Krohn Racing: VIR GRAND-AM Pre Race
Krohn Racing: VIR GRAND-AM Pre-Race Round 4 on the 2010 GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series calendar is the Bosch Engineering 250 on April 24-25 at VIRginia International Raceway in Alton, Virginia. The No. 75 Krohn Racing Ford Proto-Auto Lola with owner/driver Tracy W. Krohn and teammate Nic Jönsson will pilot the 530-horsepower car around the 3.27-mile, 17-turn historic Virginia circuit. QUOTES: TRACY W. KROHN, Team Owner/Driver No. 75 Krohn Racing Ford Lola: What is your favorite part about the VIR 17-turn circuit and why? “I really like the VIR circuit. It has a little bit of everything you enjoy as a driver with plenty of speed, a nice surface, elevation changes and some challenging turns. VIR has an incredible history that dates back decades and it’s always a pleasure to come race here. I didn’t race here last year due to business obligations so it’s been awhile (since 2008). I’ll have to take a few laps to get reacquainted with the track but that shouldn’t be a problem to re-learn it quickly.�?? Krohn Racing had a podium here at VIR in 2007 and a Top 5 in 2006. Is VIR a potential podium track for Krohn Racing in 2010? “I certainly hope so. Things change every year though. We’ve got a different chassis, motor and tire than we did in 2006 and 2007. Nic and I are still here though and we like this track. It’s actually pretty well suited for our car so I’m optimistic.�?? You had a good car at Barber on a high downforce track. Will the team be able to parlay that information for a good run at VIR this weekend< “We had a good car on race day at Barber and then we had a good tire test after the race. Sure, all the data we get with the new tires this year translates to a better set-up at the next racetrack. We definitely expect to use that information at VIR this weekend. Of course once we get there we will tweak our set-up. That is actually an on-going process because track conditions change through the course of the weekend so you always have to tweak the car to match the conditions.�?? NIC JONSSON, Driver, No. 75 Krohn Racing Ford Lola: What is your favorite part about the VIR 17-turn circuit and why? “VIR is obviously a very old race track in North America, dating back in 1950 or so. It was shut down for many years and reopened about 10 years ago. The track definitely has a lot of different characteristics that we really like on a racetrack. It has a lot of elevation changes, has a lot of fast corners, some really hard braking zones, long straight-a-ways and some really good flow through it. I like the track and the configuration. The grip level can vary depending on how much rubber is on the track. I like the surrounding area there as well. They have made the track accessible for the fans and they seem to enjoy the track. I enjoy racing up there. Hopefully the Proto-Auto Lola will be competitive this weekend and we’ll have a good run.�?? Krohn Racing had a podium here at VIR in 2007 and a Top 5 in 2006. Is VIR a potential podium track for Krohn Racing in 2010? “Good question. We had a good car last year but were taken out on the second lap. We really didn’t have a chance to show. We did not qualify well though in practice we were in the Top 5. We had a very good car a few weeks ago at Barber and had a potential podium finish there. I think if we get the setup right quickly and we are there in the hunt for the last half hour or forty-five minutes, we have as good a chance to be on the podium as anyone else.�?? You had a good car at Barber on a high downforce track. Will the team be able to parlay that information for a good run at VIR this weekend? “Every time you go to a racetrack you learn something new. I’m sure we are going to use some of the stuff we learned during race week and also during the tire test. Normally VIR is not a high downforce track because of the long straightaways but I think because of the way our car is engineered and structured, we can take a little more downforce than we have done in the past which will also be good for tire longevity and be good on the braking. There are slower straight line places but they also have a lot of fast corners there that we need to be quick in and I think it’s going to be a balance. We’ll see when we get up there. We definitely learned some stuff at Barber that we can carry over to this coming week.�?? DAVID BROWN, Krohn Racing Team Manager and Engineer: How difficult is it for set-up at VIR with 17 turns, the esses and some long straights? “VIR represents and good range of track topography, hills and fast esses and slow, low grip, corners demanding a delicate balance of downforce, drag and mechanical grip. It's a good challenge for engineers and drivers.�?? Krohn Racing had a podium here at VIR in 2007 and a Top 5 in 2006. You have not had as good a result yet in the new car although you were showing strong last year but taken out on the second lap. What’s new or different for VIR this year? “Our car has moved on since last year, and the tires are different, we had a good car last year and we will be building on that information for this year’s race.�?? You continue to learn new things every race about the car and the tires and the different combinations to use. How do you balance all that data and turn it into a good set-up on the car? “We use a complex system of coins, ground up goat bones and dice - ok no - we try to make sense of what is good and bad in any situation and methodically work our way through the data. We have a good historical data base now, as well as a development stream which gives small advances at each race. We have an increasing armory of tools to assist in our analysis of the car performance and focus our development in the most efficient way. The car we roll off the truck in VIR is the adaptation and development of all the car setups we have previously run, heavily influenced by VIR information, but not exclusively.�?? You had a good car at Barber on a high downforce track. Will the team be able to parlay that information for a good run at VIR this weekend? “That is of course our goal. I see no reason why we shouldn't be just as competitive this weekend.�?? Last year’s race at VIR saw Jönsson and teammate Ricardo Zonta in the pits after being hit from behind on the second lap. The team withdrew from the race due to right rear suspension damage incurred by the accident. Krohn and his regular 2009 teammate Eric van de Poele were not able to compete due to scheduling conflicts with Tracy’s business obligations. The Bosch Engineering 250 from VIRginia International Raceway in Alton, Virginia, will be televised slightly tape-delayed on Saturday, April 24 at 2:00 p.m. ET on SPEED. For more information, please see www.grand-am.com or www.krohnracing.net. # # # 04.21.2009 If you wish to be removed from the list, please reply to this release and type “REMOVE�?? in all caps in the subject heading. Thank you. + + + Barbara J. Burns for Krohn Racing Burns Group Unlimited 833 Piedmont Avenue Suite B Atlanta, GA 30308 Ph: 404.873.0772 Fax: 404.873.0661 Cell: 770.329.7134 burnsgroup@aol.com