5-13-2006 - Phoenix Rolex race news and press stories

Phoenix Grand Am Rolex Race  - 2006

Tonight Colin and his co driver, Jorg Bergmeister salvaged a 7th place in a difficult race.  Starting 7th in the race Jorg was able to move to 3rd in the first 32 laps.  At that time there was a yellow flag and the team pitted for Colin.  Colin had to run on used tires due to the Grand Am limit of 6 sets per weekend.  The 100 degree air temp and 120 deg track temps took its toll and Colin battled a very loose car.  He held on for almost 50 laps until he slipped to 6th then 7th.  Another yellow one hour after he started gave the team a chance to fit new tires and put Jorg back in the car. 

The new tires were a big improvement and Jorg moved from 5th after the stop to 3rd in the next 40 laps.  With 15 laps to go the engine started to miss fire likely due to an electrical problem.  Jorg lost power and slid back to 7th where he finished.

It could have been worse as Colin said he had many close calls when the car was so loose and was happy to bring it back in tact.  Jorg had a few encounters with other cars, once having a brush with a GT car. 

Jorg is now in 2nd place in the drivers points and Colin moves up to 5th based on the weekends results.  Next up is a 2 day test for the team in Mid Ohio and then the Watkins Glen 6 hour race.

News stories from the weekend

The weather is downright scorching at Phoenix International Raceway Saturday afternoon for the Grand American Road Racing Association's weekend. The weather is about triple digit and no wind during the day. The Avondale Mazda Twin 200's Grand-Am Cup Races are Saturday afternoon, followed by Saturday evening's Rolex Series GAINSCO Grand Prix.

Did you catch the in-car camera on No.76 Krohn Racing Ford Riley Daytona Prototype? There are three cameras, and in their views of the hood, the driver and the dash, there are Krohn stickers, with a special fillip. Instead of the usual O in Krohn, it is a red circle with a line through it - the international insignia for No or Not. This insignia has a lit cigarette in the middle, making it a No Smoking logo.

There's method to this sticker. Krohn Racing has been battling to have its teenage driver, Colin Braun, race at the two remaining Grand-Am races, which run with Indy Racing League IndyCar Series. Braun was barred from competing at the Homestead race, which ran with IRL, because the Penske IRL team has Marlboro tobacco sponsorship, which is against the provisions of the Tobacco Agreement.

Krohn's legal team feels that this Tobacco Agreement is a contractual agreement rather than a statutory agreement. Krohn feels that contract provisions can be waived. He feels the provisos, which kept Braun from racing, have been misinterpreted. Braun isn't an IRL driver - he's a Grand-Am driver who just happens to be racing on the same weekend at the same track.

Krohn's legal team also feel there could be some merit to the proviso which says you can't prevent someone from promoting a No Smoking message.

Krohn has sent another letter to Grand-Am outlining several points and he is awaiting a response. Krohn is very much behind Braun and fighting to allow him to race at Infineon Raceway and Watkins Glen International with IRL.

Team Owner, Tracy Krohn, has just partnered with Petersen Motorsports/White Lightning Racing, an American Le Mans team, to run The 24 Hours of Le Mans. Petersen has an invite to the prestigious 24-hour endurance race, but no budget. Krohn has the budget that will allow him to partner with the ALMS team. The No.90 Krohn/Petersen Motorsports/White Lightning Racing Michelin Porsche 911 GT3 RSR will be white and green. The drivers will be Krohn Racing drivers, Krohn and Nic Jonsson, who have never been to Le Mans before, and Jorg Bergmeister, who has raced at Le Mans. Teenaged Braun will be going to the race, to cheer them on.

Bergmeister is the common denominator here. He races for both teams. Friday night he raced with Petersen's Porsche GT2 ALMS team in Houston where he finished fourth in class. Saturday night he pairs with Braun in No.76 Ford Riley DP at the Grand-Am race.

Petersen will provide the Le Mans car and team. Krohn will provide the budget, drivers and some staff including his Team Manager, Jeff Hazel, and Krohn's Team doctor, Dr. Vincenzo Tota. The team has factory support from Porsche and Michelin.

The team and car fly to France after the ALMS race at Mid-Ohio on 21 May 2006. The drivers race at Watkins Glen on Saturday night 3 June 2006, and then fly overnight in Krohn's jet to Le Mans, arriving about 11am Sunday. They will all test in the session scheduled for 2-7pm Sunday afternoon.

Krohn has never been to Le Mans, Jonsson has attended but never raced, and Bergmeister won the 2004 GT class at Le Mans. Petersen Motorsports has won twice at Le Mans and once at the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona.

Krohn admittedly got a late start in racing - several years ago in his late forties. He started out with a Porsche street car and got hooked after his wife, Susan, gifted him not once but twice with Porsche performance driving schools. He then went to the Panoz Driving School, and started running the various Panoz Racing Series. Krohn moved up to the Grand-Am Cup Series and then the Rolex Series. His wife is very supportive of his racing and is now racing herself in the Panoz Series. While Krohn is racing at PIR, Susan is racing at Road Atlanta this weekend.

Date 2006-05-12 (Avondale, AZ)

By DC Williams - Motorsport.com