Podium Finish for Risi-Krohn Ferrari Team

The No. 61 Risi-Krohn Ferrari of Tracy W. Krohn, Nic Jönsson and Eric van de Poele took their Risi-Competizione-prepared Ferrari 430 GT to a third place finish in the 56th Annual 12 Hours of Sebring race Saturday night in Sebring, Florida.

Attrition, as usual, played into the results at the season-opening American Le Mans Series (ALMS) race at the historic 3.7-mile circuit. Only 20 of 33 cars finished the grueling race. Heat was also a factor, especially for the No. 61 Ferrari, as the only problem they suffered in the demanding race was the air cooling system to the driver’s helmet.

Houston-based Risi Competizione’s current GT2 Drivers Champions, Jaime Melo and Mika Salo – together with Italian Ferrari GT driver, Gianmaria Bruni – were not so fortunate at the Florida classic today. After holding a commanding class lead for the first five and a half hours of the race, the No. 62 car was involved in an incident with a competitor, which resulted in the retirement of both cars.

This is the second podium in six races for the Risi-Krohn Ferrari. Krohn, Jönsson and Colin Braun finished second at last year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans. Additionally, in 2007 the Risi-Krohn Ferrari team participated in four of the ALMS races, collecting three Top-10 finishes.

TRACY KROHN, Risi-Krohn Ferrari 430 GT Driver and Krohn Racing Owner: “That was the intended and desired result. To be on the podium here is one of my dreams in racing. The team did awesome. Nic and Eric are just solid professionals and fun to drive with. The team did well. There are some things we can work on and improve. The good news is it can just get better. The car was solid. The team did a great job. Mark (Schomann – Team Engineer) did a super job getting the car ready and calling the right shots. He did a just a great job on that. The car was fun to drive all day long. I also would like to make a dedication to my friend and co-worker, Lisa Holt, who has just recently had surgery for breast cancer and is a survivor and is doing fine. This one is for you, baby!”

NIC JONSSON, Driver, No. 61 Risi-Krohn Ferrari 430 GT: “It’s awesome! Again the Risi Competizione guys prepared a very good car for us. I think we all stayed out of trouble. That’s the name of the game in these endurance races. We actually had a pace towards the middle and end of the race where we were running right with the leaders. Tracy did a fantastic job. So did Eric. It’s fantastic to be on the podium in one of the biggest sports car races in the world. We finished second at Le Mans last year and now we’re third here at Sebring. Sebring is the one biggest sports car race in North America. It’s a great accomplishment. I can’t be happier. I’m very proud and pleased to be a part of Krohn Racing and it’s a fantastic start of the year.”

ERIC VAN DE POELE, Driver, No. 61 Risi-Krohn Ferrari 430 GT: “It was a great result. It was very hot in the car today and we had problems with the air to the helmet. Other than that, it was great. Tracy and Nic drove well and kept a good pace. I am very happy with the result. I want to thank Giuseppe and Krohn Racing. Every time I come back with Risi, we get on the podium. It’s fantastic!”

GIUSEPPE RISI, Team Owner, Risi Competizione: “It was unfortunate about Jamie making the mistake he made, and we’re extremely sorry it compromised the results of another competitor but it is racing and these incidents occur. I’m very happy we were able to bring the no.61 home for Tracy Krohn. This is his second year with us and last year his experience here at Sebring wasn’t good, but this year it’s another podium finish on a long distance race. Second place at the 2007 Le Mans 24 Hours and third place at Sebring now; I don’t think it’s too bad to have those on your CV. The team’s happy to have a 50% finish and so we’ll go forward to the next race.”

The next race for the Krohn Racing team will be the Grand Prix of Miami on March 28-29 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, where Krohn Racing plans to debut its new Proto-Auto Lola Pontiacs. For more information, please see www.krohnracing.net and www.grand-am.com.

The Risi-Krohn Ferrari of Krohn, Jönsson and van de Poele will race again at the 24 Hours of Le Mans on June 14-15, 2008. For more information, please go to http://www.krohnracing.net/, www.risicompetizione.com or www.lemans.org.