- Ruud records his third 2022 TCX win Sunday in No. 1 BMW M2 at the tough NOLA track
- Garrett Adams drives to Top 5 at the NOLA circuit in the No. 54 BMW M2 TCX machine
- Horrell/Matos BMW M4 pair take 5th Pro-Am in Pirelli GT America event on Saturday
- Liefooghe/Surzyshyn claim 7th & 9th in Pro-Am in Pirelli GT America doubleheader
In his initial performance at NOLA Motorsports Park, Jacob Ruud of Racine, WI, continued his winning ways Sunday in the TC America powered by Skip Barber TCX class by taking his No. 1 ArmiClenz/Fast Track Racing BMW M2 CS (Cup) sedan to the 40-minute sprint feature win.
Ruud, a recent graduate from Rochester Institute of Technology, started on the pole position at the 2.748-mile, 17-turn road course and held of the challenges of Saturday winner Colin Garrett to collect his third TCX division main event win of the season.
Ruud, starting from the pole, grabbed the lead and drove a smooth, solid race as Garrett, Saturday’s TCX race winner, pressured the 2021 TCX series champion throughout the 16-lap race. But the 22-year-old Fast Track Racing driver withstood all attempts by Garrett to notch the top spot and took the checkered flag by 0.587 seconds. Fast Track Racing is sponsored by the Sewell Automotive Companies.
“Wow, that was a tough race,” said Ruud, now a winner of 13 of 18 career TCX contests. “I knew I needed to get the lead at the drop of the green flag and drive my race. Colin was going to pressure me the entire event. I had to defend my line in turn one on every lap. He made numerous attempts to get by me and we were side-by-side several times. But my BMW M2 was up for the challenge.
“NOLA is a very fun track to drive but there is really only one place to pass in turn one. The track tests your driving skills. NOLA is similar to Utah Motorsports Campus with very technical corners. The same designer (Alan Wilson) did both tracks.”
Ruud scored a second-place finish in Saturday’s TCX main event after starting third in the No. 1 ArmiClenz/Fast Track Racing BMW M2 CS (Cup) car. The 1-2 weekend performance for Ruud extended his TCX driver point lead to 30 as the TC America series moves to VIRginia International Raceway on June 17-19 for Rounds 5 and 6.
Competing on the Fast Track Racing TCX team at NOLA were youngsters Garrett Adams, who piloted his No. 54 Garrett Adams Racing BMW M2 Cs (Cup) to finishes of fifth and sixth, and former skiing champion Olivia Askew, who drove the No. 29 SmartCert BMW M2 CS (Cup) machine to seventh on Saturday. Unfortunately, Askew was forced out of the Sunday’s race early.
In the Fast Track GT4 competition at NOLA Motorsports Park, the team of paraplegic racer Tim Horrell of Coral Springs, FL, and multi-time sports car champion Raphael Mata of Bota Raton, FL, scored a fifth- place finish in Saturday’s 60-minute Pirelli GT4 America Pro-Am event in the No. 10 Fast Track Racing BMW M4 GT4 sports car.
And former GT4 America champion Greg Liefooghe of San Francisco, CA, and Damon Surzyshyn of Winnipeg, Manitoba, CANADA, recorded seventh and ninth places in the two 60-minute Pirelli GT4 America contests on Saturday and Sunday in the No. 11 “Going Pro – SRO America” BMW M4 GT4 machine.
The TC America highlights, including the TCX category, for NOLA Motorsports Park will be featured this Saturday (May 28) at 12 p.m. EDT on CBS Sports Network, while the Pirelli GT4 America Pro-Am division highlights will be televised on Sunday (May 29) at 12 p.m. EDT on CBS Sports Network.
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ABOUT FAST TRACK RACING: Fast Track Racing was founded in 2005. Fast Track Racing has sold 117 BMW factory race cars to our customers in the past five years. Fast Track Racing has earned six championships in the SRO World Challenge series, and two S.C.C.A. National Championships. Fast Track Racing is the first and only United States team to win the BMW Sports Trophy. In total, Fast Track Racing has earned 26 professional wins and over 100 total wins, including 22 poles and 113 podiums, with 23 of the fastest laps in SRO competition. As BMW Motorsport experts, Fast Track Racing also races these vehicles and knows them inside and out. Fast Track Racing is tenured, with track-tested experience. Fast Track Racing has engineering expertise and provides coaching and consultation to ensure a driver’s performance is maximized.