SCC: Rum Bum Racing adds Longhi as driver

Rum Bum Racing Adds Longhi to Driver Line Up

Millville, NJ-14 July 2010 - As the first driver to ever win a professional race at the circuit, Rum Bum Racing's Matt Plumb certainly knows his way around New Jersey Motorsports Park.

And as the Rhode Island native teams with a new co-driver in the No. 13 Rum Bum Racing BMW M3 this weekend for the New Jersey 250 presented by Crown Royal, Plumb is looking forward to returning Rum Bum Racing to the winners circle once again on Saturday afternoon.

Rum Bum Racing fans will have a new pilot to root for starting this weekend as Gian Bacardi, who scored a dramatic win with Plumb in his rookie outing at Daytona International Speedway in January, has decided to step out from behind the wheel of the BMW as he looks to concentrate on completing his studies in business administration. Racing in his stead starting this weekend will be accomplished engineer and driver Nic Longhi.

The Nyack, New York resident will not have to spend any time introducing himself to the team members this weekend, as Longhi has already been actively involved with Rum Bum Racing through the opening stages of the 2010 season working as a spotter and consultant for the team. Longhi, who lists a Watkins Glen 6 Hour victory as his most recent racing accomplishment from behind the wheel, will also be contributing to the program as he brings his engineering background to bear as the team continues to build speed with the BMW M3 as championship winning Crew Chief Joe Varde calls the shots from atop the pit box.

"I know it was hard for Gian to make his decision but I know he'll have a tremendous focus when he returns to racing," said Longhi. "I'm excited to be joining a winning team like Rum Bum Racing. I've enjoyed success working with Joe (Varde) before, and I've seen this team come together and continually improve this season. Matt (Plumb) is a good friend and a fantastic co-driver, so we are optimistic about the weekend in New Jersey."

In addition to a fast car and strong team line up, Rum Bum Racing is also packing some extra confidence ahead of the race weekend after a recent test at the Millville, New Jersey track saw the team right on the pace.

"I'm happy that Nic was available to join us starting this weekend and we should have all the ingredients we need for a good result this weekend," said Plumb. "We are going to miss Gian, but I know that he is showing some remarkable maturity to make this decision to step out of the car for a little bit to focus on finishing school. We will miss having him at the track with us and of course watching him get better every time he got in the car. But we are looking forward to having him back with us soon, and in the meantime I know that Nic will be a big asset for us, especially as we continue to develop this new M3. We tried some things in the test there last month that really improved the car and we are looking forward to putting that speed to work this weekend."

Saturday's race will see the grid set in qualifying on Saturday morning following Thursday's promoter test day and three practice sessions on Friday.

-source: rum bum racing