new superteam, champion, Indy 500 winner
DP superteam Krohn Racing and The Racer's Group (TRG) will join forces to enter two Daytona Prototype cars in the 2005 Rolex Sports Car Series, under the combined management of team owners Tracy Krohn of Houston, Texas, and Kevin Buckler of Sonoma, Calif. The DP team will operate from the Krohn Racing / TRG race shops in Indianapolis and Sonoma, Calif. 2004 Rolex Series DP co-champion Max Papis of Miami Beach, Fla., will drive the No. 66 Krohn/TRG car in selected races, starting with the Rolex 24 At Daytona on Feb. 5 and 6. Jörg Bergmeister of Langenfeld, Germany, has signed to drive the car for the full season and Oliver Gavin of Northamptonshire, England, will join for the Daytona race. 2004 Indianapolis 500 winner Buddy Rice of Phoenix will also drive at Daytona, sharing the No. 67 DP with its full-time drivers Krohn and Nic Jönsson of Buford, Ga. The Krohn/TRG cars will be Riley chassis with Pontiac power. The chassis is a change from the TRG Crawford chassis previously announced, due to modifications that couldn't be completed in time for the season-opening race. Tracy Krohn, owner "In speaking with Kevin over the last few months, it became evident that combining efforts in what is certainly the fastest-growing sports-car series in all of motorsports is a winning idea for both of us. I am a firm believer that good things happen when talented people get together and work hard. This will be a pivotal year for this team and this series and I am very pleased to be a part of it." Kevin Buckler, owner "It's pretty cool because Tracy and I had our teams parked next to each other all year. Just recently, we started casually talking and I said, 'Why don't we make this the Racing Brady Bunch?' We're slowly but surely assembling a group of all-stars for our program; we have the same vision and the same goals. I'm really excited about what the future holds together." Max Papis, driver, No. 66 "I'm looking forward to this new challenge as a GM works driver and I'm particularly proud of being back at Daytona as a Rolex sports-car champion. I'm looking forward to contributing to this new challenge with all the guys at TRG who are putting together a really strong program for '05." Buddy Rice, driver, No. 67 "After winning this year's Indianapolis 500, I have had a chance to really think about the importance of winning such an historic event, and in racing there are only a handful of really historic races like that. The Rolex 24 Hours is definitely one of them. I think the level of of competition will be higher than ever this year; to have the opportunity to participate with such a great program as The Racer's Group is something I am really looking forward to." TRG DP drivers – 2005 Rolex 24 At Daytona No. 66 Jörg Bergmeister Langenfeld, Germany Oliver Gavin Northamptonshire, England Max Papis Miami Beach, Fla. No. 67 Nic Jönsson Buford, Ga. Tracy Krohn Houston, Texas Buddy Rice Phoenix, Ariz.