Krohn Racing Readies for Daytona Test Days
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As previously announced, the Krohn Racing driver line-up will include Tracy Krohn paired again with endurance sports car veteran Eric van de Poele and Oliver Gavin in the No. 75 Krohn Racing Ford Lola. The No. 76 entry will re-join team regular Nic Jannsson with former Formula One star Ricardo Zonta and English sports car ace Darren Turner. The six drivers were paired identically in last year's Rolex 24 At Daytona.
TRACY W. KROHN, Team Owner/Driver No. 75 Krohn Racing Ford Lola: How has the testing been during the off-season and do you feel prepared and ready going into this weekend's Daytona Test Days? "Testing has gone very well and we feel pretty well prepared at this point! We went to all of the previous test days in October and November so we have had the best opportunity to prepare that we have ever had!! All of our drivers and team members are looking forward to a good result"
What have you been doing to train and stay in racing form the past couple of months? "The race season ended for us, after the last test. I have continued with an aerobics program and some karting although I believe I may have been a bit lax over the Christmas Holidays, I am in good physical condition and ready for the 24 hours of Daytona"
How have you enjoyed working with the Roush-Yates guys and with the new Ford motor so far? "Roush-Yates has always been a good partner. I believe in competition and believe that is what makes all of the engineer developers/manufacturers stronger as well. We are very happy to be working with Roush-Yates again! The Ford motor will be competitive, but we have worked hard on the car itself."
Do you think it will be the right combination for the Rolex 24 race? "We think we will be as competitive as we have ever been and intend to approach this race having been better prepared than we ever have been. This race is a real test of endurance for the people and the machine and is a pretty physical race as well, so focus will always be the differentiating factor."
DAVID BROWN, Krohn Racing Team Manager and Engineer: What kind of testing have you been doing in the off-season? "Of course we have changed to the Roush-Yates Ford engines. That has entailed some modifications to the engine installation which we have had to prove for reliability and function. Also we have identified in 2008 areas for performance and reliability improvement of the car and we have worked on those and incorporated them into the specification for 2009. This means we have to go through a testing and internal approval process to prove function and endurance capability. We have also adopted some component configurations which are a unique part of 24 hour racing. So we've been pretty busy testing in October and November and we have used December as preparation time to go through the data we have recorded at the tests and build the cars in preparation for the January Daytona test and the 24-hour race."
Are you comfortable going into this weekend's Daytona Test Days for preparation for the Rolex 24? "One seldom goes into a race meeting with every issue covered. We have some test items remaining and we will be focusing on our pit work and car serviceability for 24 hours, not just outright speed."
Is there anything new about the team or car that you will be trying at the test or plan to use at the race? "We will continue to work with Roush-Yates Engines on the Ford program. We have a very positive and productive relationship there. We have a couple of chassis test items left unresolved and we plan to cover those over the 3-day test. We have the same drivers as 2008 (all of whom will be present at the January test) and basically the same core team personnel. We are very far ahead in terms of preparation compared to 2008, where at this time last year we were about to take the Proto-Auto Lolas to their first competitive test."
ERIC VAN DE POELE, Driver, No. 75 Krohn Racing Ford Lola: How has the testing been during the off-season and do you feel prepared and ready going into this weekend's Daytona Test Days? "The testing has been very encouraging. Compared to last year at this time, it is a huge difference. We know that we have an excellent base with which to work. The Lola has been very competitive at the end of 2008 and now we have a little boost from the Ford Roush-Yates engine. So, what could we have expected better for Christmas? We still have some parts to test before the Rolex 24 weekend."
What have you been doing to train the past couple of months? "Nothing special, I'm doing regular sports. I play a lot tennis, and do some dirt bike with my kids. I'm not a fan of the gym or for running in the very cold Belgium weather for the moment. My real training will start now with the January test and after to be ready for the first race."
How have you enjoyed working with the Roush-Yates guys and with the new Ford motor so far? "It's a bit early to really judge. We need to be in the race condition and to see how quick they are when if run into any problems. It is not yet the case and the first contact we had was excellent. The only thing I'm sure is that we have certainly the best package of the paddock."
Do you think it will be the right combination for the Rolex 24 race? "Yes, of course. Last year we suffered of top speed and it looks a bit better now. The Krohn Racing team has since done incredible work and we are much more competitive at Daytona as last year, even if we know that it is not the best track for us. The difference can be done by the team work in the pits and we are going to be right there more at the end of the race than for the pole position's battle."
NIC JONSSON, Driver, No. 76 Krohn Racing Ford Lola: How has the testing been during the off-season and do you feel prepared and ready going into this weekend's Daytona Test Days? "I think we have had a very good off-season of testing. Obviously we have the new Roush-Yates Ford power plant. Also, we've also been doing a lot of other chassis changes and upgrades. Overall, I think we have had a very good off-season program. Hopefully the new tire will be as consistent as the tire was in 2008. That threw a curveball a little bit at the tire test. The tires were supposed to be the same but they turned out to be very different from the tires we ran before. Other than that, I have to say we've had a fantastic off-season testing. I'm really looking forward to the upcoming year.It turned out to be entirely different than before."
What have you been doing to train the past couple of months? "I've basically been working out as hard as I have for many years. I'm back to the shape and weight that I was when I started running Indy cars here in the U.S. many years ago. I'm down to under 150 pounds and in better shape than I have been in many years. I'm definitely prepared both mentally and physically and I have no excuses for not having a good season."
How have you enjoyed working with the Roush-Yates guys and with the new Ford motor so far? "The Roush-Yates guys, with John Maddux heading up that program, are nothing new to us. We ran their motors in 2006 when the Krohn team won the Team Championship in Grand-Am. They are a very professional bunch of people and know an enormous amount about building engines, as we all know in NASCAR. They basically use the same technology and let us get a taste of that. We really enjoy working with John and his guys so far. I think it will be a very close relationship with them starting here in Daytona this weekend. Hopefully that will lead to another championship with Krohn Racing and the Ford power plant."
Do you think it will be the right combination for the Rolex 24 race? "I have no doubts that the Proto-Auto Lola-Ford will be the right combination. I think we have enough miles on the car now. The car proved to be very reliable in the 2008 season. Even though we have not done a 24-hour race, we have done many miles replicating a 24-hour race. We've had extremely good luck so far with reliability. The engineers and the crew have done everything in their capabilities and their power to prepare the cars meticulously. There can't be better preparation than that. I don't see a better combination out there to be honest with you, even though the Riley and the Dallara are extremely strong and very difficult to beat. I do believe we have the combination that can bring us to Winner Circle."
RICARDO ZONTA, Driver No. 76 Krohn Racing Ford Lola: How has the testing been during the off-season and do you feel prepared and ready going into this weekend's Daytona Test Days? "I think we had some very good tests with the new engines. The team has been working hard and making more improvements to the car. I am excited to go to Daytona for the test and see how we match up against some of the other Grand-Am teams. It should be very good."
How have you enjoyed working with the Roush-Yates guys and with the new Ford motor so far? "Yes, the Roush-Yates Ford people have been good to work with. Hopefully we will not have any major problems during the 24 hour race and be there at the end."
Do you think it will be the right combination for the Rolex 24 race? "Yes, we will be very good. The 24 Hours of Daytona is a long race though. Many people will drop out. We will try to be the best prepared for whatever might happen and just be there at the end of the race."
DARREN TURNER, Driver, No. 76 Krohn Racing Ford Lola: How has the testing been during the off-season and do you feel prepared and ready going into this weekend's Daytona Test Days? "When I raced with the Krohn team at the beginning of the 2008 season, I drove the Lola chassis during the test but then we raced the Riley for the 24 hours. We didn't do that many laps in the Riley chassis before the race so I was a little in the deep end. I was glad to be at the test in November because it gave me time to get used to the Lola chassis. It was also the first time I experienced the Ford engine and it was very strong and I can see why there the Ford guys have been having a good year in 2008. We had a few problems over the test so it was nice to speak with David (Brown) a couple of weeks after the test and he went through why we had those problems and how the team was going to solve them and that everything was very solvable and we should come back to this test at the beginning of January in very good shape. That was encouraging. I went away from the November test after listening to Nic and David about how well the test went in October and that the November test was not as strong as we were expecting so it was nice to know there were reasons and we can come back with a car that is very much ready for the 24 hours.
What have you been doing to train the past couple of months? "I've been driving cars up until everything stopped for the Christmas holidays. I've spent a lot of time with different teams back in England so it's not like I've actually had an off season. I did take two weeks around Christmas to relax though but it's the new year now and I'm getting back into training."
Do you think the Ford Lola will be the right combination for the Rolex 24 race? "I think the guys have done a fantastic job with the Lola chassis during the year. Obviously they have learned throughout the year how to make it reliable and also increase the speed in the car. I know from speaking with Nic when the car ran well in the October test there was a really good pace in the car with the Ford engine. I think the two married together should make us certainly closer in outright performance with the sharp end of the grid, but I also think that the Lola is very kind on its tires and that should help us in the race as well. We should be able to keep the pace throughout each hour stint in the car and run a good pace throughout the race and that will bring us right to the front as the race progressed. If you look at the result in 2008, we were yo-yoed up and down in the Top 10 and we finished very well in fourth position. I think the team can look at the 2008 Daytona and think we should at least be able to get on the podium and that is certainly what I will be aiming for."
OLIVER GAVIN, Driver, No. 75 Krohn Racing Ford Lola: How has the testing been during the off-season and do you feel prepared and ready going into this weekend's Daytona Test Days? "I feel the testing we did in November was very beneficial. Pirelli has a new tire for 2009 and it has changed the setup and feel on the Lola chassis, so we worked hard at getting that back somewhere close to the balance on the 08 tire. Outright speed is similar on both tires we just needed to work the tire harder to get a good balance and performance. It was good that we got the tire data back in November so we are more prepared coming into this weekend. We would have definitely been on the back foot if we were learning about the tires this test. I felt we got the aero balance right for getting through the infield well and then still being quick on the banking and the long straights. As always you need to keep pushing and developing the car to get as much consistent speed out of it as possible. So I'm sure this test will just as intense to get the most from everything."
What have you been doing to train the past couple of months? "I have been doing a lot of running recently. I ran a half marathon two weeks before Christmas and did my best time ever of 1 hour and 26 minutes. I was pleased with this time as it was quite a hilly course and very cold. I am running in the London marathon in April so I will training hard for that throughout the next four months. My goal is to get under the three hour mark. We will see..."