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Rum Bum Outdoors goes Live!

Rum Bum Technology has reecently launched www.rumbumoutdoors.com which follows Andre Carbonell through his outdoor and hunting adventures around the world as a tv show coming to you soon. Rum Bum Outdoors is currently being produced and filmed at a few locations including but not limited to Florida, South Dakota, and Colorado. Currently on the website you can check out various features including location information, photos of hunts, future blogs, as well as preview video to the Rum Bum Outdoors show featured on the website. When your done checking out all the information, feel free to go and buy some of your own Rum Bum Outdoors hunting gear on the shop section that is part of www.rumbumgear.com

From the world to your eyes let Rum Bum Outdoors take you on the most amazing hunting adventures.

Follow Andre Carbonell as he embarks on an adventure to the ends of the world; hunting for all of the species known to man. Travel with him as he visits the savannahs of Africa, the mountain tops of Asia, Europe’s highlands, New Zealand’s mountains, Australia’s plains and forest and the heavy woods found throughout the United States of America.  Every situation can and will be different, sometimes uncomfortable and perhaps even dangerous…..Read more only on www.rumbumoutdoors.com

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Seminole Prairie Safaris

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Prairie Dog Lodge

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Seminole Prairie Safaris

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Prairie Dog Lodge

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TBF Talks Billfish Advocacy in Classroom

In October, the students in South Broward High School’s Marine Policy class participated in their annual mock debates about billfish policy as they worked together to create a management plan for billfish in the United States. Groups of students represented different stakeholders in the fishery such as recreational fishermen, commercial fishermen, environmental groups, scientists, and government officials as they debated on how to implement increased conservation measures for billfish. TBF’s Andrew Cox attended the final day of debates where the students finalized their positions and came to a conclusion for a new management plan. Students were given insight and feedback on their proposed management plan and how many of the items suggested were things that TBF is currently working on such as increased gear restricted areas and catch caps on billfish. TBF is looking forward to next year’s billfish debate!

The post TBF Talks Billfish Advocacy in Classroom appeared first on The Billfish Foundation.

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TBF Mourns the Loss of TBF Chief Scientist, Russell Nelson

Russell Nelson, The Billfish Foundation’s Chief Scientist and a former leader of the Florida Marine Fisheries Commission, has passed away. His unexpected death is a loss to those who knew him and to the fisheries he helped over a long career. When it came to ensuring healthy fish populations, Russell Nelson was the perfect combination of scientist and reason.

As executive director of the Florida Marine Fisheries Commission (FMC), which later became part of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Nelson helped develop regulations that brought redfish,  snook and other species back from the brink of extinction in Florida waters. Russell also protected sea turtles by getting Florida to require turtle excluder devices on shrimp boats.

Appointed by the governor, the MFC’s commissioners were citizens that sometimes had little knowledge or understanding of saltwater issues, but Russell always there to gently guide them to do the right thing for Florida’s marine resources. He not only knew the science that would help a species, he also knew human nature and how that had to be figured into the management equation.

“Russ was an enormous asset to the Marine Fisheries Commission and was a phenomenal contributor to the safety and conservation of many fisheries in the United States,” said R.Z. Safley, a former Florida legislator and one-time member (1986-1988) of the Marine Fisheries Commission. “He was a good scientist and a hard-nosed advocate for (marine conservation). He was important to the science of fishery management for decades.”

“He was well-educated; he was one of those guys, like Einstein, who had pathways through the brain the rest of us didn’t have,” said Roy Williams, former assistant executive director of the Marine Fisheries. “He was a good scientist but he also had pretty good political insight. Most of the issues we dealt with were tough, because you had to say ‘No,’ to somebody. Russ was good because he could balance the science and the politics.”

After leaving the FWC in 2000, he founded Nelson Resources Consulting, an Oakland Park-based international fisheries consulting group that specializes in conservation science and advocacy for recreational fishing interests.

With The Billfish Foundation, Russell was instrumental in several of TBF’s socio-economic studies in the Los Cabos region of Mexico, Costa Rica, and Panama as well as being a loud voice for recreational fishing during international negotiations. His insight into dynamics of fisheries and the socio-economic benefits generated from sport fishing played pivotal roles in assisting many governments make decisions to further benefit sport fishing and tourism opportunities.

“All I can say is that Russell, in addition to being a brilliant scientist and analyst, had the most subtle sense of humor of anyone I’ve ever known,” said Joan Vernon, of Key Biscayne, who conducts the Presidential Challenge and worked with Nelson on billfish conservation issues in countries visited by the tournament series. “He had the ability to put complicated issues into perspective and reach sound conclusions that benefited not only the fish, but the economic issues involved as well. His outlook on life was an inspiration for all that knew him. It is hard to imagine life without Russell.”

“He was super,” said Capt. Bouncer Smith, of Miami Beach, who took Mr. Nelson and friends of his from Sweden daytime swordfishing two weeks ago. “He had semi-retired, bought a motorhome and went all over the Eastern United States trout fishing and visiting people.”

Russell received his doctorate from North Carolina State University, then worked as a research biologist for the National Marine Fisheries Service before working for the Marine Fisheries Commission. Highly respected, Nelson also served for 14 years as a member of both the U.S. South Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Councils and also served on the U.S. delegation to the International Committee for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT).

Nelson is survived by TBF President Ellen Peel, two adult daughters, Rebecca and Kate, his mother and several siblings. A celebration of Nelson’s life will be held Sunday October 13, 2013, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., at the International Game Fish Association (IGFA) headquarters in Dania. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to The Billfish Foundation by clicking here.

The post TBF Mourns the Loss of TBF Chief Scientist, Russell Nelson appeared first on The Billfish Foundation.

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Come See What’s New At TBF During The Fort Lauderdale Boat Show!

Look for TBF at the 54th edition of The Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show (FLIBS) running from Thursday, October 31st – Monday November, 4th. FLIBS promoters forecast this year’s event to be one of the best ever, with new attractions including Seafair, which features upscale food, drinks and shopping, and the Sailfish Pavilion located at the Fort Lauderdale Convention Center. Be sure and visit The Billfish Foundation’s display at the Bahia Mar location near the front of the entrance tent.

Steve Goione, TBF’s 2013 artist will be a guest at our booth on the first two days of the boat show. Steve celebrated his home state of North Carolina and its iconic boat-builders when he created “A Rigger Full” for the TBF 2013 Print of the Year. The centerpiece of the print features a sleek sportfishing boat aptly name Release Me, with masts loaded with TBF tag flags. Two beautiful blue marlin complete this beautiful work of art. Steve will be at the TBF display on Thursday and Friday, illustrating an original pen and ink remarque on the print during show hours to increase its value and exclusivity even more! Those who join or renew their TBF membership at the boat show will be entered into a drawing for this one of a kind work of art!

TBF will also be debuting some brand new apparel from our conservation partner, Pelagic. You will definitely want to check out this great looking gear either for yourself, or be ahead of the game and start your holiday shopping for your favorite anglers!

The post Come See What’s New At TBF During The Fort Lauderdale Boat Show! appeared first on The Billfish Foundation.

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Introducing the TBF/TrollPro Monthly Video Contest!

Photo Credit to Alonso Abuchaibe

With billfishing at its peak in many destinations worldwide, TBF and TrollPro.com would love to see your amazing fishing videos. Similar to our monthly photo contest, we will reward you with prizes for sending in the best short videos to us!

All you need to do it submit your video to us via email, mail, or share your file via dropbox.com or Google Drive and be sure to “like” our TBF facebook page as well as TrollPro’s Facebook page. Once we contact and confirm the details of the video provider, we will post the top choices on our TBF facebook site. The winning video will be posted on our social media outlets and we’ll mail out your prize! We might even use your videos in future events!

RULES:

FORMAT: Videos should be 10 minutes or less in duration. Do not send us YouTube or vimeo links that are not your own! Send your files by email, or sharing them via dropbox.com or google drive  to [email protected] or just send us a flash drive to our office – ATTN: Video Contest!

1. Your submission e-mail should contain contact information, credits, a short description of location, species, highlights and if a TrollPro Video Housing was used.

2. Videos should be no shorter than 10 seconds and no longer than 5 minutes of footage. Edited footage is fine as well.

3. Videos must not contain any inappropriate material and should be in good taste, suitable for all audiences.

4. The videos can be of billfish in the water and/or underwater, jumping shots, on the teaser, in the dredge teaser or free swimming and must be submitted by the 1st of the month. The contest will begin October 1st, 2013 and you have until October 15th to submit your video. The top videos will be voted on and the winner will be announced in our monthly e-newsletter.

5. Since TrollPro is a proud co-sponsor of this contest, any winning video that is captured in whole or part with a TrollPro Underwater Marine Video Housing, TrollPro DredgePro, or TrollPro Down Rigger Series housing and displays proof will receive an additional bonus from TrollPro!

6. Prizes will only be mailed to addresses in the United States.

Eligible Video Formats

• .MOV

• .MPEG4

• .AVI

• .WMV

• .MPEGPS

• .FLV

• 3GP

• WebM

PLEASE NOTE: Any video of a fish that has been removed from the water will be disqualified. Not only is this harmful for the fish, but it is also illegal in the Atlantic and its surrounding waters according to Atlantic Federal Regulation 50 CFR 635.21.

**By submitting videos to The Billfish Foundation and TrollPro you have given us the right to use your VIDEO in any of our digital (Facebook, twitter, etc.) or traditional (brochures, publications, promotional materials etc.) media outlets.

 

The post Introducing the TBF/TrollPro Monthly Video Contest! appeared first on The Billfish Foundation.

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Rum Bum Racing Wins Second Consecutive GRAND-AM Championship

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.

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Title in Sight As Rum Bum Racing Set for Third Row Start

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 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 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.

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Championship Goal for Rum Bum Racing at Lime Rock Park

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.

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“Baby” Blue Marlin Story

Photo credit to Richard Brackett

Encountering a blue marlin is quite a feat in itself, but seeing one this small is extremely rare. Richard Brackett from Charleston, South Carolina contacted us about catching a small billfish. He sent us the picture above and after looking at it, it was confirmed that he caught a baby blue marlin!

Many thought the picture he submitted shows a sailfish due to the “sailfish-like” dorsal fin but blue marlin also have a “sail” early in life. Eventually it recedes and their bill grows out. Sailfish can be easily distinguished due to their dorsal AND bill. Luckily, anglers have also encountered “baby” sailfish in the Gulf of Mexico and sent pictures in for confirmation. For clarification on what is a blue marlin and what is a sailfish, please refer to the pictures and illustrations in the gallery.

 

By Richard Brackett

My boss, Joey Cagle and I decided to run out to swordfish for a couple hours (off of Charleston, SC), so we left about noon and trolled from 200’ straight out to the deep just to see what we came across on the way. We had a pretty good day and ended going 1-2 pm sails and had a couple other bites. Once the sun started to set we set up for a drift. After an hour or so, I saw what we thought to be a juvenile sailfish in the transom lights. Being such a last minute trip, I forgot the dip net so I had to resort to option two. I filled the bucket with water, opened the transom door and scooped him up with my hands and set him in the bucket. I have to say even at this small size they are crazy aggressive. I got him in my hands in the bucket to snap a quick picture so we could release it as quickly as possible.

 

Great story and thank you for sharing it guys. This could possibly be one of the easiest blue marlin releases ever! This is the smallest blue marlin we have heard of recently but other “baby” blue marlin were spotted from South Carolina down to South Florida.  It is amazing to think that these little guys can get to be over 1500+lbs when fully grown!  If you encounter any of these guys please let us know and email us!

The post “Baby” Blue Marlin Story appeared first on The Billfish Foundation.

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NMFS Releases Updates for Bluefin Tuna and Swordfish Management

Photo: Josh Ardis

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) recently released the Final Rule for Swordfish Management (Amendment 8) and a Draft Rule for Bluefin Tuna Management (Amendment 7). Both have particularly important information for anglers and the recreational fishing community.

The final rule for Amendment 8 for swordfish management  is intended to more fully utilize the domestic swordfish allocation. Beginning in 2014, a new General Commercial Permit for Swordfish will be available that authorizes the use of hand gear, excluding buoys, to harvest swordfish and legally sell to authorized swordfish dealers.  The rule also allows charter/head boats to fish under the same restrictions as the general commercial permit.

Regional retention limits were established for the three separate areas with a special Swordfish Management Area created for the South Florida region, the Northwest Atlantic (including the Gulf of Mexico), and the U.S. Caribbean.  Vessels in the Northwest Atlantic, excluding the Florida Swordfish Management Area will have an initial retention limit of three (3) swordfish per trip. The Caribbean will have an initial retention limit of two (2) swordfish, and the Swordfish Management Area will have an initial retention limit of zero (0).

Source: NMFS

An important note is that interested vessels would need to meet commercial vessel requirements and would forfeit their HMS Angling Category permits, making it illegal to target billfish outside of HMS registered tournaments.

The Draft Proposed Rule for Bluefin Tuna (Amendment 7) has several alternatives which include quota reallocation among categories and potential seasonal longline closures in the Gulf of Mexico. Of particular interest to The Billfish Foundation is NMFS is also considering opening the DeSoto Canyons and the Florida East Coast (FEC) longline closures to a limited number of longline vessels. Originally closed due to high interactions with juvenile swordfish and billfish, opening these areas to longlines could have a detrimental impact on the sportfishing industry.

Source: NMFS

NMFS is also considering TBF’s recommendation to allow the Gulf of Mexico a sub-quota of the total bluefin tuna Trophy Angling  for incidental catches. In recent years, landing an incidentally caught bluefin has not been possible because the fishery was closed in April and before the height of fishing season in the Gulf of Mexico. The proposed rule would separate the 4.2 mt of Trophy bluefin (greater than 73″) equally among the three regions – North, South, and The Gulf of Mexico. In recent years, the Southern Trophy bluefin tuna quota has been filled early in the year with subsequent closures of the fishery in April the previous two years.

To stay up to date on both of these important HMS Amendments, visit TBF’s Advocacy Center.

The post NMFS Releases Updates for Bluefin Tuna and Swordfish Management appeared first on The Billfish Foundation.

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Rum Bum Racing Moves Closer To Goal in Monterey

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.

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Rum Bum Racing Focused on Championship at Laguna Seca

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 11th 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.

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Championship Revs Up for Rum Bum Racing at Laguna Seca

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 3rd 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 11th 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 10th 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).

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Costa Greekfest 2013

For college students, the first week of school is always one that is full of anxiety of new classes and coming to the conclusion that your summer is officially over. However, the University of Alabama makes sure to welcome students with one epic concert. The Greekfest committee and Costa Sunglasses host the annual Costa Greekfest. This was the fifth consecutive year that they hosted this event, this time on August 23rd, and even the one-hour weather delay could not keep over 12,000 students from turning out. This annual concert brings Alabama students together to “party for a purpose” and it did not disappoint those lucky enough to get tickets.

The proceeds of the event went to non-profit organizations that make a difference for local Alabamians. The beneficiaries were the University of Alabama Greek Relief Fund and The Billfish Foundation (TBF). The University of Alabama Greek Relief Fund, an organization that provides relief across Tuscaloosa and TBF’s steadfast commitment to the Gulf communities and businesses in the region made it a simple choice. TBF has been working with the Alabama sportfishing community for many years and continues to fight for the conservation of billfish and educate the public about the importance of sportfishing to local communities.

Jay Johnson of Costa’s movie series GeoFish was the master of ceremonies and Costa made sure they gave the concertgoers a full slate of great and diverse group musical acts. The concert’s headliner was Hip-Hop star, Wiz Khalifa, who followed, Dispatch, a Progressive-Rock jam band and local Tuscaloosa band, Mother Funk. Costa held another memorable concert in Tuscaloosa that students will not soon forget. Many of the students received great items from Costa like t-shirts, stickers, and cups. Students even won a pair of Costa sunglasses throughout the night, and two students came on stage to compete for a Yeti cooler and sunglasses via fighting chairs. Not a bad night, even if it was back at school.

TBF would like to thank Costa and the Greekfest committee for selecting The Billfish Foundation as a beneficiary of the event. We would also like to thank the University of Alabama and all the event volunteers for a great event and great time on campus. TBF looks forward to the next participating in the next Costa Sunglasses and University of Alabama event. For more information about the Costa Sunglasses please visit www.costadelmar.com.

 

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Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council Meets in New Orleans

On August 28, TBF attended the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council Meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana. Composed of Governors from each of the five Gulf States and representatives from six federal agencies, the council voted unanimously to approve the initial plan outlining the recovery efforts for the Gulf region following the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

The preliminary ideas discussed at the meeting and voted upon are outlined in the Draft Initial Comprehensive Plan: Restoring the Gulf Coast’s Ecosystem and Economy that can be found by clicking here. Within the document are the Council’s plans for restoration efforts to create projects that will restore and revitalize the Gulf Coast ecosystem and economy. Setting the framework for how funds in the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Trust Fund will be utilized for restoration projects as they become available, the Council has laid the necessary foundation to make lasting impacts in the Gulf of Mexico.

TBF understands the important role recreational fishing plays in the communities and economies throughout the Gulf of Mexico and will continue to work with organizations and scientists in the region as the recovery effort moves forward.

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Welcome Costa Sunglasses as a Tag & Release Program Sponsor!

 

Photo Credit – Capt. Russell Kleppinger

The Billfish Foundation (TBF) is proud to announce that Costa Sunglasses is TBF’s newest Tag and Release Program partners. They join King Sailfish Mounts, Pelagic Gear, and Bisbee’s Black and Blue as sponsors of TBF’s cornerstone conservation program. Established in 1990, The Billfish Foundation’s Tag and Release Program is the largest private billfish tagging database in the world, and is the cornerstone of TBF’s conservation and advocacy efforts.

With more than 200,000 tag and release reports, TBF receives over 15,000 tag and release records annually from across the globe, which provides vital information for billfish conservation. Tag data is studied to further understand billfish species growth rates, migratory patterns, habitat utilization, and post-release survival rates.

The tag and release data also provides valuable information for stock assessments that are instrumental in a time when industrial longlines represent the largest source of marlin mortality. This data provides the groundwork for conservation minded policy, scientific advancement and gives insight into the demographics and socio-economic benefits generated from billfishing.

Costa’s support of TBF’s tag and release program allows the advocacy organization to continue its tagging education and outreach efforts within the angling community.

“Costa has been a longstanding partner of The Billfish Foundation,” said Al Perkinson, vice president of marketing for Costa Sunglasses. “Support of tag and release programs, like TBF’s and others, allows for more fish species data collection, so we make more informed decisions in regards to sustainable sportfishing practices and policy.”

TBF is looking forward to having Costa Sunglasses on board and excited for the future with all these great companies coming on board to support TBF’s Tag and Release Program! To learn more about TBF’s Tag and Release program or to become a sponsor, please contact us at 954-938-01050 or email.

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Rum Bum Racing Fights for Podium Finish at Kansas

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.

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Rum Bum Racing Takes Third on Kansas Speedway Grid

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 10th 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).

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Rum Bum Racing Repeat Winners at Road America

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 14th 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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Rum Bum Racing Plays Conservative Hand in Qualifying at Road America

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 crew really turned the car around from yesterday because we had some problems and now it’s fine,” said Longhi after qualifying. “I think on the second time by I was a little bit too careful on the entries into the corners. So I am a little frustrated that I was so conservative, but there are no points for qualifying so it will be ok. The car was just more stable than I expected it to be, and I just didn’t make the most of that. Overall it was ok, the team did a great job, but I think I was just a bit too conservative.”

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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Rum Bum Racing Set to Defend at Road America

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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TBF Goes to Japan!

On July 25-28th, TBF’s Peter Chaibongsai took part in the Japan Game Fish Association’s (JGFA) Japan International Billfish Tournament (JIBT) off of Shimoda, Japan. Located several hundred miles south from Tokyo, Shimoda, Japan is known for the US Navy opening up trade between nations in the mid-19th century. The JIBT, in its 35th year, pits the best Japanese billfish anglers against one another in a friendly tournament – with the only thing on the line is pride and bragging rights on who is the top billfish boat . While the JGFA holds billfish tournaments on almost every weekend in the summer, the JIBT is the largest attended. This year over 100 boats and 600 participants took part in the tournament which has a minimal entry fee of about $1000 dollars.

During the tournament, Chaibongsai was welcomed by the JGFA and met with their directors and executive officers. The purpose of TBF’s visit was to reestablish communication between the groups, especially since the group has continued to be a staunch supporter of TBF’s Tag and Release Program.  Recently, a Japanese angler and/or captain has won a Tag & Release award from TBF in three of the past five years.

Some JGFA members have continued to use TBF tags since the early 1990’s, which is quite a feat. Moreover, in JGFA’s fishing museum, where they proudly display Japanese billfish records, they also prominently show and discuss the importance of TBF’s tagging program in billfish conservation. With this in mind, TBF has recently seen a number of their tagged fish showing up in a number of places like off of Taiwan and the South China Sea.  The parties also discussed other ways to continue to reestablish regular communication (outside of the Tag and Release program) and following the meeting everyone came out excited for the future.

The tournament was lively every morning with a shotgun start and with everyone coming back to the dock by early evening and be recognized for what they caught, tagged and released. The format of the tournament is to tag any billfish under 100kg or about 220 lbs. Over 40 billfish, including blue, black and striped marlin, were tagged and released safely over the 3 days of fishing. On the first day of the tournament TBF presented the first 10 boats that tagged and released a billfish a TBF tag flag, magazine and sticker as a small gesture of thanks. During the awards ceremony TBF was recognized and Chaibongsai spoke to the participants and presented the JIBT’s Top Tag & Release boat to Team Bonita.

TBF would like to thank the members of JGFA for the invitation to attend the JIBT, to Mr. Higashi for his assistance, and Team Forward for their hospitality. TBF is anxious to work with JGFA and to come back to Japan and build upon the discussions during our time there.

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Rum Bum Racing Fights to Fifth at Indianapolis Motor Speedway

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 20th 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).

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Rum Bum Racing Set to Start Seventh at the Brickyard

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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Sailfish Brewing Company’s Tag & Release Amber Festival

The first annual Sailfish Brewing Company’s Tag & Release Amber Festival was held on July 20th at Sailfish Brewery in Fort Pierce, Florida to bring awareness and generate funds for The Billfish Foundation (TBF). This event was the brewery’s way to help support TBF and to introduce themselves a TBF conservation partner for 2013 and beyond.

As part of their commitment to honor the TBF mission, the owners of Sailfish Brewing Company named one of its most popular offerings Tag & Release Amber.  Sailfish Brewery donated a $1 for every Tag & Release beer sold during the festival to help support TBF’s tagging program. During the event, a silent auction of items was also held to raise more funds for TBF and TBF had discounted memberships for those who joined that evening.  Following the event, proceeds from Tag & Release Amber (as well as their seasonal White Marlin Wheat) will benefit TBF as well.

“We are thrilled to have Sailfish Brewing Company as a sponsor and welcome their enthusiasm to help The Billfish Foundation not just with this event, but by naming one of their bestselling beers after our tagging program,” said Peter Chaibongsai from TBF. Along with this event, we will also be offering TBF memberships and TBF literature throughout the year at the Sailfish Brewpub so local area residents and visitors can easily participate and learn more about our organization.”

Nick Bischoff and Dave BuShea, cofounders of Sailfish Brewing, are both avid sports fishermen who wanted to share their love of the sport and the importance of conservation with others. “From our inception we wanted to give Florida beer drinkers a craft beer that speaks to our unique tastes, hot weather and love of the sea while committing to protect the water that surrounds us,” said Bischoff.  “We created the Tag and Release Amber – an American pale, crystal, with a healthy dose of rye malts brew — specifically to focus on the importance of this TBF initiative,” he said.

Over $1000 dollars were collected from the auction, beer sales, and memberships from the event and TBF would like to thank Sailfish Brewery for hosting this unique and fun benefit event. We are excited to have them onboard as a sponsor and look forward to seeing this relationship blossom in the Florida fishing community. We cannot wait to see and taste more local libations from them! For more information about Sailfish Brewery, Inc. and the Tag & Release Festival go to their website or their Facebook page.

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TBF Submits Comments for Billfish Conservation Act Scoping Process

On July 3,The Billfish Foundation submitted their official comments to the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) as part of the scoping process for the Billfish Conservation Act of 2012. Signed into law on October 5, 2012, NMFS is seeking public comment on the potential scope of any future regulations to implement the BCA.

Two exemptions placed in the legislation would allow Pacific billfish caught by domestic vessels and landed Hawaii and the Pacific Insular Areas to be excluded from the general prohibition within the legislation. The legislation also allows foreign vessels to land billfish in Pacific Insular Areas for exports outside of the United States.The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is currently accepting comments on the scope of the exemptions in the Billfish Conservation Act and the possible regulations, if any, that can be used to restrict the trade or sale of billfish landed by U.S. boats in Hawaii.

The Billfish Foundation’s Official Comments for the ANPR for the Billfish Conservation Act of 2012:

TBF’s comments can also be read by Clicking Here

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