Krohn Racing Preview for the Sonoma Grand-Am Race

Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series teams head west this week for the Armed Forces 250 at Infineon Raceway Sears Point on Saturday, August 23, 2008, held in the beautiful wine country of Sonoma, California.

Krohn Racing drivers have continued to improve their development program with the new Proto-Auto Lola. They are making progress and a victory is, undoubtedly, on the horizon. Round 12 (Prototype only cars) at Sears Point will feature Krohn Racing owner/driver Tracy Krohn and teammate Eric van de Poele in the No. 75 Krohn Racing Pontiac Lola. The No. 76 Krohn Racing Pontiac Lola teams Krohn regular Nic Jönsson with Ricardo Zonta. The duo has two podium finishes so far this season.

Jönsson and Zonta return to the track where they first paired in August 2007, as Zonta stepped in for Colin Braun, who had a one-race suspension from Grand-Am. Since Zonta has spent much of the year learning new race tracks, the Krohn team hopes his previous appearance at Infineon will prove beneficial and good results will follow.

Tracy W. Krohn, team owner/driver, No. 75 Krohn Racing Pontiac Lola:

What do you like about the Infineon Raceway circuit? “Infineon, as a driver, is always fun because of the elevation changes. You have to put the car at the proper apex to exit at several blind corners! Infineon, as a spectator, is one of those rare road tracks where you can see most of the track from certain vantage points.”

You have numerous guests coming to Sonoma. Do you enjoy introducing new people to racing?

“We do have a lot of guests coming to Sonoma, several of which have never been to a race of any kind. It's always interesting to watch someone that has never been to a race before. Once their eyes light up, the body language just tells you that they can imagine themselves behind the wheel as well. At that point, you know you have captured a new fan!”

As the season is winding towards a close, what are your goals in these last three races? “Our goal is to show the rest of the paddock what the Proto-Auto Lola DP is capable of doing. We are committed to excellence and feel that the car we deliver will be at the top of the podium for a long time to come. We want to deliver the message that when we begin selling these cars to other teams, it will be a very positive situation, in that we will have an ‘open paddock’ regarding parts and developmental pieces we discover for the car. We want the cars to be equal and may the best drivers and teams win through their efforts and hard work!”

Eric van de Poele, driver, No. 75 Krohn Racing Pontiac Lola: Tell us about your racing history at Sonoma. “I have very nice souvenirs about Sonoma. I raced there twice in WSC with Wayne Taylor and we always had good time there. Also I am very happy to go back again to California.”

What do you like about the Infineon Raceway circuit? “I love this track, which is very interesting and very technical with a lot of changes of directions. I'll certainly need a few laps to get back some good momentum because last time I drove there was in 1998 with the Ferrari 333, only 10 years ago. I know that we will be competitive there. The work of the team is really paying off now and the layout of the track should play well for us. I will be not surprised if we reach our best result of the season.”

As the season is winding towards a close, what are your goals in these last three races? “Those last three races are very important to me and, of course, to the team. It is time to think about 2009 and we definitely need a very good end to the Championship. We know now that the Lola-Pontiac can fight in front and we all want to prove that soon. We all love our job, and we are more motivated than ever. I really wish to celebrate something special very soon with the team. I cannot wait for that! It will be the best birthday present we could offer to Tracy.”

Nic Jönsson, driver, No. 76 Krohn Racing Pontiac Lola:

You and Ricardo are returning to a circuit at which you competed together last year so he won’t be learning a new track as has happened at almost every other track this year. Will that be an advantage for you?

“I think it’s definitely going to be an advantage to come to Sonoma. We have both been there before. Last year we had a fast car, but got caught out by the pace car. The new Proto-Auto Lola should suit the track well. We’ve been consistent and fast, but haven’t had much luck. We have had a few mistakes on track and with our pit strategy and speed has been there during the race. Hopefully we’ll have a better qualifying at Sonoma and go for the first win for Krohn Racing and Lola. It would be fantastic for the team with all the work everyone has done on this program this year. This could be the track it could happen.”

What do you like about the Infineon Raceway circuit?

“I think if any race track is one of the most beautiful in the country, this is it. It is also the most challenging. It has elevation changes, high downforce, low downforce, high speed, first and second gear corners, and hard braking in a few corners. It is a good mix of everything a race track should have. It also has a good technical aspect, where the driver has a big impact on the result, along with the engineers. I’ve won there a few times in World Challenge, and also had some good results in DP. I’m really looking forward to coming back this weekend.”

As the season is winding towards a close, what are your goals in these last three races?

“I think our goal is to keep continuing developing the Lola car. We’ve done a good job this year and are getting closer, so we need to continue the development work. Hopefully, we’ll get a win for Krohn. We were winless last and this year so far. It would be fantastic for Tracy and the whole team for get a win here this weekend.”

Ricardo Zonta, driver, No. 76 Krohn Racing Pontiac Lola:

You and Nic are returning to a circuit at which you competed together last year, so you won’t be learning a new track as has happened at almost every other track this year. Will that be an advantage for you? “Yes, it will be nice returning to a track Nic and I have driven together again. It makes it a lot easier for us – both in setting up the car and for the race. I know and am a little better prepared for what happens in the race at this circuit. We should be able to use this as an advantage.”

As the season is winding towards a close, what are your goals in these last three races? “I only have one thought – it is winning!”

David Brown, Team Manager, Krohn Racing: As the season is winding towards a close, what are your goals for the team and the two cars in these last three races? “We are all competitors, so obviously we want to achieve the very best results we can with both cars. We are determined to get a win with the 76 car and a Top 10 finish again with the 75 car; both of these are achievable. We have progressed with the cars a lot this year -- the team is a better, stronger, more competitive unit than ever before and we are in a position to win. We must take every opportunity to grasp victory and success. This is the essence of competition. Our drivers are familiar with the track at Sears Point. It has characteristics which we have come to like this year, lots of corners, and few straights. All four of our drivers are able to capitalize on the strengths of our Proto-Auto Lola cars and this weekend we are bristling with enthusiasm to demonstrate what we, as a team, can achieve.

Over the next three races, we will carry forward the momentum we have built over the year and strive to occupy ever higher positions on the podium and in the finishing order. We are a determined bunch and we will succeed.”

The Krohn Racing team, now in its third year of Grand-Am competition, is currently tied for 7th (No. 76) and 16th (No. 75) in the Daytona Prototype points chase after 12 of 14 races this season. Jönsson and Zonta have two podium finishes, a third-place at Mexico City and Daytona 250, and a fourth-place finish in the season opening Rolex 24 At Daytona. Krohn and van de Poele have two Top 10 finishes so far this year, a seventh-place finish at the Rolex 24 and 10th at Mexico City.

One year ago Krohn Racing finished fifth at Infineon Raceway with drivers Nic Jönsson and Ricardo Zonta piloting the No. 75 Pontiac Riley, after qualifying second. Tracy Krohn and teammate Max Papis started 16th and finished 16th. In 2007, the Krohn Racing team collected six podium finishes, three 2nd-places and three 3rd-place finishes, as well as two pole positions by former Krohn driver Colin Braun. Between the two cars, they had nine Top 5 finishes and 14 Top 10’s. Krohn cars finished fourth (No. 75) and 13th (No. 76) in the Daytona Prototype series championship standings. Tracy Krohn was awarded the Jim Trueman Award for Sportsman drivers. Additionally, Krohn, Jönsson and Braun finished second in the GT2 class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The Armed Forces 250 race from Sonoma, California will be televised tape delay on Sunday, August 24th, at 12:00 noon EDT on SPEED TV. For more information, please see www.grand-am.com and www.krohnracing.net.