Krohn Racing’s Colin Braun Captures Pole at Mexico City

Krohn Racing’s young hotshoe Colin Braun captured the pole position today for the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series Mexico City 400k at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriquez in Mexico City. Colin Braun (far right) gets congratulated by Krohn Racing teammate Max Papis (center) and race engineer David Brown (left) after putting the No. 75 Krohn Racing Pontiac Riley on the pole for the Grand-Am Mexico City 400K race.

Braun, who will pair with Max Papis for the 400 kilometer/100-lap/2-1/2 hour sprint race in the No. 75 Krohn Racing Pontiac Riley, turned a record-breaking time of 1:21.221 at a speed of 110.809 mph. Braun captured his first pole position last year at the Barber Motorsports Park in July, more than two months before his 18th birthday.

Team owner/driver Tracy Krohn, competing in the No. 76 Krohn Racing Pontiac Riley with teammate Nic Jönsson, qualified 11th overall. Krohn’s time of 1:22.949, was his best qualifying effort in many races.

Braun, of Ovala, Texas, captured his first podium finish in Grand-Am at the Mexico City race one year ago, finishing second with then-teammate Jörg Bergmeister. They went on to win two races together: the Brumos 250 at Daytona and the Porsche 250 at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama, where Braun captured the team’s only pole of the season and his first of the series. Braun had a total of five podium finishes in 2006. He and teammates Papis and JJ Lehto finished 11th in class and 17th overall in this year’s Rolex 24 At Daytona. Krohn finished 13th in class and 21st overall in the Rolex with teammates Jönsson and Boris Said.

Colin Braun, driver, No. 75 Krohn Racing Pontiac Riley:
“It was a lot of fun to drive. I love this race track, I love the Mexican fans, and it is a very fun event. My engineer (David Brown), Max (Papis) and I have all been working very hard to get us a good race car. We rolled off of the trailer with a great car. Hopefully we can keep up in the top five. I think our Pontiac engine is real strong here, so I think we will be okay. I look forward to getting this Krohn Racing Pontiac Riley in victory lane."

“We had a good car all day. We made some changes from yesterday’s practice and we were right on. I was actually able to go faster in this morning’s practice than I qualified, so the heat is affecting the car a little, that will give us some good data for tomorrow’s race. We did well here last year with a second place finish and we will be looking to improve that by one tomorrow."

“We lost quite a bit of grip on the track today compared to this morning. But we were quicker than anybody else, so that’s what mattered. I was able to get quite a good lap. We actually ran four or five good laps that were all worthy of the pole. We have a good consistent car and it should be good for the race."

“Tomorrow is going to be quite an intense race. It is going to be big balancing tire wear. A stint here (at the Mexico track) could be 60 laps. How quick you go, how your tires wear, a lot of different factors will go into the strategy for the race, which makes it lots of fun."

Tracy W. Krohn, team owner/driver, No. 76 Krohn Racing Pontiac Riley:
“The car has gotten progressively better with every session. I have been working hard looking at video and studying data as well as getting solid coaching from my teammates. I also spent a lot of time in shifter karts during the off-season. I have a lot of laps here so this is a good track for me. The car is especially good under braking into turn one and four. The 76 is real comfortable to drive."

“We’re absolutely elated about the pole today. I’m very proud of the team, the engineering effort, and all of the team effort. Colin didn’t get there without getting the backing of the entire organization. I’m just really proud of everyone!"

Jeff Hazell, Krohn Racing Team Manager:
“It was a very good day for us. I think it was a good reward for all the work that has gone into the team since September. We worked hard on the many details to get this level of performance."