SCC: Mid-Ohio: Rum Bum Racing qualifying report

10th Row Start for Rum Bum Racing at Mid-Ohio

LEXINGTON, Ohio, 18 June - The Rum Bum Racing No 13 BMW starts tomorrow's round 7 of the 2010 Grand-Am Continental Sports Car Challenge from the inside of row 10. With driver Gianluis Bacardi at the controls for the 15-minute GS class qualifying session, the Rum Bum Racing BMW lapped the 2.25 Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in 1:35.302 seconds for an average speed of 85.295 miles per hour.

"The car felt really good, but unfortunately I think two of my best laps may have been spoiled by traffic in the Carousel," said Barcardi afterward.

With the heat increasing as the day progressed, track temperatures rose dramatically making for a greasy, slippery track that challenged Bacardi in his first Mid-Ohio qualifying attempt in a GS class car. Eventually, Bacardi found the right mix of smoothness and aggression his best lap on his second-to-last tour.

"Gianluis did a good job under tough conditions," said co-driver and coach Matt Plumb. "For the race tomorrow, traffic will be especially tough here as this track is relatively short and requires so much momentum. We don't have as much, if any, advantage over the (slower) ST class cars here as we do at most other tracks. That means managing the traffic during the race tomorrow, staying on the lead lap and keeping out of trouble will be the priority for Gianluis during the first stint."

Rum Bum Racing will look for a third podium appearance in just their first season of GRAND-Am competition on a track that both Bacardi and Plumb have enjoyed success on.

-source: rum bum racing