to side contact and shuffled back to 11th in the order.

But Longhi kept his cool, slowly working back up to top-five contention before turning the car over to Plumb.

The yellow flag flew shortly there after, but the Rum Bum strategy wasn’t dealt a blow as the restart saw Plumb already up to fourth place. After an hour of racing, a final restart with just three minutes to go had Plumb running second, ready to fight the Camaro for the win. But after a few hard-charging laps, it was not meant to be as Plumb finished just .425-seconds adrift of the race winner.

“I was like a terrier with a tennis ball, I saw it and just couldn’t help myself,” said Plumb of the chance for victory. “But they had a strong car and congrats to them. It kills me to not get the win, but they deserve some good fortune. So thanks again to Continental Tire, AST Shocks and Luis Bacardi at home.”

While the final yellow flag once again set the stage for a nail-biter of a finish, Longhi stayed as cool out of the car as he had been inside of it.

“I really don’t worry that much in the car because I have faith in everyone,” said Longhi. “Matt and Joe and everybody on the team. It is just such a good team, I keep saying it over and over again. We knew that we had to be careful, the car was good and it was fast and we were just trying to stay out of trouble, which I almost managed to do. I got put off the road. I was passing another GS car and he literally turned up on me like it was Days of Thunder or something and at that point I almost wrecked on the oval. So to come back from all that and be up on the podium with some good points, everyone is happy and they should be, it was a great effort.”

Rum Bum Racing now holds a 51-point championship advantage as the team travels to Laguna Seca next month for Round 10 of the championship.

The post Rum Bum Racing Fights for Podium Finish at Kansas appeared first on Rum Bum Racing.

Kansas City, Kan. (16 August 2013) – It may have been a brand new track for Rum Bum Racing as GRAND-AM stages its debut race at Kansas Speedway on Saturday, but it was another familiar result for the No. 13 Rum Bum Racing Porsche in Friday evening’s 15-minute qualifying session.

Fresh from a race-winning weekend at Road America,  Nick Longhi took third on the GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge grid.

The event weekend marks the first race for GRAND-AM at the track which utilizes both the oval and road course portions of the circuit. Longhi will open the 2.5-hour race at the controls of the No. 13 Rum Bum Porsche machine before turning the car over to co-driver Matt Plumb to take to the finish as the duo targets a second consecutive victory after having won the previous event held at Road America last weekend.

Longhi’s fast lap time of 1:21.442-seconds around the 2.37-mile roval configuration marks his 16th consecutive top-10 start for Luis Bacardi’s Rum Bum Racing.

Rum Bum Racing worked to dial in the car during both Thursday’s test day and Friday’s first official practice in which the team was 10^th quick. The Rum Bum squad opted to sit out the second round of practice as both drivers were happy with the handling of the car and felt well-prepared for the evening’s qualifying session.

“We didn’t take the car out during the second session because we were pretty happy with it,” offered Longhi following the qualifying run. “(Crew chief) Joe Varde and the crew did just a fantastic job getting the car ready for this track. It’s part oval, part road course and extremely difficult to get a handle on but Joe Varde just gets it right. We didn’t do a lot of adjusting on the car because Joe just gets it right. The track is a lot of fun. I like the oval – personally I think it’s fun to see how fast you can go on the banking. Our number one priority is scoring points, but having said that, that was our number one priority at Road America too and we still won. We have to be careful and err on the side of caution and just have a good race.”

The team sits at the top of the championships standings with a 54-point advantage and will look to extend their championship lead with another strong outing in Saturday’s SFP Grand Prix at Kansas Speedway.

The race is set to go green at 4:00 PM (ET) on Saturday. Live timing and scoring can be followed at www.grand-am.com. FOX Sports 1 will broadcast the event Sunday, August 25 at 3:00 PM (ET).

The post Rum Bum Racing Takes Third on Kansas Speedway Grid appeared first on Rum Bum Racing.

Notes:
*Rum Bum Racing extends its lead in the championship standings to a 54-point margin
*The victory marks Rum Bum Racing’s second consecutive win at Road America. The team also finished third in its debut at the track in 2011
*The result gives Rum Bum Racing its 14^th overall CTSCC win, and third win of the season

Elkhart Lake, Wis. (10 August 2013) – With a healthy lead in the GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge championship standings, some teams might be content to just cruise to a race finish. But ever since scoring a win in the team’s very first race, people have come to expect the unexpected from Rum Bum Racing.

With Joe Varde calling a bold pit strategy, drivers Matt Plumb and Nick Longhi combined to score a 14th win for Rum Bum Racing with a dramatic victory at Road America on Saturday as the No. 13 Rum Bum Racing Porsche 997 took the checkered flag on fumes after 2.5-hours of hard racing.

The victory, which came with team owner Luis and Jennifer Bacardi on hand as well as a large group of vocal Rum Bum Racing supporters, moved the team into an even stronger position in the GRAND-AM championship as the team looks to make a successful defense of its 2012 championship title.

Longhi opened the race from seventh on the 51-car combined class grid with the goal of running a conservative stint and handing the car over to Plumb in prime race condition. And he accomplished just that as he kept the No. 13 Rum Bum Racing Porsche in the top-10 during his 30-minute run before handing the car over to Plumb as the team took advantage of the second full course caution of the race to bring the car to pit lane as the race reached the 30-minute mark.

“My strategy was to be very careful – it was a little hectic in terms of traffic because there was some banging and beating going on,” said Longhi of the opening stint. “The first restart was pretty wild. Somebody checked up and everybody ran into each other but I was just really, really trying to stay out of it. There’s not a scratch on the car and I’m pretty happy about that – that was the goal, not to damage the car at any cost. I knew right away that we had a pretty good car and if we could keep it together and get to the end, it would be good.”

Plumb took control of the No. 13 Rum Bum Porsche that the team built and won on debut at Mid-Ohio and restarted 10th in line. He wasted no time in moving forward as he worked his way into the seventh position. He would continue to make forward progress through the field into the top-five until he was called to pit lane for the team’s second and final pit stop.

As the No. 13 Porsche emerged from pit lane sixth and with 1 hour and 12 minutes still remaining in the race following the stop, the Rum Bum squad hoped for another caution period. But when one never came, Plumb was asked to continually conserve fuel in order to make it to the finish. With the tension ratcheting up with each successive lap, several cars peeled down pit lane for a splash of fuel, but crew chief Joe Varde made the call to keep the No. 13 Porsche on track and when the leading car took to pit lane for its splash of fuel, Plumb inherited the race lead.

With the many Rum Bum Racing fans in attendance holding their breaths, the Rum Bum engineers watched the fuel numbers from the pit box and the call was made not to take the extra stop for fuel. Plumb had masterfully met the fuel numbers the team had called for as he took over the lead for the final three laps of the race to take the victory.

“I was very nervous – the whole time we knew we were going to conserve and try to do a really long run there,” said Plumb. “On the restarts we just took it easy. I knew if it stayed green the whole time it was going to be tight. So we just kept playing it conservative and I just ran it as far as I could until the bobble and I kept backing myself up and a new car would be catching me and then they’d drop off to the pits for fuel and then I’d conserve more. We got lucky, but when you have this much luck it says something about the people who are making the calls. Joe (Varde) was on me to conserve, conserve, conserve. I have such good faith in Joe and (engineer) Ed Semf and John Terry who were running the numbers. To do this in front of Jennifer Bacardi’s hometown crowd – this is what we work so hard to do. It’s one thing when you win in front of a bunch of strangers but when you win in front of the boss, his wife and a whole bunch of friends it makes it that much more worth it.”

“There was nothing I could do from the pit box and so I was just hoping it would work out,” offered Longhi of the final laps. “It was well-planned, well-executed, and the combination of a lot of things all coming together. I’m very happy for everybody. Clearly the team did a fantastic job – preparing the car, figuring out the fuel and our strategy. All these pieces came together and when the luck comes your way, you have to be in a position to take advantage of it and that’s what happened today. I’m extremely happy for Luis and Jennifer Bacardi and everybody here celebrating with us.”

Rum Bum Racing extends its lead in the championship to a 54-point advantage as the team travels to Kansas Speedway next week for Round 9 of the championship.

The Road America event will be televised on August 17 at 4:00 PM (ET) on SPEED.

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Elkhart Lake, Wis.  (9 August 2013) – When you feel like you have a winning hand, it doesn’t always pay to show all your cards early in the game. The same approach could be said of Rum Bum Racing’s Nick Longhi, who brought a conservative mindset to the qualifying session on Friday at Road America.

Longhi, who along with co-driver Matt Plumb, leads the GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Championship, will start the race from seventh on the Road America 200 grid after Longhi posted a fast lap time of 2:23.512-seconds in the No. 13 Rum Bum Racing Porsche.

The team will look to score another podium finish in the home state of Jennifer Bacardi, team owner Luis Bacardi’s wife, who has proven to be a good luck charm to the team every visit to the fabled Wisconsin track. The team certainly knows the way to where the champagne is sprayed, having scored a third place finish at the track in 2011 and then winning the 2012 edition of the event.

The qualifying session marked the final session of the day for the team, which will return to the track for an early start to Saturday’s race day. After Longhi and Plumb make a morning visit to the Porscheplatz to meet and greet a large contingent of Porsche Club members, it will be time to go racing at 12:30 PM local time. The 2.5-hour race is set to go green at 1:30 PM (ET). Live timing and scoring is available on www.grandam.com. SPEED will televise the race Saturday, August 17 at 4:00 PM (ET).

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Orlando, Fla. (6 August 2013) – The GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Series (CTSCC) travels to diverse racetracks all across the country, but the visit to historic Road America has become a driver favorite ever since the series began competing at the road course in 2011. And Luis Bacardi’s Rum Bum Racing may well be the most enthused for the 2013 event as the Florida-based team returns as the defending race winners carrying a 33-point advantage in the championship.

Rum Bum Racing rallied to score a dramatic race victory at Road America last year as a huge crowd of Rum Bum Racing fans were on hand to take part in the podium celebrations after Matt Plumb and Nick Longhi combined for the team’s third race win of the season. The race result was a sweet salvation for the team, having been in position to win the 2011 Road America event only to have their chance for the win cut short by yellow flags.

It marked the second consecutive podium for the Rum Bum Racing squad at Road America in as many races and the team will look to go three-for-three in this weekend’s race. The group has extra incentive to perform well at the famed 4-mile Wisconsin road course as it’s a bit of a home race for the team.  Team owner Luis Bacardi’s wife Jennifer is a Wisconsin native, and has brought a large group of her extended family and friends to the previous two Road America events.

The Road America 200, which was added to the GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Series schedule in 2011, sees the highly competitive series staging a pivotal race on a track that most racers are hard pressed not to call their favorite.

“The competition in the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Series is just fantastic,” said Longhi. “What’s going on right now – the level of racing right now in this series is unbelievable. There are so many good drivers. Everybody is nose to tail for two and a half hours and as soon as something goes wrong it’s a big issue. But it’s really fantastic. We love to be in Wisconsin, and love to be at this racetrack!”

With a race that started in the light and raced into the darkness last year, the verdant natural surroundings set the stage for an exciting Round 6 of the 2012 championship.

The Road America win gave Rum Bum Racing the championship lead heading into the remainder of the season. The Rum Bum team would go on to win two more races and secure the 2012 Team Championship title in the season-finale race held at Lime Rock Park.

Having sat among the top of the point standings once again throughout most the 2013 season, Rum Bum Racing currently leads the championship by 33 points and is hoping for a repeat performance as the team targets another trip to Road America victory lane and another healthy haul of points toward the 2013 championship.

“Nick (Longhi) and I work really hard in the car to get the best possible result that we can, but we all know that without the hard work of this crew that we would have no chance of success,” said Plumb. “All the credit goes to Mr. Bacardi for believing in this group and to Joe (Varde) for his vision and leadership on the pit wall. Hopefully we can continue to bring big results for the entire team and work towards another championship.”

The GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge weekend will open on Wednesday with a promoter test day. Friday will see practice ahead of qualifying on Saturday. The 2.5-hour race is set to go green at 1:30 PM (ET).

Live timing and scoring is available on www.grandam.com. SPEED will televise the race Saturday, August 17 at 4:00 PM (ET).

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INDIANAPOLIS (26 July 2013) – As Luis Bacardi’s Rum Bum Racing returned to GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge action on Friday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the team sat atop the championship standings with the goal of extending their points lead with a strong run at the famed Brickyard. Strong drives from both Rum Bum Racing drivers Nick Longhi and Matt Plumb helped the team overcome an ill-timed caution period and maintain their hold on the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge GS championship with a top-five finish at the iconic Indianapolis circuit.

The visit to the 2.534-mile Indianapolis road course was the third outing for the newly built No. 13 Rum Bum Racing Porsche 911 which met its on-track debut with a victory at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in June. Though the long straights of the Indianapolis track tend to favor the higher horsepower American Iron V8s of Camaros and Mustangs, Plumb set the fastest race lap with a quick time of 1:35.300-seconds.

Longhi opened the 2.5-hour race from seventh on the grid and immediately made his way into third position in the braking zone of Turn 1. Unfortunately, the quick start was thwarted when the second place car checked up in the following corner, allowing several cars to get around the No. 13 Rum Bum machine, forcing Longhi to settle into the sixth position.

As Longhi focused on running a conservative stint and keeping the car in good position for Plumb to take to the finish, he ran among the top-10 throughout the first hour of the race. Crew Chief Joe Varde called Longhi to pit lane for a routine stop and driver change about an hour into the event and the team delivered with the familiar quickness and efficiency of a Rum Bum pit stop.

“I had a great start because the others were being very conservative,” said Longhi of the opening stint. “It was very slippery out there and it’s not the best track for our car, but the goal was just to keep it conservative and out of danger and give it to Matt (Plumb) in great condition for the end of the race.”

The team’s day took a dramatic turn when a full course yellow came out during Plumb’s outlap, allowing all the other cars to make their stops under caution. At the restart, Plumb found himself 20^th and set out to make his way back to the front of the field. Through a stint that saw three more caution periods, Plumb worked his way into the top-10 and, with 30 minutes left in the race set several quick laps to move up into fifth.

A final full course caution was displayed with just minutes remaining in the race halting Plumb’s progress and setting the fifth place finish position for the No. 13 Rum Bum Racing Porsche 911.

“In my mind, fifth is a win for us today,” said Plumb. “Just to come such a long way with the car and the setup. Basically this was a brand new car for us at this track and we were just following the No. 9 car and making sure we were in the right sequence to stick with them. I think we got a little bit unlucky on that yellow. We pitted and then that yellow came out – it definitely put us back in the order and we had to battle through traffic. Then I was getting in traffic and overheating quite a bit and that would slow my progress down. So then I would wait for a caution and on the caution I could kind of leap-frog people. In the end, the yellows really helped us though because we made just the one pit stop and we were saving fuel.”

The result sees Rum Bum Racing extend its championship lead to a 30-point margin as, in two weeks, the team heads to Road America as defending race winners.

“Road America has always been good for us,” added Plumb. “We thought we had the new car figured out after Mid-Ohio and Watkins Glen and then we came here and it was completely different. So we are hoping that we can go back to the setup that we have been using and our baseline is closer so we don’t have to kind of reinvent the wheel again like we did here.”

The Brickyard Sports Car Challenge will be broadcast on SPEED, August 3 at 4:00 PM (ET).

The post Rum Bum Racing Fights to Fifth at Indianapolis Motor Speedway appeared first on Rum Bum Racing.

Indianapolis, Ind. (25 July 2013) – After the team took a strong second place finish in the most recent race at Watkins Glen, Rum Bum Racing was back in fighting form on Thursday.

Nick Longhi scored seventh on the grid for Friday’s Brickyard Sports Car Challenge with a fast lap time of 1:36.348-seconds in qualifying on Thursday in the No. 13 Rum Bum Racing Porsche 911.

Luis Bacardi’s Rum Bum Racing squad enters the race weekend with an 18-point advantage in the team championship standings as the team looks to successfully defend its 2012 GRAND-AM Team Championship. Longhi will start the race from behind the wheel before turning the car over to Matt Plumb to take to the finish.

The team, which has won the Mid-Ohio round with an all new car that the team built, will look to keep the podium momentum going this weekend. Racing at Indianapolis is its own unique challenge, as the teams don’t get the chance to test on the ever-changing circuit, which has an infamously tricky surface that varies through its 2.534-mile distance as well as through the changing conditions of the day.

“This track is unlike any other that we visit. The car was very good,” said Longhi. “We would love to be a little bit closer to the front in qualifying but this still is a good place to start from. Between not being able to test, and having a brand new car, we feel good. This whole team is all working from the same playbook and our focus is entirely on the race tomorrow.”

The two practice sessions were both productive as the team worked through a full test plan of action items as the group looked to improve on last year’s ninth place starting spot.

“This was a very solid day for us, and even though I think Nick might have been hoping for a top-five today in qualifying, we’ve made a lot of progress and should be good to go tomorrow,” said Plumb. “It is an incredible opportunity to get to race here at the Speedway and hopefully we can just keep the momentum up with the points and fight our way into a good finish tomorrow.”

The only session of the day on Friday is the race, which will go green at 2:00 PM ET and will be broadcast on SPEED, August 3 at 4:00 PM ET. Live timing and scoring is available at www.grand-am.com.

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Watch how the Rum Bum Racing team prepares for the unveiling of their new Porsche 997 GTS. With the team’s attention focused on tuning and testing, how did they perform at Mid-Ohio?

Video after the break.

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Watkins Glen, NY (29 June 2013) –  After getting off to a challenging start to the race, Rum Bum Racing came roaring back at Watkins Glen to score second place in the Continental Tire 150 on Saturday.

The GRAND-AM podium appearance was the 20th for Rum Bum Racing, and the second in a row for drivers Matt Plumb and Nick Longhi after winning the previous round at Mid-Ohio.

After starting the race from eighth on the grid, Longhi was working his way forward in the pack early on when he misjudged distances in a heavy braking zone, making contact with the No. 9 Camaro.

The impact sent both machines off course and into the gravel trap, but the two championship-leading cars were both able to fight through the sand trap. Unfortunately, the hit loosened the hood on the Porsche as it flipped up, coming to rest on the windshield, robbing Longhi of any view out the front.

Fortunately he still had a strong awareness of where he was as well as hundreds of laps at Watkins Glen, and along with some helpful radio transmissions from the team, was able to make it back to the pits for repairs.

“I lost track of where I was and things slowed down a lot faster than I expected,” said Longhi. “The last thing I wanted to do was hit that car of all cars. It was my fault, and I apologized to the entire Stevenson team and crew after I got out of the car.”

Longhi was deep in the pack after the team used all the adhesive resources it could muster to keep the hood down in an early pit stop. The group made the most of the yellow flag, getting Longhi back on the road and on his way. The incident was deemed avoidable by GRAND-AM, and Longhi was forced to serve the first penalty of his racing career, stopped for 60 seconds before being released back into the fray, still on the lead lap.

A subsequent stop saw Plumb rejoin the field deep down the order. But still on the lead lap and with the proven Rum Bum Racing car and crew in his corner, Plumb was able to click off a series of laps that saw him escalating up the order after running as low as 23rd to race his way up to run second with 30 laps in the books. The team effort was once again on display as the final pit exchange saw Plumb emerge in the lead, clear of the field.

The changing conditions caught several teams and drivers off-guard as Plumb worked on building his lead. But with the rains gaining steam, several drivers had offs and a long full course caution culled the field for over half an hour as Plumb held the point behind the safety car.

While it looked like a run to the checkered flag was once again in the cards, a one-lap dash to the finish saw Plumb cede the lead as he fought through the last lap on slick tires on the still very-wet track. The huge team effort netted yet another podium as Rum Bum Racing grew its championship points lead.

“It was crazy!” said Longhi after the race. “All of the credit goes to the team, 100%, we never give up.  Matt (Plumb) is a rockstar to get it to the front and the whole team was just fantastic.”

The wildly changing and challenging conditions had the fans breathless for the final circuit of the race, as no one knew what kind of grip was on offer. Fortunately, Plumb handled the pressure perfectly, holding off the charge from cars with wet tires to score second place at the finish.

“I think Continental has developed a new slick rain tire,” smiled Plumb about how he was able to make the slicks work in the wet conditions. “We worked really hard to get the car balanced both in the dry and the wet and that was how we got to the front. I’m really sorry to the Stevenson guys, we never intend to do things like that and I hope they didn’t get pushed back too far because of it. Thanks to Luis Bacardi, and Rum Bum Racing once again prevails.”

Rum Bum Racing will be back in action at the fabled Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 26th as GRAND-AM stages the Brickyard Grand Prix.

The post Team Effort Takes Rum Bum Racing to Watkins Glen Podium appeared first on Rum Bum Racing.

Orlando, Fla. (28 June 2013) – New car blues? Not for Rum Bum Racing.

When Matt Plumb took the checkered flag at Mid-Ohio ahead of the entire GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge field last weekend, it not only marked the 13th time that a Rum Bum Racing car has won in GRAND-AM, but it also was the third time that the team took a brand new machine directly to victory lane.

The team opened its first chapter of GRAND-AM competition back in 2010 by kicking down the door to the fabled winner circle at Daytona International Speedway as young Gian Bacardi teamed with Matt Plumb to bring the team’s BMW M3 a victory in the group’s first-ever race.  The team went on to score three wins in 2010 and then scored three more victories with the No. 13 M3 in 2011 to help power BMW to the GRAND-AM Manufacturer Championship.

Fast forward to April 2012, when Rum Bum Racing made the shock switch to the Porsche 911 at Barber Motorsports Park.  Using a car that another group had built, the move to the rear-engined car didn’t faze the team one bit as Plumb and co-driver Nick Longhi came home with a big win in the Porsche 200 as the team debuted with the famed car from Stuttgart.  The duo, who have a combined GRAND-AM win total of over 30 victories, went on to take five wins in 2012 as the team scored the Team Championship honors.

Led by Luis Bacardi, the team looked forward to 2013 to build and develop the group’s first-ever in-house entry. Taking the full opportunity to not only build the best possible Porsche but also test the car ahead of duty, the Joe Varde-led squad once again impressed at Mid-Ohio as the team won in its first-ever outing in the 911.

“Nick (Longhi) and I work really hard in the car to get the best possible result that we can, but we all know that without the hard work of this crew that we would have no chance of success,” said Plumb. “To win with the car that the team built, and to have it be the 13th victory for the team, was really something special. All the credit goes to Mr. Bacardi for believing in this group and to Joe (Varde) for his vision and leadership on the pit wall. Hopefully we can continue to bring that kind of result for the entire team and work towards another championship.”

The team enters the Continental Tire 150 race weekend at Watkins Glen as defending race winners and will look to once again show what the group is capable of on Saturday.

A 15-minute qualifying session will take place Saturday morning at 10:40 AM (ET) with the 2.5-hour race set to go green at 3:00 PM (ET) Saturday.

Live timing and scoring is available at www.grand-am.com throughout the weekend. SPEED will televise the Continental Tire 150 Sunday, July 7 at 4:00 PM (ET).

The post Mid-Ohio Victory Marks Another Winning Debut for Rum Bum Racing appeared first on Rum Bum Racing.

Orlando, Fla. (25 June 2013) – Not only is Luis Bacardi’s Rum Bum Racing fresh off of the team’s most recent victory at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course two weeks ago, but as Nick Longhi and Matt Plumb return to Watkins Glen this weekend they enter the event as the defending Continental Tire 150 race winners. The duo head to the fabled upstate New York track with an 11-point advantage in the GRAND-AM championship with five rounds in the books.

The Mid-Ohio victory was a big one for Plumb as he became the winningest driver in GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Series (CTSCC) history when he claimed his 15^th–career  overall CTSCC win.

“I was surprised to find out about that statistic, but most of that success-and those wins-is just a result of being a part of this Rum Bum Racing team that Mr. Bacardi assembled,” said Plumb. “Wins are great of course, but the big focus is the championship. The plan was to come away with points from Mid-Ohio with a car all straight and undamaged for the next round. With these close races back-to-back it really sets you back if you bang up the racecar, you go to the next weekend and you’re just a little bit more behind. We’ve got a good car – a winning car – and we’re going into a place where we won last year, so the confidence is high.”

Longhi and Plumb dominated the Watkins Glen event last year on their way to winning the 2012 GRAND-AM team championship by leading a race-high 17 laps in the No. 13 Rum Bum Racing Porsche en route to the win. It marked the team’s fourth of five wins in last year’s 10-race season and helped Rum Bum Racing secure the 2012 team championship title in just its third year of CTSCC competition.

In a shrewd strategy move, Rum Bum Racing crew chief Joe Varde made the calculation to be the first car to take the last pit stop in last year’s race with a bold move to bring Plumb in under green flag conditions with over an hour yet to run.

While the significant loss of track position from the stop seemed to signal the end of the day for the team, a series of yellow flag caution periods meant that the team made up the lost ground while also being able to conserve fuel for the final stages of the race. That paid huge dividends as Plumb raced from third to the lead in the final laps, scoring a victory by just .336-seconds.

“We knew what our (fuel) window was, and we just focused on doing what we had to do so that we could pit then and still be good to go the distance,” said Varde of the 2012 Watkins Glen win. “Our car carried a lot of extra weight from GRAND-AM, so we knew we were not going to take it on pace. We had a quick car, but not enough muscle to move up in the pack. This series is incredibly competitive. So we had to figure out another way to win, and I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out.”

Having sat among the top of the point standings for much of the 2013 season to date, Rum Bum Racing currently leads the championship and is hoping for a repeat performance as the team targets another trip to Watkins Glen victory lane and a healthy haul of points toward the 2013 championship.

“We knew last year that we had to pull a bit of a rabbit out of the hat to win the race, so hopefully we can have the pace to be competitive this year,” said Longhi. “We are lucky to get to race on tracks like Watkins Glen and I think you see the whole field raise their game when we go there. The fans are just awesome—really knowledgeable about the sport and so enthusiastic about the show that we put on. It is special to be going back there as defending winners, and hopefully we can do it again this year!”

The Continental Tire 150 at the Glen event opens on Thursday with a promoter test day followed by official practice on Friday. A 15-minute qualifying session will take place Saturday morning at 10:40 AM (ET) with the 2.5-hour race set to go green at 3:00 PM (ET) Saturday.

Live timing and scoring is available at www.grand-am.com throughout the weekend. SPEED will televise the Continental Tire 150 Sunday, July 7 at 4:00 PM (ET).

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