Continental Tire IMSA Driver Spotlight: Matt Plumb

Driver Profile: Matt Plumb
Driver, No. 13 Rum Bum Racing Porsche 911 (CTSC)
Follow: @rumbumracing

How does the competition look in the GS class in 2014? How hard will it be to repeat a championship?

“Competition has always been tough in this series, it has been since our start in 2010. It has been a complete escalation of arms year after year and it just keeps getting worse! As far as Rum Bum Racing getting a hat trick championship wise, that is going to be tough. All I can say is that it will be a total uphill battle, we are definitely feeling the consequences of our success at the moment, but can’t complain as when you win back-to-back like that, no one wants to hear you whine! However the key to our success, I truly believe, is consistency and never giving up, ever.

How does the addition of two races to the CTSC schedule affect the race teams?

“I love our two new venues from a driver perspective, what amazing tracks to add to the schedule. It adds costs for sure, hotels keep raising prices, entry fees aren’t going down, even golf kart rentals are getting more expensive! The costs are really the biggest downside, but if there are teams that can fill the fields – which there seem to be – than it is the right way to go.”

How did the CTSC race go at Sebring?

“Our GS race at Sebring was a bit brutal. We were left scratching our head on that one. We fell victim to a strange call during the race that put us a lap down. We were stopped by officials at the end of the pit lane during a pit stop so that an official could pull a piece of our fuel door off that had half broken. This put us a lap down and we fought back to finish 10th. But we’ve put that race behind us and we’re now fully focused on Laguna!”

What can we expect to see at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca as far as racing competition, track conditions, etc.?

“Laguna is a great place, one of the best in the country. It provides some extra excitement as it is an especially tough place to get around ST cars, they are going just as fast if not faster in the corners and the straights aren’t really long enough to use our power advantage, it can create some bottlenecks which can affect things.”

What’s the best road trip you’ve been on?

“I am sure the standard answer would be a high school or college rage road trip but the ones that stand out the most were those with my family in an RV. Our mother came to realize that the bathroom at the back of these campers was the perfect “time out” location, my brother and I were usually fighting. It was very hot and unsavory as you could imagine, small little window facing out the back, nothing to do back there, we called it the hotbox. On one such excursion my brother Hugh had been sent to the hotbox, probably for assaulting me, and my mother noticed an unusual amount of travelers staring at her while they passed. Turned out Hugh had been filling his time out by sticking his butt out the window. For better or worse, family road trips are the most memorable. I would probably need a different forum to discuss some of the other non-family ones….”