- Two FCY Incidents Compress the Field
- Ruud Holds Off Contenders for Return to the Top Spot
- PROVISIONAL RESULTS - PDF Link
Watkins Glen, NY - Classic BMW wunderkind Jacob Ruud (#81 BMW M2 CS Cup) has captured another race win in TCX competition at Watkins Glen International. Eric Powell (#92 Skip Barber Racing School Honda Civic Type R) put together a winning drive through the traffic to win the TC class, while Caleb Bacon's efforts in the #18 Forbush Performance in the Hyundai Veloster Turbo TCA have earned him a win over the TCA contingent.
The first laps of TC America Powered by Skip Barber Racing School for the second race of the weekend at Watkins Glen were led by the #81 BMW M2 CS Cup of Jacob Ruud. Ruud led the majority of the first race of the weekend, but suffered a tire failure and was unable to capture the victory. Charged with Saturday’s disappointment, Ruud drove away to an early lead in TCX.
Championship leaders in the TC class, the #92 Honda Civic Type-R of Eric Powell with Skip Barber Racing School, and the #9 Honda of Kevin Boehm with DXDT racing, led the field in the opening minutes at Watkins Glen. Rob Hines, in the #21 Nissan 370Z for TechSport Racing, raced door to door with the #51 BMW M240iR of Austen Smith from Auto Technic Racing, eventually settling ahead of Smith’s BMW. Saturday’s race 1 winner in TCA, Carter Fartuch in the #16 Honda Civic Si with Skip Barber Racing School, dealt with issues before the green flag even flew, with the team discovering a loose wire, but not until Fartuch had already dropped out of contention. Fartuch also suffered left front suspension damage that would force the car’s retirement from the race. Fartuch’s absence promoted the Hyundai Veloster Turbos from Forbush Performance of Caleb Bacon and Luke Rumburg to the top of the order in TCA.
A full-course yellow, prompted by Fartuch’s stranded Honda Civic Si in turn 9, set up a race restart with just over twenty minutes to go. Jacob Ruud defended the lead from Steve Stremier in his #30 BMW M2 CS Cup for Hard Motorsport, but remained in the lead in TCX. The #88 Hyundai Veloster N of Kurt Washeim for Genracer and Austen Smith collided in the inner-loop; both drivers managed to continue. A second full-course yellow would slow the race as the #52 BMW M240iR of Tom Capizzi crashed between turns 9 and 10. During the yellow flag, the #28 Honda Civic Type-R of Ken Fukuda began trailing smoke, pulling off course after running inside the top five in the TC category.
At the restart, Jacob Ruud again drove away from the rest of the TCX field while Steve Streimer and the #38 BMW M2 CS Cup of Joseph Catania raced door-to-door down the backstretch. The fierce battle for second allowed Jacob Ruud and Classic BMW to pick up their eighth win of the season, reclaiming the top step on the podium after a loss at Road America and earlier in the weekend at Watkins Glen. Eric Powell and Kevin Boehm ran nose to tail for the entire race, with Boehm unable to close the gap in either the points championship or on the racetrack. The Forbush Performance duo of Rumburg and Bacon brought home a double podium for their TCA team, dominating the race in their category at Watkins Glen.
Catch the CBS Sports Network programming of the Watkins Glen weekend on September 30th at 8:00 PM EDT, with an encore presentation at 11:30 PM EDT; check your local listings for channel information. TC America Powered by Skip Barber Racing School races next at Sebring International Raceway on October 1st to 3rd, for the 11th and 12th rounds of the 2021 championship before closing out the season at the Racing Capital of the World, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on October 15th to 17th, running together with the Intercontinental GT Challenge powered by Pirelli Indianapolis 8 Hour.