motor

a007apl · 03-22-2004, 02:59 PM

... AMERICAN LE MANS SERIES WITH NEW KROHN-BARBOUR RACING TEAM

SEBRING, FL. - Lamborghini, a name that represents glamour, excitement, speed and raw power in the automotive world, will enter professional sports car racing competition in the American Le Mans Series this season with the newly-created Krohn-Barbour Racing team.

The team, which will campaign a pair of Lamborghini MurciÃ©lago R-GT cars in the GTS class, will make its debut in Round Two of the 2004 ALMS season at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio, June 25-27. Though a privateer racing effort, Krohn-Barbour Racing will be officially affiliated with the Lamborghini factory.

Krohn-Barbour Racing is co-owned by Texas businessman/racing driver Tracy Krohn and longtime sports car racing team owner/driver Dick Barbour, marking the return to racing as a team owner for Barbour for the first time since 2001. The announcement of the new team was made today at Sebring International Raceway on the eve of the 52nd annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, a race that Barbour won overall three straight years as an owner, and one as a driver, starting in 1978.

"This is an exciting day for us and is the result of many months of hard work," said Krohn, who is driving at Sebring in a Porsche for PK Sport but will be one of the drivers for Krohn-Barbour Racing when the team makes its debut. The full driver lineup will be announced at a later date. "We're going to field a first-class racing team and we look forward to mixing it up with the other competitors in what we consider to be the finest professional sports car racing series in the world."

"I've been searching for the right opportunity to get back into racing and I'm very grateful to Tracy Krohn and Lamborghini," said Barbour, who will operate the team from a shop located at Road Atlanta in Braselton, Ga. "The Lamborghini is a glamorous and popular car off the race track, and our goal with the car is to take a good battle to the Corvettes and the others in the GTS class on the race track."

"We enthusiastically welcome the participation of Lamborghini and the spectacular MurciÃ©lago in the American Le Mans Series, and we're also happy to welcome Krohn-Barbour Racing," said Scott Atherton, President and CEO of the American Le Mans Series. "Many manufacturers and racing teams are looking at the GTS class and we feel that it is going to be an area of tremendous growth and competition over the next few years.

"Anyone who knows Dick Barbour knows that he only races to win - races and championships," Atherton said. "With this in mind, the battle for the American Le Mans Series GTS championship just heated up in a big way."

Krohn is President and CEO of W&T Offshore, Inc., an oil and gas exploration and production company with activities primarily in the Gulf of Mexico. He began his racing career three years ago at the Panoz Racing School and progressed through the Panoz GT Pro Series, where he finished second overall in 2003. He lives in Houston.

Barbour will be trying to become the first team owner in ALMS history to win team titles in three different classes, having won the GT class championship in 2000 and the LMP 675 title in 2001. His team also won the LMP 675 title in the European Le Mans Series in 2001. In addition to his three straight Sebring wins, the native Californian also took three consecutive class wins in the 24 Hours of Le Mans as a driver starting in 1978. His team enjoyed a 14-win season in 1980 that was capped off with an IMSA championship.

"We're having to miss racing at Sebring this year, but we're still going to be racing all-out to win the championship in the remaining eight races," he said. "We can't wait to get started."