Houston, Texas (December 30, 2015)...Krohn Racing will make its 13th appearance at the Rolex 24 at Daytona on January 30-31, 2016 in an association with Flying Lizard Motorsport. Tracy W. Krohn and Nic Jonsson will pair with Audi Sport customer racing drivers Pierre Kaffer and Christopher Haase in last year's second-place finishing No. 45 Audi R8 LMS in the GTD class of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship for the inaugural 2016 endurance race.
"I'm really looking forward to getting back on track for the 24 Hours of Daytona and with joining Flying Lizard Motorsports," said Krohn. "We've competed against them for many years and know they run a great operation. Last month we conducted a test with the Audi R8 LMS at Sonoma Raceway. This was the first time Nic and I have had the chance to drive the Audi and we were both very impressed. I feel very confident in our package heading into the Roar Before the 24. This particular car should be very good at Daytona, and we have an excellent driver lineup, so it should be a great event."
"Having the opportunity to join a team with such pedigree is great for both myself and Tracy," said Jonsson. "And to do that as a collaboration between the two teams makes it very strong. I have been racing against and with many of the Flying Lizard guys over the years, so this makes it a very easy transition since we already know each other, and have great respect for what each one of us do. With the experience of endurance racing between the two teams, and specifically at Daytona, I'm really looking forward to the 24 Hours of Daytona in 2016. The Audi R8 LMS is a new car to both myself and Tracy, but with the Lizards having a few years of experience, along with great support from Audi, we know this is a great and winning package.
"I'm also very excited to have the two Audi Sport drivers in Christopher Haase and Pierre Kaffer," added Jonsson. "They both have a lot of success over the last couple of years here in the States. Pierre has obviously been racing for another manufacturer before, and Tracy and myself were teammates with Pierre, so he's going to be another familiar face in the mix. I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to race and have such great results over the years with the same teammate, and we plan on carry that on at the Rolex 24 in 2016."
Krohn and Jonsson have competed as co-drivers for the past 12 years at the Rolex 24. Krohn has one additional Rolex 24 and Jonsson three additional Rolex 24 races not as teammates. Additionally, they have paired for ten consecutive 24 Hours of Le Mans races since 2006, and have stood jointly on the podium three times (in 2007, 2009, 2012). They have also raced extensively in the FIA World Endurance Championship and its predecessor, the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup, as well as the FIA European Endurance Championship over the past five years.
Victories together have included the 12 Hours of Sebring, Petit Le Mans and the 6 Hours of Watkins Glen, but the twice-around-the-clock Daytona endurance classic has eluded them so far. They are resolute to change that status and this year's joint effort with Flying Lizard Motorsports shows their fortitude in adding a Daytona victory to their combined history.
The Krohn Racing/Flying Lizard Audi R8 LMS, which will run in the well-known Krohn green-and-blue livery, has been upgraded to the IMSA-approved homologated GT3 specs, which include adding more aerodynamic grip, a larger rear wing, front splitter and dive planes and a different diffuser. The car will also be allowed to run with ABS and traction control, unlike in previous years.
