Orlando, Fla. (16 March 2015) – In Round 1, the Rum Bum Racing magic mix of talent and hard work generated another huge victory for the team at Daytona, and the squad is looking to repeat the feat this Friday.

When Luis Bacardi’s Rum Bum Racing travels to Sebring International Raceway for Round 2 of the IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge Championship, the team won’t have far to go. The Florida road course is as close to home as it gets for the championship team, located just 90 miles south of the Rum Bum Racing shop in Orlando.

Rum Bum Racing opened the season with a big victory at the team’s “other” home track, as Daytona International Speedway is just an hour’s drive north of the race shop. Drivers, and brothers, Matt Plumb and Hugh Plumb led 34 laps in the No. 13 Rum Bum Racing Porsche to claim the Daytona victory and are targeting a repeat performance in the 2.5-hour Visual Studio 150 (FOX Sports 1 broadcast, April 5 9:00 AM ET).

The Florida team showed podium potential in its Sebring Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge debut last year, only to settle for a 10th place result following a trivial pit call that ended up having a huge affect on the result. Though Hugh Plumb will take his first competitive laps in the No. 13 Rum Bum Racing Porsche around Sebring this year, he teamed with Matt Plumb as well as Jan Heylan and Madison Snow last year when Rum Bum Racing campaigned the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring in the IMSA TUDOR United SportsCar Championship GTD class with a run to ninth place in the iconic race.

In the two months since the Daytona victory, Rum Bum Racing has been hard at work during the break and is well-prepared to take on one of the toughest tracks on the 2015 calendar. The 3.74-mile, 17-turn former airport road course is a very bumpy and physically demanding circuit which requires not only strong racecraft, but also strong car preparation.

“It was just incredible to open this year with a win and it was the perfect way to launch the season,” said Plumb. “But we saw in Daytona how this series has gotten even more competitive—which is something I didn’t think was possible. So we know after winning the first race that we’ll have targets on us and the Camaros and Mustangs will be strong. Racing in Florida, in front of the fans that you only find at Sebring, is a blast for us and we’d love to add to the Bacardi’s history of doing so well in the home state!”

Rum Bum Racing Crew Chief Joe Varde, who is well known in the IMSA paddock for his leadership atop the pit box, is a five-time IMSA Champion and has a long history at Sebring. He has several victories at the Sebring circuit which included the GTU class victory in the 1994 running of the 12 Hours of Sebring while driving a Porsche.

IMSA.com will carry a LIVE broadcast of the Sebring event beginning at 1:05 PM ET on Friday as well as timing and scoring throughout the weekend.

FOX Sports 1 will televise the race on Sunday, April 5 at 9:00 AM ET.

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Orlando, Fla. (16 March 2015) – In Round 1, the Rum Bum Racing magic mix of talent and hard work generated another huge victory for the team at Daytona, and the squad is looking to repeat the feat this Friday.

When Luis Bacardi’s Rum Bum Racing travels to Sebring International Raceway for Round 2 of the IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge Championship, the team won’t have far to go. The Florida road course is as close to home as it gets for the championship team, located just 90 miles south of the Rum Bum Racing shop in Orlando.

Media Notes:

• Third win for Rum Bum Racing at Daytona, 16th overall IMSA win
• Matt Plumb ties Sylvain Tremblay for most wins in the IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge series (20)

Daytona Beach, Fla. (23 January 2015) – It was a familiar sight for fans of Luis Bacardi’s hometown team at Daytona International Speedway, as brothers Matt and Hugh Plumb delivered Rum Bum Racing its third victory at the 3.56-mile road course. The result kicked off the 2015 IMSA Continental SportsCar Challenge in a big way for the championship winning organization who won back-to-back championships in 2012 & 2013.

Media Notes:
– Third win for Rum Bum Racing at Daytona, 16th overall IMSA win
– Matt Plumb ties Sylvain Tremblay for most wins in the IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge series (20)

Daytona Beach, Fla. (23 January 2015) – It was a familiar sight for fans of Luis Bacardi’s hometown team at Daytona International Speedway, as brothers Matt and Hugh Plumb delivered Rum Bum Racing its third victory at the 3.56-mile road course. The result kicked off the 2015 IMSA Continental SportsCar Challenge in a big way for the championship winning organization who won back-to-back championships in 2012 & 2013.

The victory marked Rum Bum Racing’s 16th overall win as Matt Plumb firmly planted his name in the record books by tying Sylvain Tremblay for the most wins in IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge competition.

“Our boss Mr. Bacardi puts so much faith in us, so much trust in us, making this plan work,” said Matt Plumb, who also serves as Rum Bum Racing’s Team Manager. “We had a rough season last year, and he stuck with us. We’re just so glad we could win this for him.”

Hugh Plumb opened the 2.5-hour race at the iconic track from the front row after a strong qualifying run on Thursday. In an effort to err on the side of caution as the GS class field funneled down into Turn 1, the No. 13 Rum Bum Racing Porsche slipped to fourth in line.

 have to be in clean air and we have to be out in front so it’s really the crew’s responsibility for our success,” added Matt Plumb. “If I had been stuck in traffic, it would have been very difficult for me to keep moving forward. Hugh with an amazing driver handoff made it so much easier. The biggest plus for us today was toward the end of the race when it started to sprinkle. It was just enough to make the driving conditions a little tricky. As soon as that happened, I knew we were golden. Our car has always been very good in the wet and I very much enjoy driving in the rain.”

The post Another Big Day for Luis Bacardi’s Rum Bum Racing at Daytona appeared first on Rum Bum Racing.

Daytona Beach, Fla. (22 January 2014) – When Luis Bacardi’s Rum Bum Racing takes the green flag for the Daytona 200 on Friday, starting driver Hugh Plumb will have a prime view after he qualified the No. 13 Rum Bum Racing Porsche on the front row for tomorrow’s 2.5-hour IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge race.

A 15-minute Thursday afternoon qualifying session saw Plumb post a fast time of 1:56.779-seconds on his first flying lap as his ‘eyes in the sky’ Nick Longhi coached him for a good gap in traffic.

The No. 13 Rum Bum Racing Porsche scored good draft on the high banks of Daytona International Speedway, helping Plumb score some precious tenths on the way to his fastest lap of the weekend so far. The effort was enough to secure second on the grid for 2015 IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge season-opening event.

“With this sort of team, I expect to be on the front row and I think if it was anything less, I would have let the team down,” said Hugh Plumb. “Thank you to the Bacardis, Rum Bum, and the whole team for making this happen.

Luckily, I was able to find a car to help us out on that lap because our car is good in the draft. And that’s what we needed. I think we’ll be right there at the front again tomorrow.. The plan is to give the car to Matt (Plumb) without a scratch and we’ll be all good.”

Hugh Plumb will open the race before handing the car over to his brother Matt Plumb, who also serves as Rum Bum Racing Team Manager, to take to the checkered flag.

Daytona International Speedway serves as Rum Bum Racing’s home track, with the team shop based in nearby Orlando, Florida. Having won the Daytona event twice before, the Rum Bum Racing squad is eager to return to Gatorade Victory Lane for a third time in front of their hometown fans.

“We didn’t have the car we really wanted after the practice sessions on Wednesday, but the guys put a ton of work in overnight to make a lot of changes, and that was clear in Hugh’s quick times,” said Matt Plumb. “It’s great to be starting with good track position and hopefully we can come out of here with a big result to kick off the year.”

The race will be streamed LIVE tomorrow on www.imsa.com beginning at 1:45 PM ET.

The post Rum Bum Racing on the Front Row for Daytona Season-Opener appeared first on Rum Bum Racing.

Daytona Beach, Fla. (22 January 2014) – When Luis Bacardi’s Rum Bum Racing takes the green flag for the Daytona 200 on Friday, starting driver Hugh Plumb will have a prime view after he qualified the No. 13 Rum Bum Racing Porsche on the front row for tomorrow’s 2.5-hour IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge race.

A 15-minute Thursday afternoon qualifying session saw Plumb post a fast time of 1:56.779-seconds on his first flying lap as his ‘eyes in the sky’ Nick Longhi coached him for a good gap in traffic.

Plumb was among 15 new members who were voted for the honor by current Road Racing Drivers Club members.

Orlando, Fla. – Having scored multiple championships and a category-leading count of race wins, Rum Bum Racing driver and Team Manager Matt Plumb recently earned a new accolade as he was voted into the Road Racing Drivers Club (RRDC) as a member of the 2014 class. Plumb was among 15 new members who were voted for the honor by current Road Racing Drivers Club members.

“This year’s lineup of new Regular Members includes professional racing champions past and present, amateur racing champions, and drivers with stellar racing credentials,” offered RRDC president Bobby Rahal. “And, of course, each driver has demonstrated his or her outstanding conduct on and off the track, a quality the RRDC members take into consideration when voting in new members.”………

To read more visit www.motorsport.com from the link below:

http://www.motorsport.com/imsa/news/rum-bum-racing-s-matt-plumb-voted-into-road-racing-drivers-club/

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Plumb was among 15 new members who were voted for the honor by current Road Racing Drivers Club members.

Orlando, Fla. – Having scored multiple championships and a category-leading count of race wins, Rum Bum Racing driver and Team Manager Matt Plumb recently earned a new accolade as he was voted into the Road Racing Drivers Club (RRDC) as a member of the 2014 class. Plumb was among 15 new members who were voted for the honor by current Road Racing Drivers Club members.

Braselton, Ga. (3 October 2014) – Beating the odds in an extremely competitive field, Lu Bacardi’s Rum Bum Racing closed out the 2014 IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge championship with a third place finish at Road Atlanta on Friday.

Starting in last place due to unfortunate circumstances in qualifying, a combination of gutsy strategy, super-fast pit work, and an ironman performance by Matt Plumb produced a podium finish to end the 2014 season on a positive note.

Crew Chief Joe Varde’s call to pit starting driver Brandon Davis under green on Lap 2 set the team on a strategy that ultimately paid dividends by relying on consistent pace on track and an exceptional set of pit stops by the Rum Bum Racing crew.

“The strength of Rum Bum Racing is knowing that we can rely on the performance of every member and every part of this team” said Team Manager and lead driver Matt Plumb. “It was pretty lonely just putting in the laps early in the race at the back of the field, but unless I’m wrong, we jumped five positions on our first pit stop and six on our second; just a monster performance by our boys. At that point the race was truly on.”

The last 40 minutes turned into one of the most exciting races of the season with exactly the kind of action the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge is known for. Through the chaos the familiar yellow and blue No. 13 Porsche emerged to score a third place finish in the race, and hoist the reigning Drivers’ and two-time Team Champions to fourth place in the 2014 IMSA Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Team Championship.

“I’d like to thank all of our fans, supporters, partners, and especially our crew, Joe Varde, and Lu and Jennifer Bacardi for their guidance and support during this past season. It is a such pleasure to work with this awesome group of people, and a privilege to do it with all of our supporters across North America” added Plumb. “We’re already working on 2015 and we can’t wait to get started again in January at Daytona.”

The Road Atlanta event will be televised on Sunday, October 12 at 12:00 PM ET on FOX Sports 1.

The post Rum Bum Racing Closes 2014 IMSA Championship on the Podium at Road Atlanta appeared first on Rum Bum Racing.

Braselton, Ga. (3 October 2014) - Beating the odds in an extremely competitive field, Lu Bacardi’s Rum Bum Racing closed out the 2014 IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge championship with a third place finish at Road Atlanta on Friday.

Starting in last place due to unfortunate circumstances in qualifying, a combination of gutsy strategy, super-fast pit work, and an ironman performance by Matt Plumb produced a podium finish to end the 2014 season on a positive note.

Braselton, Ga. (2 October 2014) – Rum Bum Racing will look to move forward in the IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge race at Road Atlanta on Friday after some bad luck caught the team out during qualifying on Thursday.

Brandon Davis, who is debuting with Rum Bum Racing this weekend, was all set to wheel the No. 13 Rum Bum Racing Porsche around the quick and challenging 2.54-mile road course during Thursday’s 15-minute qualifying session only to have qualifying go under a red flag for nearly the entire session. Unfortunately the squad wasn’t able to get a lap in and will be forced to start the 2.5-hour race from the rear of the field.

Fortunately, Rum Bum Racing is known for its strategy and that, combined with the driving combination of Team Manager and driver Matt Plumb and sportscar veteran Davis, has the team optimistic about Friday’s race.

“It’s been great working with Rum Bum Racing and I thank them for the opportunity to drive this weekend,” said Davis. “Qualifying didn’t go how we wanted it to. The car was really good and it looked like the one lap that we actually started would have put us right up there. But unfortunately when the red flag came out we hadn’t logged a lap yet so we just have to deal with the consequences of that. It might rain tomorrow which I’m fine with. It’s a great car and these Rum Bum guys do a great job. We’ll have a good car for the race and we’ll just work our way forward and go from there.”

The Road Atlanta event will go green at 1:15 PM ET on Friday and will be streamed LIVE on imsa.com. FOX Sports 2 will televise the race on Sunday, October 12 at 12:00 PM ET.

The post Rum Bum Racing Ready to Move Forward at Road Atlanta appeared first on Rum Bum Racing.

Braselton, Ga. (2 October 2014) – Rum Bum Racing will look to move forward in the IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge race at Road Atlanta on Friday after some bad luck caught the team out during qualifying on Thursday.

Brandon Davis, who is debuting with Rum Bum Racing this weekend, was all set to wheel the No. 13 Rum Bum Racing Porsche around the quick and challenging 2.54-mile road course during Thursday’s 15-minute qualifying session only to have qualifying go under a red flag for nearly the entire session. Unfortunately the squad wasn’t able to get a lap in and will be forced to start the 2.5-hour race from the rear of the field.

Orlando, Fla. (29 September 2014) – Every team needs a Closer—the guy that everyone can count on to deliver a big performance right at clutch time. Whether that is the last pitch thrown in the World Series, or the final fish caught to make a winning difference in a tournament, Closers always count.

While many Rum Bum Racing fans might fondly recall the way the team burst on to the racing scene with a big victory in the season-opening race at Daytona in 2010, a look at the team trophy case points to an incredible record of performance in the final race of the season for the Luis Bacardi-owned squad.

The team won the final race of the season in 2010 (Salt Lake City), again in 2011 (Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course), and then once again in 2012 (Lime Rock Park) to secure the 2012 Championship.

The 2013 season-finale at Lime Rock Park once again saw a big performance as the team scored third place to lock in a second consecutive IMSA Championship.

So heading to the final race of the 2014 IMSA season this Friday at Road Atlanta, Rum Bum Racing will look to once again play the role of closer.

The 2.5-hour race will mark the end of what has been a frustrating season for the team, which despite a cloud of tough racing luck in 2014, saw the group make multiple front-row starts as well as continue to show themselves to be winners. Of the 690 laps that the team has completed so far this year, Rum Bum Racing led over 20% of them.

Rum Bum Racing drivers Matt Plumb and Brandon Davis will share the No. 13 Porsche Rum Bum Racing entry as Davis makes his debut for the squad. Friday’s race will culminate not only a season of racing, but also a busy four-day stretch of on-track practice and preparation. Longhi qualified the Porsche on pole and led the opening 10 laps for this race in 2013 and will look to continue to have a positive impact on the team this weekend.

“We are looking for Lady Luck to return our phone call this weekend!” said Plumb. “Everything has been business as usual this year, but luck has not been on our side. We have continued to elevate our game in the meantime even more than ever, when things do change on the luck front we will capitalize!”

Rum Bum Racing will have a promoter test day on Tuesday, one practice session on Wednesday as well as practice and qualifying sessions on Thursday with the No. 13 Rum Bum Racing Porsche ahead of the Friday race, which will last 2.5-hours starting at 1:15 PM ET. The Road Atlanta event will be streamed LIVE via imsa.com and will re-air on FOX Sports 1, Sunday October 12 at 12:00 PM ET.

The post Rum Bum Racing Ready for Strong Close appeared first on Rum Bum Racing.

Orlando, Fla. (29 September 2014) – Every team needs a Closer—the guy that everyone can count on to deliver a big performance right at clutch time. Whether that is the last pitch thrown in the World Series, or the final fish caught to make a winning difference in a tournament, Closers always count.

While many Rum Bum Racing fans might fondly recall the way the team burst on to the racing scene with a big victory in the season-opening race at Daytona in 2010, a look at the team trophy case points to an incredible record of performance in the final race of the season for the Luis Bacardi-owned squad.

Austin, Texas (19 September 2014) – Seven time World Champion and Hall of Fame American sailor Paul Cayard said it best: “When life’s easy anyone can drive, but when it’s tough, the people who excel can make a difference.”

Reigning and two time defending IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge Champions Rum Bum Racing lived up to that quote at the Circuit of the Americas round of the 2014 IMSA Championship in Austin, Texas. After record breaking seasons of success with 15 wins, the sheer bad luck that has followed the team in 2014 reared its head again before the green flag even flew. After a great third place qualifying effort by starting driver Hugh Plumb, a freak occurrence saw the engine’s serpentine belt come off on the first pace lap.

Post-race analysis pointed to a piece of debris causing the issue, but this potentially race-ending situation was attacked by the Rum Bum crew who got the car back in the race with a loss of only two laps, an amazing performance in itself. In very difficult weather conditions, the team clawed back to a 14th place finish on pure speed and determination.

Consistently the fastest car for the final hour of the race, lead driver Matt Plumb caught and passed the entire field including the overall leader, to get one of the two laps back. Crew Chief Joe Varde needed only one caution period for his one-stop strategy to play out and get the fan-favorite number 13 Porsche 911 back in contention for the win, but unusually for this series, that caution never came.

“That was one of the most challenging races I’ver ever driven” said Matt Plumb of his final stint. “There were a half dozen different ‘climates’ from corner to corner. It would be light drizzle, totally dry, then pouring rain in different places shifting around the track. I had some great coaching from our spotter MHP which was a huge help in those conditions”.

“What happened on the pace lap was completely unpredictable, just a continuation of the odd run of luck we have had this season” said Rum Bum Racing Technical Director Nick Longhi. “There is nothing anybody can do about it. Apart from that, and looking at what we could actually affect, the performance of the team today was stellar. By the numbers, we were in contention for the win, just a great effort from an exceptional group of people, from Lu Bacardi on down. When our luck comes back we’re going an a tear because every member on this team is looking for blood.”

Rum Bum Racing next travels to Road Atlanta in two weeks for the final race of the IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge. Brandon Davis will join Matt Plumb in the No. 13 Porsche for the season-finale event.

The post Rum Bum Racing’s Fighting Spirit Shines Through the Gloom in Texas appeared first on Rum Bum Racing.

Austin, Texas (19 September 2014) - Seven time World Champion and Hall of Fame American sailor Paul Cayard said it best: “When life’s easy anyone can drive, but when it’s tough, the people who excel can make a difference."

Reigning and two time defending IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge Champions Rum Bum Racing lived up to that quote at the Circuit of the Americas round of the 2014 IMSA Championship in Austin, Texas. After record breaking seasons of success with 15 wins, the sheer bad luck that has followed the team in 2014 reared its head again before the green flag even flew. After a great third place qualifying effort by starting driver Hugh Plumb, a freak occurrence saw the engine’s serpentine belt come off on the first pace lap.

Austin, Texas (18 September 2014) – The Rum Bum Racing No. 13 Porsche will start from the second row of the grid at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) on Friday following Thursday afternoon’s 15-minute qualifying session. Hugh Plumb turned a fast lap time of 2:23.211-seconds around the challenging 3.4-mile road course to take third on the 52-car combined class grid.

Hugh Plumb will open the 2.5-hour IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge race before handing the controls over to his brother and co-driver Matt Plumb who will take the car to the finish. Having placed fourth in last year’s debut race at COTA after starting third, Rum Bum Racing looks to take its first Circuit of the Americas podium with a positive outing in Friday’s race.

The No. 13 Porsche rolled off of the trailer and was immediately quick as the team posted the quickest time during the first practice held under warm and slightly wet track conditions. Rum Bum Racing then posted the fifth quickest time of the second practice which was held under hot and sticky weather conditions as the Rum Bum squad prepared for the 15-minute qualifying run.

“It’s great to be able to put the Rum Bum Porsche right up at the front,” said Hugh Plumb. “Thanks to the Bacardis and all the guys at Rum Bum for giving me a great car. And of course to my brother Matt who I expect to bring it home and put us right at the front at the end of the race. The car was good. I only had a couple of laps and it says something about the team, for me to be able to just get in the car and put it up front. So I thank them and the Bacardi family the most.Tomorrow we’ll just try to keep it clean and keep it at the front.”

With rain in the forecast for Friday’s race, the event could be an interesting one with different strategies put into play.

After some bad racing luck in the previous two events, the 2012 & 2013 GS Champions would like nothing more than to return to the podium at such an iconic circuit as the Circuit of the Americas.

The 2.5-hour race is set to go green at 12:20PM Central Time and will be streamed LIVE on imsa.com. Follow @RumBumRacing on Twitter for updates throughout the race!

The COTA event will be televised on FOX Sports 1 Sunday, September 28 at 12:00 PM ET.

The post Rum Bum Racing Third on Circuit of the Americas Grid appeared first on Rum Bum Racing.

Austin, Texas (18 September 2014) – The Rum Bum Racing No. 13 Porsche will start from the second row of the grid at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) on Friday following Thursday afternoon’s 15-minute qualifying session. Hugh Plumb turned a fast lap time of 2:23.211-seconds around the challenging 3.4-mile road course to take third on the 52-car combined class grid.

Hugh Plumb will open the 2.5-hour IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge race before handing the controls over to his brother and co-driver Matt Plumb who will take the car to the finish. Having placed fourth in last year’s debut race at COTA after starting third, Rum Bum Racing looks to take its first Circuit of the Americas podium with a positive outing in Friday’s race.

New Driver Line-ups for COTA and Road Atlanta

Orlando, Fla. (16 September 2014) – The saying is that “everything is bigger in Texas,” and this weekend, that describes the size of the ambition for Luis Bacardi’s Rum Bum Racing as the team has big plans for the IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge race as part of the big Lone Star Le Mans event at the Circuit of the Americas on Friday.

With championship titles in 2012 and 2013, Bacardi’s Rum Bum Racing enters the race weekend as the defending IMSA champions. But for Rum Bum Racing fans, the 2014 season has been far from satisfying as the team has suffered a streak of foul racing fortunes so far this year.

But with a few weeks to regroup, the team is fresh and focused ahead of the visit to the spectacular Circuit of the Americas just outside of Austin, Texas. The 3.4-mile circuit, which also plays host to Formula 1, Moto GP, and World Endurance Championship events, is an audacious mix of long flat out straight-aways and a series of challenging, technical switchbacks, with a pair of big braking hairpins in the mix for good measure.

The track is one the team knows well, having qualified third and finished fourth at the circuit in 2013.

This weekend will see a new look as Rum Bum Racing driver Nick Longhi, who has been with the team since the drop of the first green flag at Daytona in 2010 and was part of every one of the team’s 15 victories either as spotter or driver, will graduate from the cockpit to the pit stand as he focuses on an engineering role for the team at the Lone Star Le Mans event.

“The win ratio that Matt (Plumb) and I have had as co-drivers is arguably the best in GS history, and that’s all because we are a team,” said Longhi. “Whatever each individual has to do at any given time, we do, with the common goal of success. The last time I made this type of shift it resulted in winning the 2010 and 2012 IMSA GT Championships, and I’m 100% focused on optimizing the total team effort that Lu (Bacardi), Matt (Plumb), Joe (Varde), and all of us at Rum Bum Racing are all about.”

Returning to the Rum Bum Racing squad for the weekend will be Hugh Plumb, who will take on the qualifying and opening-stint driving duties this weekend before turning the car over to one of the category’s winningest drivers Matt Plumb. Hugh Plumb raced for Rum Bum Racing earlier this year at Daytona International Speedway in which he and co-driver Kaz Grala finished fourth.

“We are all looking forward to the Texas weekend,” said driver and Rum Bum Racing Team Manager Matt Plumb. “It will be a different look for us, with Nick (Longhi) working on the technical director side and Hugh (Plumb) jumping in to drive for us like he did with Kaz (Grala) earlier this year. We aren’t a factor in this year’s championship unfortunately, but it gives us the chance to use all of our resources to put ourselves in the best position to win these last two races. We are fortunate to have the kind of caliber of guys that we do with Nick (Longhi), Joe (Varde, crew chief), and Hugh (Plumb), and hopefully this drives us to that point where we can be fighting for wins and championships again.”

Utilizing different driver combinations in the final two races of the 2014 season, 2009 World Challenge GT champion Brandon Davis will drive alongside Plumb in the final race of the year at Road Atlanta. Davis comes to the team with loads of sports car experience with a long list of racing accomplishments that include becoming the 2011 NASCAR Whelen All-American State Champion, as well as the 2005 World Challenge Rookie of the Year.

The Circuit of the Americas race weekend will open with two practice sessions on Thursday ahead of a 15-minute qualifying session which is set to begin at 6:00 PM ET. The 2.5-hour race will begin at 1:20 PM ET and will be streamed LIVE on imsa.com.

The race will be televised on FOX Sports 1 on Sunday, September 28 at 12:00 PM ET.

The post Rum Bum Racing Looks to Go Big in Texas appeared first on Rum Bum Racing.

New Driver Line-ups for COTA and Road Atlanta

Orlando, Fla. (16 September 2014) – The saying is that “everything is bigger in Texas,” and this weekend, that describes the size of the ambition for Luis Bacardi’s Rum Bum Racing as the team has big plans for the IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge race as part of the big Lone Star Le Mans event at the Circuit of the Americas on Friday.

Alton, Va. (23 August 2014) – Rum Bum Racing had been hoping to turn the team’s luck around in Round 10 of the IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge championship at Virginia International Raceway on Saturday, but the team faced disappointment when the group was forced to retire the No. 13 Porsche just a few laps into the race.

Drivers Nick Longhi and Matt Plumb and the Rum Bum Racing squad improved the No. 13 Porsche throughout the weekend’s practice sessions and looked to convert that momentum into a positive result in Saturday’s 2.5-hour race. Longhi was the quickest Porsche in Friday’s qualifying and opened the race from 13th on the grid, eager to move forward.

Longhi wasted no time maneuvering his way up as he moved into 10th on just the first lap. Unfortunately that forward progression came to a halt just three laps after an error in shifting caused irreversible damage to the Porsche powerplant, ending the day early for the defending championship squad.

“It’s such a shame because it doesn’t represent the time and effort everybody at Rum Bum Racing puts into this,” said Plumb, who serves as both driver and Team Manager for Rum Bum Racing. “We just have to keep moving forward. We can’t give up. We’re not going to throw in the towel. It’s tough. These guys don’t deserve it and our owner Luis Bacardi doesn’t deserve it. So we’ll rebound and get things back on track and figure out where we go from here.”

Rum Bum Racing next travels to Circuit of the Americas for Round 11 of the 2014 IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge championship on September 19 & 20.

The VIR event will be televised on FOX Sports 1 on Sunday, August 31 at 10:00 AM ET

The post Rum Bum Racing VIR Race Report appeared first on Rum Bum Racing.

Alton, Va. (23 August 2014) – Rum Bum Racing had been hoping to turn the team’s luck around in Round 10 of the IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge championship at Virginia International Raceway on Saturday, but the team faced disappointment when the group was forced to retire the No. 13 Porsche just a few laps into the race.

Drivers Nick Longhi and Matt Plumb and the Rum Bum Racing squad improved the No. 13 Porsche throughout the weekend’s practice sessions and looked to convert that momentum into a positive result in Saturday’s 2.5-hour race. Longhi was the quickest Porsche in Friday’s qualifying and opened the race from 13th on the grid, eager to move forward.

Orlando, Fla. (19 August 2014) – Following two frustrating race outings in which the team showed strong pace only to be caught out by bad racing luck, Luis Bacardi’s Rum Bum Racing and drivers Matt Plumb and Nick Longhi are ready to rebound this weekend as the 2012 & 2013 defending IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge champions travel to VIRginia International Raceway for Round 10 of the 2014 Championship.

It’s been three years since IMSA last visited the popular and classic 3.27-mile Virginia road course that features 17 turns. Rum Bum debuted at the track in 2010 with the squad’s No. 13 BMW M3 and scored the team’s second podium of the season in just its first year of competition as Plumb’s then co-driver Gian Bacardi sprayed the podium champagne with a third place finish.

This year, Rum Bum Racing brings its No. 13 Porsche machine to VIR and Plumb is joined by veteran sportscar racer Longhi. The duo has combined for 14 Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge victories and would like nothing more than to add to that tally this weekend at VIR as the championship hunt continues with just three races remaining on the 2014 schedule.

Entering the weekend with 198 points in the championship following two challenging race weekends, Rum Bum Racing will look to erase the memories of a motor issue in Indianapolis and a mechanical issue at Road America that took the team from the lead with just minutes left to go in the race.

“We knew coming into this championship this year that the competition would be fierce,” said Team Manager and driver Plumb, who won at the track in 2008. “It’s been even more of an uphill battle with the car having to carry the IMSA weight, but we’ve been able to pull some rabbits out of our hats with strategy calls and just hitting our marks as a team. So we’ve stayed in the hunt all year long and we’re still fighting. We took two tough hits at Indy and Road America but this team doesn’t get down. We immediately went back to work and began focusing on VIR. We know what we have to do from here on out and we’ll do our absolute best to get the best results possible in these final three races.”

Since IMSA’s last visit to VIR, the track has been resurfaced as well as widened in several areas. The updates are expected to provide even better and more exciting racing as the field of 20 GS and 24 ST class machines take to the track for the Oak Tree Grand Prix.

Rum Bum Racing will have a promoter test day on Thursday as well as two practice sessions on Friday to dial in the No. 13 Rum Bum Racing Porsche on the renovated circuit. A 15-minute qualifying session will take place Friday evening at 5:10 PM ET. The 2.5-hour race is set to go green on Saturday at 2:05 PM ET.

The race will be carried LIVE on IMSA.com and will re-air on FOX Sports 1 Sunday, August 31 at 10:00 AM ET.

Follow @RumBumRacing on Twitter for updates! As always, live timing and scoring is available throughout the weekend at www.imsa.com.

The post Rum Bum Racing Ready to Rebound at VIR appeared first on Rum Bum Racing.

Orlando, Fla. (19 August 2014) – Following two frustrating race outings in which the team showed strong pace only to be caught out by bad racing luck, Luis Bacardi’s Rum Bum Racing and drivers Matt Plumb and Nick Longhi are ready to rebound this weekend as the 2012 & 2013 defending IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge champions travel to VIRginia International Raceway for Round 10 of the 2014 Championship.

It’s been three years since IMSA last visited the popular and classic 3.27-mile Virginia road course that features 17 turns. Rum Bum debuted at the track in 2010 with the squad’s No. 13 BMW M3 and scored the team’s second podium of the season in just its first year of competition as Plumb’s then co-driver Gian Bacardi sprayed the podium champagne with a third place finish.

Elkhart Lake, Wis. (9 August 2014) – In a day that saw Luis Bacardi’s Rum Bum Racing team fight hard from the back of the pack all the way up to lead the Continental Tire Road Race Showcase at Road America in the closing laps on Saturday, the stars did not align for the Rum Bum squad as a ball joint failure took the team out while running third with three laps to go.

It was a heartbreaking day for the team and its drivers Matt Plumb and Nick Longhi who had been welcomed to the classic Road America circuit by a large contingent of Rum Bum Racing fans – family and friends of Jennifer Bacardi who calls Wisconsin home. A brilliant effort by the team came up just a few laps short of taking a fourth consecutive podium finish at the 4-mile road course.

Longhi opened the race from the fourth row and moved up to seventh in his stint, which included a longer yellow flag period for a multi-car crash in the ST category before opening a long green flag run. Longhi pitted the No. 13 Rum Bum Racing Porsche 40 minutes into the 2.5-hour race for fuel, tires and a driver change as he handed the car over to Plumb to take to the checkered flag.

As Plumb took to the track, the No. 13 Rum Bum Racing Porsche was not handling perfectly and he took to pit road with 1 hour and 25 minutes remaining for the crew to check out the car. The crew topped off the No. 13 with fuel and upon returning to the fray, Plumb ran 18th in line.

When a full course caution was displayed with an hour remaining, Plumb ran 16th and crew chief Joe Varde called him to pit lane for fuel and left side tires. The strategy call to take left side tires as well as a perfectly executed stop by the Rum Bum crew saw the No. 13 Rum Bum Racing Porsche leapfrog up the order to run second at the restart.

“I come out and they tell me I’m in second – it was crazy,” said Plumb. “But I’ve come to expect this from these guys because when we have issues when things go wrong, everybody just gets together and gets it done.”

The field went back to green with 40 minutes remaining and veteran sportscar racer Plumb pounced in Turn 3 to take over the race lead. As a gaggle of cars behind fought for position, Plumb was able to extend a one-second gap over the field.

A third full course yellow came out just laps later and as Plumb led the field back to green with 25 minutes to go, the No. 13 Porsche was at the disadvantage with the big V8 engined muscle cars in hot pursuit.

Making the most of his track position and momentum, as well as car placement, Plumb fought to hold on to the point.

Both the Rum Bum team and the fans in attendance were on the edge of their seats in what turned out to be a brilliant battle for the lead as Plumb eventually had to give way to the high-horsepower machine.

Despite losing the lead, it looked like Rum Bum Racing would once again taste the spray of champagne on the podium at Road America but it was not meant to be when the ball joint failure presented itself in the final laps.

“Every day that I’m out on a racetrack doing this for a living is fun, so I have to keep that in perspective,” said Plumb. “But not being able to hold position while you’re out there is terribly frustrating. Because you want to do well for the team, the fans, the owners, everybody. We did everything we could to finish well today. We had great pit stops, our driving was good – Nick’s pace was good. But it just is what it is. The good and the bad of the whole thing was – the bad was that we didn’t finish the race due to a part failure. But the good was hopefully from the outside it was incredibly entertaining and it was worth it for everyone that came out and for all of the Bacardi fans and guests here this weekend.”

“The team is just phenomenal,” echoed Longhi. “I just can’t say enough about this team. They never get down, they always keep pushing, no matter the circumstances. It’s frustrating not to have the outright pace to keep up with the Camaros but we did the best we could today and that’s all you can ask for. A big thanks to Luis and Jennifer Bacardi and all of our Rum Bum fans for their support here this weekend.”

Rum Bum Racing will next travel to VIRginia International Raceway August 22-23 for Round 10 of the 2014 IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge.-

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