Third-Plus
Krohn Racing/TRG is ready for a six-hour Rolex Sports Car Series race at Watkins Glen International, after conducting a successful test on the 3.37-mile grand prix road course. Jörg Bergmeister of Langenfeld, Germany, enjoyed his first laps on the New York track, driving the No. 66 Pontiac-powered Riley Mk XI he will share with Christian Fittipaldi of Key Biscayne, Fla.

"We will see how fast we are compared to the others, but the car felt really good. It was my first time at Watkins Glen, but it's definitely one of my favorite tracks now. You have a lot of corners where you can carry in a lot of speed, but you also need to have a really good exit, and they are all pretty fast, which is what I always like," he said. "I like third-gear corners and up; anything below I don't like that much."

New Tires
Hoosier Racing Tire will introduce a new Daytona Prototype tire specification at Watkins Glen. Nic Jönsson of Buford, Ga., who drives the No. 67 Krohn/TRG Pontiac-Riley with Tracy Krohn of Houston, is anxious to test it: "We're probably going to gain some front grip, which will be good because we've been struggling with a mid-corner push [understeer]. As long as the tire has the same performance and the same durability, I think it will be very good."

Mike Kraemer, Hoosier product manager, agreed. "In the front tire, we increased the lateral stiffness and in the rear, we softened up the construction in some of the modes. The compound is different as well. The change was directed at providing an all-purpose compound that could bridge the gap from banked track to natural road courses. Nic's assesment that mid-corner grip would improve should be accurate ... We have learned that if we fix the beginning and the end, the middle part of the corner takes care of itself."

Cup Comparison
Christian Fittipaldi competed in a NASCAR Winston Cup race at Watkins Glen in 2003. He is looking forward to lapping the track in the Rolex Series Daytona Prototype class.

"The Cup car is definitely a lot slower, in general slower down the straightaways and slower in the corners. It has a lot more movement because it's a much heavier car, bigger, softer," he noted. "The DP is closer to what a single-seater feels like – nimble, a lot quicker than the Cup car. If both of them were running the same track, in my opinion, the DP would be about eight to 10 seconds per lap quicker. There's not a lot of difference on the straight, but there's a lot of difference cornering."

Home Track
TRG drivers Marc Bunting and Andy Lally would appreciate some repeat action during the six-hour Rolex Sports Car Series race at Watkins Glen International on June 12. Bunting, of Monkton, Md., and Lally, of Dacula, Ga., won the SGS class at Watkins Glen in 2004, took the standings lead and went on to win the class championship. They're hoping for the same results this year in the No. 65 Auto Gallery/TRG Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car they drive in the GT class. A win would be especially sweet for Lally, who was born in Northport, N.Y., and has a host of wins on the historic New York road course.

"This is formerly, but still in my heart, my home track. Growing up in New York, this was always one of my favorite places to race – and still is," he said. "I like the rhythm, I like the transitions, I like everything about it. It's got some really cool, challenging, high-speed corners. We won last year, took the points lead and never relinquished it after that. We obviously want to repeat and come back and win it again."

Smart Racing
Marc Bunting savors victory as much as any driver, but he has his eye on a bigger prize – the Rolex Series GT championship. He believes smart racing is the key.

"That's how we won the championship last year. We didn't win the most races, but we were more consistent than the other guys," he explained. "There's a time when you have to think about the overall picture. Everyone wants to win every race but, at least for us, our goal is the championship."

International Duo
Steve Johnson of Bristol, Va., and Robert Nearn of London, England, have teamed up for most of the remaining 2005 Rolex Series races, driving the No. 88 Comfort Systems USA Porsche. Nearn thinks the 3.37-mile grand prix course at Watkins Glen is a great place to start their driving partnership, although he expects tough competition.

"There's a lot of change in elevation and two parts of the track have pretty high speed, which makes the overtaking slightly easier. There are a lot of intricacies where the tarmac changes grip, so some corners have more grip than other corners. Sometimes you're braking uphill, sometimes downhill, off-camber. There's just a lot going on with the track that keeps you interested and keeps you challenged," he said.

"The top five in the class are pretty competitive, so to have a podium, you're going to have to have a trouble-free run – nothing mechanical, no accidents, just plenty of reliability."