Krohn White Lightning on the next step to Le Mans 24 Hours
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The atmosphere is building and the fans from abroad are arriving to join the avid French spectators and autograph hunters. Long after the car had been taken away drivers Tracy Krohn, Jörg Bergmeister and Nic Jönsson were signing programmes and shaking the hands of well-wishers. Tracy Krohn: "It's amazing. I've never seen anything like this - and it's so early in the week! I can't wait for the drivers' parade which Jörg has told me is really packed. The excitement is beginning to build now with all the finishing touches being carried out around the track. It's events like scrutineering in the typical French square at the foot of the cathedral that make me realise why it's such a unique event. "I've got to see more of the track too - I went round on a scooter with Jörg. He really knows the track well and to go through it corner-by-corner with someone who knows what they're doing was a big help. It just makes me even more anxious to get underway and start practicing tomorrow." For more information and high resolution images contact Philippa Neilson on pn@squashlimited.com or on telephone +44 7968 564660. Background information Official Le Mans entrant, Dale White of White Lightning Racing, two-time Le Mans GT2 class-winning effort, will be sponsored for the French event by Krohn Racing LLC, a leading sports car organization in North America. The No. 90 Porsche will be raced in a new "Krohn-Green Lightning" livery, by Jörg Bergmeister (Langenfeld, Germany), Nic Jönsson (a native of Sweden currently living in Buford, Georgia, USA) and Tracy Krohn (Houston, Texas, USA). This arrangement between the two racing operations gives Krohn Racing owner/driver, Tracy Krohn, a unique opportunity to race at Le Mans and, with key Krohn Racing staff in attendance, gain experience for future programs. Krohn has also provided his Krohn Racing Grand-Am team drivers Bergmeister and Jönsson who, with Krohn, secured a 5th place at the Daytona 24 Hours this year. The German and the Swede both also drive in the ALMS for Petersen/White Lightning, thus enhancing this co-operation between the two teams with excellent continuity. Krohn's funding and drivers allows White Lightning, wanting to return to Le Mans but concerned about budgetary constraints impacting their American Le Mans Series GT2 title defense, to again challenge for GT2 honors at the French classic. The arrangement also permits Krohn his first inside look at the trials of racing at the 8.6 mile Circuit de la Sarthe for 24 Hours. The Porsche 911 GT3 RSR will race on Michelin tires and have the full support of Porsche Motorsports. As President and CEO of an oil and gas exploration and production company, Houston native Krohn came to auto racing only after climbing to the top of in the world of business. A graduate of the Panoz Racing School, he went on to become runner-up in the 2003 Panoz GT Pro Series. The following year he entered the 2004 American Le Mans Series as joint owner/driver of the Krohn Barbour Racing team, but the Lamborghini Murcielago proved to be too technically troublesome to produce the results required for success. In the same year, Krohn also made two Rolex Series starts and these were enough to convince him to enter the whole series in 2005. The highlight of his first career overall victory at the Six Hours of the Glen event was all the encouragement he needed to set up his own team for the Grand-Am series in 2006. As one of the most successful ALMS teams to participate at Le Mans in recent years, class winners in 2003 and 2004, the Michael Petersen-owned White Lightning team is automatically considered a top-contender in class. Its entry to the 2006 race is thanks to one of the coveted 'automatic' slots allocated by the Automobile Club de L'Ouest, by virtue of the team having won the GT2 category at the 2005 Petit Le Mans race. Having finished second last year, in a tight battle that lasted the full 24 hours, the team will be keen to regain its place on the top step of the podium. Following the official test day on June 4, the four official practice and qualifying sessions are scheduled for June 14 and 15 while the clock will start to countdown 24 hours on June 17 at 5 PM local time. For more information and high resolution images contact Philippa Neilson on pn@squashlimited.com or on telephone +44 7968 564660. - ends - To review or change the format of emails from this group, copy the following link into your browser: http://www.sportssystems.com/emformatoptions.cfm?trackingCode=BC925AB%3B61G203%20%3B0496&userEmail=submit%40theautochannel%2Ecom This email was individually sent to you, however if you wish to unsubscribe, copy the following link into your browser: http://www.sportssystems.com/unsubscribe.cfm?trackingCode=BC925AB%3B61G203%20%3B0496&userEmail=submit%40theautochannel%2Ecom