Rum Bum Racing Ready To Rebound at Lime Rock Park

Rum Bum Racing Ready To Rebound at Lime Rock Park

“It’s not whether you get knocked down, it’s whether you get up.”
-Vince Lombardi

Lakeville, Conn. (26, May 2011) – When Rum Bum Racing left Virginia International Raceway, the No. 13 Rum Bum Racing BMW M3 had sustained heavy damage following an incident caused by a competitor which sent the BMW crashing into the tire barriers at a high-rate of speed.

The team certainly had its work cut out for them in order to repair the mangled car in the short turn-around between races in time for this weekend’s Memorial Day Classic at Lime Rock Park.

With help from one of the team sponsors and BMW dealer The Imported Car Store, as well as the guys at Irish Mikes Collision, the Rum Bum squad worked relentlessly to make extensive repairs, and within just 72 hours had the BMW back in prime condition. The team then worked to set up the car for the quick 1.53-mile Lime Rock Park road course before setting off for the trip to Lakeville, Connecticut for Round 5 of the 10-race championship.

Plumb and co-driver Nick Longhi will look to score maximum points as the duo shares driving duties in the No. 13 Rum Bum machine again this weekend. Rum Bum Racing sits fourth in the team championship standings – just 36 points out of the lead – and as the season reaches the half-way point, it becomes ever more crucial to finish at the front and earn valuable championship points.

“We took a hard hit at VIR, but the Rum Bum boys just did an incredible job getting the BMW ready for this weekend,” said Plumb. “The car looks brand new and I have to thank The Imported Car Store for assisting in the quick turnaround. You would never know the condition it was in just days ago, so hats off to them and the entire Rum Bum team. Hopefully we can pay all that effort back with a big day on Saturday.”

With top-five finishes in the two Continental Tire opening rounds and a seventh place result at Barber, Rum Bum Racing understands what it takes to run up front. As the team returns to Lime Rock, Plumb and Longhi who both have vast experience at the track, hope to turn their luck around and set their sights on a return to the podium.

“For Luis Bacardi and Rum Bum Racing, the goal is to win championships and to compete at the top level,” offered Plumb, who resides in nearby Rhode Island. “Even with what happened at VIR, that goal remains the same and we’ll continue to go for wins, and score as many points as we can. This championship wasn’t decided until the last lap of the season last year, and I think it could be that close again this year so we will just keep fighting.”

“Lime Rock is an intense, busy track, and for Matt and I, it is a lot like coming home” said Longhi, who calls Nyack, New York home and has long been called on for his coaching and instructing skills at the tricky track. “Hopefully we can turn our luck around after what happened at VIR. The guys have put in so much work, and it shows when you come back from a crash like that and turn up at the tracking looking like we will at Lime Rock. Mr. Bacardi has put a group of people together at Rum Bum Racing that are second to none, and this is a top-notch organization so I’m very excited to get back to work this weekend.”

Leading up to the Memorial Day Classic event, Rum Bum Racing spent time visiting the BMW North American Headquarters in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey on Wednesday. Rum Bum Racing’s huge push in the second half of the season-which saw the duo score two wins and a run to second place in the final three races of the year–helped to push BMW to the 2010 GRAND-AM Manufacturers Championship.

While the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge normally sees the GS and ST cars racing simultaneously, the unique Lime Rock event format will see the two classes run separately.

Luis Bacardi’s Rum Bum Racing returns to action with official practice and qualifying on Friday. The green flag is set to drop for the Memorial Day Classic GS race at 3:30 PM (ET) on Saturday, May 27.

Matt Cleary
Sunday Group Management
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http://www.sundaymanagement.com
317.908.2975 (m)


Based in Indianapolis, Sunday Group Management is a leading motorsports management and communications consulting firm.

Sunday Group Management works with clients in a variety of motorsports categories, including NASCAR Sprint Cup driver AJ Allmendinger, Riley Technologies, GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series organization Michael Shank Racing, Continental Tire, and several teams and drivers in Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge competition.

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