Krohn Racing with White Lightning takes GT2 provisional pole
14 June 2006 Krohn Racing with White Lightning takes Le Mans GT2 provisional pole Krohn Racing with White Lightning dominated the GT2 class in both two-hoursessions setting provisional pole position after the first two of four qualifying sessions. Today saw the first two sessions take place at the French circuit in the run up to Saturday's start of the 24 hour race.
Having been very hot and dry for the test session 10 days ago and then all week as the cars were prepared, rain started to fall just as the cars took to the track in earnest. It was full wet tyre conditions from the start and Jörg Bergmeister took the first stint of just two laps to check the car over. The time he set was fast enough to take provisional pole position at the end of the first hour-long session by over five seconds from the next fastest GT2 car. Nic Jönsson then took three laps to experience the track and learn about the surface in the wet conditions before Tracy Krohn took to the wheel of the Porsche 911 GT3 RSR. Tracy suffered from a fogged windscreen in the rain and humidity and made a minor detour off the track when he lost visibility.
The second session, this time in the dark, gave Tracy, Nic and Jörg the chance the get in the three laps each in night conditions that are required to meet the race rules. Jörg was the last of the three and again drove spectacularly in difficult conditions, carving another three seconds off the fastest time of the night and then a further second on the following lap. No other GT2 time touched even Jörg's first provisional pole time.
Jörg Bergmeister: "The car was good. We hadn't even started working on a wet set-up in the first session so I'm pleased. It was raining pretty hard but the car was still easy to drive. It was good. Then we made a few minor changes for the second session and the car was good again. For my fast lap I even had a bit of traffic - I had a prototype behind me and I didn't know what he was going to do so I lost a bit of time there."
Tracy Krohn: "It was a little disconcerting no having any visibility when the windscreen fogged up. I got to the end of the Mulsanne Straight and then couldn't see and went off a little. It just got foggier in there so we decided to bring it in for that session."
Nic Jönsson: "I just did three laps to learn the track in the wet - where the puddles are and to get used to the grip levels and then a handful in the dark. It was all good."
Dale White, Team Manager: "We did as much as we could today. All drivers got in their three laps in the dark which was the main goal. In the rain we couldn't do too much but now the guys have seen the track in both the wet and at night so they're prepared for if it's like that during the race which is a help. The car's in good shape from the feedback and of course we're pleased with Jörg's lap." 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.