After competing as the only North American entry that participated in all 2011 Intercontinental Le Mans Cup races, Krohn Racing will return to the global sports car championship in 2012, the now newly renamed FIA World Endurance Championship.
Krohn Racing won two races in the GTE Am class – both joint ALMS/ILMC rounds at Sebring and Petit Le Mans – in 2011 with a 2010-specification Ferrari F430 GT. The team will run a Ferrari F458 GTE in 2012, built to 2011 specifications, in the same class.
“We expect the Ferrari F458 certainly to be easier to drive,” said team principal and driver Tracy Krohn. “The direct injection should aid response and fuel economy. It's also got another little advantage in the gearing in that it will be paddle shift, as opposed to regular stick shift, and that will be more fun to drive. I've driven the street car and it's a completely different feel than the 430. It's a great car. I think Ferrari has made a really spectacular automobile here.”
Krohn retains the same driver lineup, as he'll drive alongside Nic Jonsson and Michele Rugolo for the eight-race championship. Krohn is once again driving in the Rolex 24 at Daytona with a grandfathered Ford Lola Daytona Prototype, and with Jonsson, Colin Braun and Ricardo Zonta.
“To win consistently you must have the best of everything,” added Jeff Hazell, Krohn Racing motorsports manager. “This year it is permitted to race the F458 in the GTE-Am class, which Ferrari has developed with Michelotto all through 2011. The F430 is very well proven, still fast and reliable and is capable of winning again, but we race Ferraris and we feel that means whenever possible we should race their current model in front of the world media, contribute to the further development of the race car and put it into the winners circle.”
Fellow U.S. squad Level 5 Motorsports, which declared as a full-season entrant in both ILMC and ALMS in 2011, is expected to decide shortly on whether it will run in WEC or ALMS only in 2012.