1-2!
Watkins Glen, New York – Krohn Racing/TRG raced to one – two finish in the rain soaked Grand American Rolex Series Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen today, June 12.

Jörg Bergmeister and Christian Fittipaldi ran toward the front of the field all race ...

...only being shuffled back during the pit stops. On lap 102, four hours into the race, Bergmeister put the number 66/Krohn Racing/TRG/Pontiac into the lead just prior to the rain. From that point forward the two never ran lower than fourth position. Fittipaldi was in the car during the last stint as the rain really began to fall. On the fourth to last lap, he was passed by teammate Nic Jönsson for the lead and victory.

Jönsson and co-driver Tracy Krohn fought to the front from their seventeenth place qualifying effort. Krohn was able to run a steady pace keeping the number 67/Krohn Racing/TRG/Pontiac Riley in the top ten most of the day. Jönsson took over driving duties just prior to the heavy rain fall. Pitting for rain tires turned into the best fortune of the weekend for the Buford, Georgia resident. He began his storm to the front from eighth place to take the lead from his teammate with a strong pass into turn eight to take the team’s first series Daytona Prototype victory.

Tracy Krohn #67/Krohn Racing/TRG/Pontiac Riley,” We started the day kind of tough, after the first driver change we lost radio contact, then I had the cool suit box came loose and every time I made a turn or gear change I would get hit by the box. Adding to our problems, we had some issues with the power steering. We had been knocking-on-the-door the last three races and just had some bad luck. Nic really did a great job in the rain; he was three-seconds faster than any car on the track in the wet. It was a great team effort, the pit stops were great and it is nice to get that break through win.”

Nic Jönsson #67/Krohn Racing/TRG/Pontiac Riley, “We really struggled in the dry. If it wouldn’t have rained we had a top six car at best. The cars handling really came around in the rain and it was fun to drive. Tracy did a great job to keep the car in contention and on the lead lap all day. We were so close at the end during the last yellow period and the cars handling gave me confidence to go after Christian and I made the pass into turn eight, just a great day!”

Jörg Bergmeister #66/Krohn Racing/TRG/Pontiac Riley, “In the mixed weather conditions the car was really good. I could charge to the front of the field and be fairly aggressive. In the dry we had a big push and we had to be careful not to use up too much of the tires. I was in the toe of the boot when it started to pour rain and it all came at once. Second is a good finish for us. Congratulations to Tracy, he has assembled a group of professionals and Nic did a great job all day.”

Christian Fittipaldi #66/Krohn Racing/TRG/Pontiac Riley, “We had the car up at the front all day. In my first stint after the pit stop Jörg was somewhere out of the top ten and was able to turn the car back over to Jorg in third. The car was not all there handling wise in the dry. I think the softer setup we had under the car really helped us in the rain. I knew Nic was coming and he passed me into eight, being teammates I didn’t want to get too defensive.”

Kevin Buckler Krohn Racing/TRG co-owner, “I am really happy for Tracy. I remember when I drove to my first professional win; it is something you never forget. Nic did a great job being aggressive at the end and charging in the rain. Jörg and Christian ran at the front all day and lead a bunch of laps. Both crews did a great job today. The pit stops were flawless and the drivers handled the changing weather conditions better than the rest. I hope that this will give us some momentum to keep up the performance for the rest of the season.”

The next event for Krohn Racing/TRG will be at Daytona International Speedway on June 30.

Second, Tenth and Sixteenth in GT
Watkins Glen, New York -- TRG Porsche drivers Andy Lally and Marc Bunting finished second today in the Grand American Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen. Teammates Robert Nearn and Steve Johnson came home in tenth with Ben McCrackin and Dave Master finishing the day in sixteenth.

Andy Lally, driving the number 65/Auto Gallery/TRG/Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, started from pole position to convincingly lead the first stint of the race.

On lap 20 he experienced a vibration in the rear of the car. The cause was a bent exhaust, robbing the 911 of some 30 horsepower and torque. On lap 113 Marc Bunting was behind the wheel when the rain came causing him to spin at the entrance of the Bus Stop chicane, but he was able to keep it on the track and continue. A late race call by the number 65 crew to put on new rains helped Lally take the lead after a caution period, before he was passed with three laps remaining to finish second.

Steve Johnson and Robert Nearn, driving the number 88 / Comfort Systems / TRG / Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, had a difficult day, but persevered to finish tenth. At the start, Nearn pulled out of line to get a look ahead for the run in to turn one, he was black flagged by the officials for not staying in line and had to serve a stop-and-go penalty. Six laps later, Nearn returned to the pits complaining of shifting problems. The TRG crew was able to replace the shift cable and return Robert to the fight. Steve Johnson was able to run competitive lap times during his stints helping to bring the Porsche back to finish in the top ten.

Dave Master and Ben McCrackin continued their tough weekend in the number 63/Asset Management/Auto Gallery/TRG/Porsche 911 GT3 Cup. After a crash in open practice early Thursday sent the 911 to the frame shop, Master and McCrackin started the race in twenty-fourth and were running a strong conservative pace making up for lost practice laps. When the rain came, Master was going down the hill into the Outer Loop when we hit a large puddle and aquaplaned into the wall, ending the day in sixteenth position.

Andy Lally, #65/Auto Gallery/TRG/Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, “It was wild out there today. We had the strongest car in all conditions. In the dry we were really fast and when the muffler was hit it cost us some horsepower. The rain helped to equal the loss of power and left the rest up to Marc and me. We made a good call in the last 20-minutes to put fresh rains on the car. I took the lead and then lost it to Henzler in the last couple of laps. Marc did a great job and the team was on top of the strategy all day.”

Marc Bunting, #65/Auto Gallery/TRG/Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, “It was a trouble free day for Andy and me. The muffler didn’t turn into that big of an issue. I had a gently spin into the Bus Stop, but was able to avoid going off the track in the downpour. Andy had a great drive. He burned up a set of wets driving hard and put us in contention to win at the end.”

Steve Johnson, #88/Comfort Systems/TRG/Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, “For everything we went through today, a top ten is a pretty good finish. The rain, the shift cable, the stop-and-go, we had a buffet of issues to over come. I enjoyed running in the downpour at the end. Robert did a good job to keep his head in the game and keep pushing for a good finish.”

Robert Nearn, #88/Comfort Systems/TRG/Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, “At the start I just pulled out of line to get a look and got caught by the officials. With the shifting problem, I was coming up the hill into turn nine when the shift cable just broke. I was able to get a gear and nurse the car back to the pits where the crew did a great job to get me back out. We needed a little more than six-hours to better our result.”

Dave Master, #63/Asset Management/Auto Gallery/TRG/Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, “We took a conservative approach at the beginning to try and make up for the lost practice time. I was going down the hill into the Outer Loop when the rain started, I had slowed to around 30 mph when I hit the puddle and became a passenger. I grazed the wall and that unfortunately ended our day.”

Ben McCrackin, #63/Asset Management/Auto Gallery/TRG/Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, “The car was good, I had a really good stint early in the day, it was hot. I am just disappointed that we weren’t able to get the practice time and make a real race for ourselves. The downpour was tough, Dave was just a long way from pit lane – bad luck.”

Kevin Buckler, TRG team owner, “Andy and Marc had the car upfront all day and lead a lot of laps. The rain came and we put tires on and were able to get him in the lead, but second was out fate today. Steve and Robert had some tough luck early, but a tenth place finish after their issues is not too bad. Ben and Dave had a tumultuous weekend all around. They will back and stronger than ever.”

The next event for TRG will be at Daytona International Speedway on June 30.