Krohn Barbour Lamborghini Signs Ace Jonnson for Portland


7/23/2004 - Krohn-Barbour Racing, the team that gave the Lamborghini marque its best-ever result in an international-status auto race in last Sunday's fourth round of the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) at Infineon Raceway, California, has enrolled Touring Car race winner Nic Jonsson to drive one of its two cars in this weekend's fifth round at Portland, oregon.
Jonsson will share the number 6 Lamborghini Murciélago R-GT with Tracy Krohn, the Krohn-Barbour Racing co-founder (with Dick Barbour) who achieved the best-ever result for Lamborghini by driving to second place in the GTS class last weekend. Krohn shared the driving in that event with David McEntee, a track instructor who was standing-in for Canadian Scott Maxwell. Jonsson has been recruited because Maxwell is still temporarily unable to enter the USA, waiting for his sportsman's visa to be updated.

Jonsson hails from Sweden but now lives in Buford, Georgia. The 36 year-old was three times Swedish national karting champion, twice won the Scandinavian Formula Three Championship, was 1992 Scandinavian Touring Car Champion, and in the same year was Vice-Champion in the European Formula Three Championship. Jonsson first drove in the ALMS in 1999, when he also competed in the Indy Racing League. In 2000 and 2001 he raced regularly in the ALMS, in a BMW M3 and M3 GTR. Last weekend Jonsson scored his first career victory in an SCCA SPEED World Challenge Touring Car Race, in a BMW 325i at Infineon Raceway.

Jonsson said: "It was a total surprise when Dick Barbour phoned me Wednesday night asking if I'd like to drive. I know the Lamborghini has not yet had all the testing and development it needs, because it's new, but historically Lamborghini makes great cars. I'm really excited about this drive."

Krohn-Barbour Racing's number 5 Lamborghini will be piloted this weekend by its regular drivers, Dutchman Peter Kox and England-based Australian David Brabham, two of the best sports car racers in the world.

Sunday afternoon's race at Portland International Raceway will be of two hours 45 minutes duration. It is only the fourth US race entered by the Lamborghini Murciélago R-GT, which previously raced just once in Europe.

Fasen va kul för han!

Hoppas det går bra! Ingen kanal här som sänder tävlingarna va?

Inte så goda nyheter från Portland.

In the first Practice Session on Saturday Tracy Krohn (#6-GTS Lamborghini Murcielogo R-GT) spun going into the festival turns, David Brabham (#5-GTS Lamborghini Murcielogo R-GT) hit the brakes trying to avoid the other Lambo and slid into the stopped car. Both drivers are out of the car and OK, but there is damage to both cars, with the most damage on the #5 car. The cars are being flatbed towed back to the paddock.

"Tracy (Krohn) spun ahead of me," said Brabham. "I think a couple of other cars had stopped a bit shorter than he thought they did. His rears locked up and he started spinning. I saw it and the same thing happened to me, my rears locked up and I started to come around. It all happened so fast, it was just one of those things, unavoidable. It's too early to say if the damage is fixable, but we hope so."

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