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Tuesday, 07 January 2014 13:16

Krohn Racing Completes Successful Test at the Roar Before the Rolex 24

Krohn Racing spent a full three days testing at the Roar Before the Rolex 24 in preparation for the upcoming Rolex 24 at Daytona, January 25-26. They have entered their No. 57 Krohn Racing Ferrari F458 in the new IMSA TUDOR United Sports Car Championship.

The Ferrari, which will compete in the GT Le Mans (GTLM) class in the IMSA series, participated in all eight practice sessions of the three-day test, and consistently clocked competitive laps throughout the weekend. Krohn Racing owner/driver Tracy W. Krohn and long-time teammate Nic Jönsson had the opportunity to practice in a variety of track conditions, as the temperatures varied dramatically and rainstorms came and went throughout the course of the weekend.

TRACY W. KROHN, Krohn Racing Team Owner/Driver, No. 57 Krohn Racing Ferrari F458 GTLM:

"Throughout this three day period, we started with a car that was iffy, at best, and we've gotten better with every single session. The performance, stability, and braking has gotten better. We've been able to do just about all the testing we wanted to do, in spite of the fact that we've had to stop and go with all the red flags. I'm very pleased with where we're at from where we started at the beginning of the weekend, and although we still have a little work to do, I'm very pleased with what we've accomplished."

NIC JONSSON, Driver, No. 57 Krohn Racing Ferrari F458 GTLM:

"It's interesting to be back in the states with this car. We've raced it a couple of times here in the U.S. in a different series, and the joint venture between Krohn Racing and Risi Competizione this year will be a great relationship. We worked with the combination of the two teams this weekend and we've made some progress. Tracy and I feel that we have made a step in the right direction and are getting comfortable in the car. The speed of the car has started to get where we need to be. The category that we're racing in, GTLM, is the factory-supported class with the Corvettes, BMWs, Porsches, Aston Martins, so we're up against a very tough crowd. With the Krohn/Risi guys and the driver lineup we've put together for the 24, it will be very competitive and we're looking forward to racing with the best in the world."

"We have seen different conditions this weekend to help us prepare for the race. We went from skiing conditions on Friday to 80-degree weather on Sunday, so I think you're going to see a combination of that for the race. It probably won't be quite as cold, but we're trying to get an understanding of different tires and temperatures so we don't get caught by surprise when we come back. We know now what we have going for the conditions we've seen, so I feel we've covered the test plan and done everything we set out to do. We should come back pretty well prepared."

HAYDEN BURVIL, Krohn Racing Race Engineer:

"In general, we've had a good spread of weather. It was cold on Friday, mild weather on Saturday and warm weather on Sunday. Cold weather is unusual for the race, but it's nice to have the ability to test in that, as we could end up having weather like that for the race. Now we know what works for us in a number of conditions. Both Tracy and Nic have gotten done what they needed to do. We've had no real issues with the car, which is typical given the level of organization we're working with, so no real surprises in the direction that we've gone with the setup. The car has responded well, the drivers have responded well, and the tires have worked. Right now, we feel like we're well prepared to come back for the 24 hour race in terms of the setup that we'd race with."

The green flag on the 52nd Annual Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona will drop at 2:30 p.m. ET on January 25.