The Onroak-built Ligier chassis is the first new LMP2 prototype fitted with the Judd powerplant V8 engine. The Houston-based team has been going through all systems, acquiring data, testing tires and other items in preparation for IMSA TUDOR United SportsCar Championship, The Roar Before the 24, January 9-11 and the 2015 running of the Rolex 24 At Daytona, January 24-25.
In addition to the previously announced U.S. endurance races at Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring (March 21), Krohn Racing will submit entries to compete in the 2015 FIA European Le Mans Series (ELMS) and the 2015 running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, all in the LMP2 class.
The ELMS features five races at renowned European circuits including Silverstone, England, April 10-11; Imola, Italy, May 16-17; Red Bull Ring, Austria, July 11-12, Paul Ricard, France, September 5-6 and Estoril, Portugal, October 17-18.
Tracy W. Krohn, Team Owner/Driver, Krohn Racing
On testing the new Ligier JS P2 race car at Estoril and COTA:
“What surprised us was how good the car handled in the rain. The good thing about the car was there were no mechanical issues with the car. At the end of the day the car was pretty good and I think we did a pretty good job. We’re getting down to some decisions and set-ups about the Continental tires we’ll be using when we race in the Tudor Championship. A lot of data is showing we are getting better ergonomics in the car and there were a few electrical issues that we need to resolve. All are recognized problems and we have a plan to move forward and when we do further testing this winter we are going to like the experience.“
On the team’s transition to LMP2:
“For Nic it’s a pretty easy transition. For me it hasn’t been as difficult of a transition as I originally thought. I’m starting to get more comfortable in the car and I have to keep the simple thought that the faster you go the faster you can go. Getting comfortable in the car is the key for me; being able to go faster in the turns and releasing the brakes and believing the car is going to stay there. Every time I’ve gotten in the car at the COTA test I got faster and that feels pretty good.”
On new partners, Onroak Automotive and Judd Engines:
“They have been really good. The car continues to get better and I have nothing but good things to say about both of them. We are going to be at Daytona and Sebring and hopefully some other races in the US as well. Depending on the logistics we may drag out the Ferrari for GT too.”
NIC JONSSON, Driver, Krohn Racing
On the transition into the all new Ligier JSP2 race car:
“The car has enormous potential and already is very fast. We have been looking at different tire packages that we will run in Daytona and Sebring and we’re going to also run a different tire package in Europe this year. Everything ran flawlessly during the two day test at COTA and it shows this is a top-notch team with a top-notch car. Hopefully we’ll be able to get the most out of this car with a few more tests before the Daytona 24. This is a much more physical and faster car. It’s going to take some work for Tracy and I to get in shape for the different types of muscle groups you work. I think it becomes much more important for the physical conditions and making sure we eat properly and get enough rest because it is more physical. Who prepares the best, has the best crew behind you, does the best job and stays out of trouble will win. I think we’re going to show that this car is very fast and have a lot of victories in 2015.”
HAYDEN BURVILL, Engineer, Krohn Racing:
On the progress of the new Ligier -- from acquisition through the Estoril and COTA tests.
“With any new project you go into it quite uninformed and no matter how much experience you have in racing, when you’re exposed to a new car there is an awful lot that you don’t know about it. In fact, the more experienced you are the more you realize how much you don’t know. As a group of people we went in open-minded about the amount that we didn’t understand about this car. We had good partners at Onroak to hold our hand during the initial delivery process and show us the things that were immediately relevant and as we mastered those then they showed us what would become secondarily relevant.
“Now we’re beginning to understand the car and starting to have our own thoughts about how this car fits in with the way we function as a team. With every day we test the Ligier, we are better informed and have a better understanding ourselves of how to interact with the car. At COTA we did two days, one mostly wet day. We did close to 1200 km in two days and that is a good test mileage. The guys have run perfectly with zero faults with the car and have been able to work with the majority of the test program that we went there with, some of which I thought we would have to carry-over to our next test but we managed to accomplish it which opens up more opportunities for us to test other things the next time. The work we have done has made up for the lack of productivity on the three rainy days we had in Estoril. It introduced us to the car and allowed us the time to be around the car with the engineers from Onroak. It has been very fruitful having the five days in total and we’ve done a total of nearly 2000 km of testing so far.“
GARY HOLLAND, Team Manager, Krohn Racing:
“We feel like we have achieved a lot and feel improved our knowledge with the car; we know what direction we need to work on. Going into our next test we have high expectations because of the experiences we’ve just had with the car. We feel, as a team, with the car and Nic, Tracy and the other drivers, that we have a great opportunity to capitalize on what have been a fault-free five days of testing so far. We have lodged our entry for the 24 hours of Daytona and 12 hours of Sebring. We also intend to lodge entries for a full ELMS campaign. Due to the driver ratings, it suits us in the P2 class with Tracy being a bronze-rated driver, to be competing against other drivers on a level playing field, which hasn’t always happened to him for a long time, and we feel this will give us a fair shot at success. We also intend to lodge an entry for the Le Mans 24 hour test and race. This is extremely high on Tracy’s agenda and it is a goal of his to win. We have had some success there in the past and we hope to transfer that to a P2 category win.”
