Showing posts with label Interview. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Interview. Show all posts

8/09/2009

Driver Profile: James Kovacic


Every athlete, regardless of their idiosyncrasy, has a defining moment in life that draws them to their sport. A spark, if you will, that says, “I want to do this, I’m good at this.”. That moment came for Australian race driver James Kovacic at a very young age. James had been watching the go kart drivers run laps at Forrester’s Beach for a few years before he was able to get behind the wheel himself. Despite repeated attempts to drive the karts, James was turned down and told, “You aren’t tall enough.”. Eventually, when James was 8 years old, he was given the chance to get behind the wheel of a go kart. No, it wasn’t a racing kart, it was a rental kart. At the time, it didn’t matter because James just wanted to drive. He had finally attained the proper height requirement to participate, but he was still too short to reach the pedals and to see over the steering wheel. The track attendants at Forrester’s Beach Go Kart solved that problem by placing six cushions underneath the youngster.

He started out racing against his dad, Valentino Kovacic. And if you ask James, Val didn’t offer much of a challenge. I’m assuming Val might have a slightly different story, but for now, we will go with James’s story. His defining moment had arrived. He was fast and he loved driving. Val quickly picked up on his son’s enjoyment of the sport and inquired about purchasing a rental kart. As expected, the track declined to sell a rental. Determined to find a true racing kart for James, Val decided to do some online research. It wasn’t long before he found a kart for James and presented it to him on Christmas morning, about one-year after his first karting experience at Forrester’s Beach.

James and his family decided to join the Newcastle Kart Racing Club in nearby Cardiff. He won his first four races on a provisional license--- a feat that opened quite a few eyes. The fifth race, which was his first official race, offered a different result, something the Kovacic clan wasn’t familiar with… a seized engine. It wasn’t long before the engine was repaired and James was back on track.

His success continued. In fact, he was undefeated throughout his entire 2003 campaign in the Cadet class. He followed up his club dominance with several other championship titles. In 2004, he entered the “rookie class”. That season he won 82.1% of his races, while adding several more championships and rookie honors to his resume. In 2005, at the age of 11, he entered the junior ranks. He won his first race in Junior National Light. In 2006, he became the youngest Australian driver to win a Junior Clubman State Title. The championship trophies continued to pile up as James found more and more success behind the wheel. He made it very clear to those around him that he would like to pursue a career in racing. His parents decided to look into a few options for car racing. After evaluating a few different avenues, they decided on Formula BMW as it offered great competition and international exposure.

This has been a year of development for James as he made the transition to the car ranks in the Formula BMW-Americas series. I might add that watching his progress this season has been very enjoyable. His average finish in his first four races was 5.75. His average finish in his last five races has been 3.80. I fully expect to see even more development out of this young Aussie. If his karting results are any indication of his future success in motorsports, it goes without saying… this kid is one to watch.
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James Kovacic Q & A
Junior Open Wheel Talent

JOWT: First of all, thank you for taking the time to do this interview. Secondly, congratulations on your recent success in the Formula BMW Americas program.

JK: Thanks for noticing. It has been a very exciting transition period for my career. I felt that a lot of the hard work by the team, myself and my family has led to the results at Lime Rock and it’s a good reward after such a great effort by the team. It is especially difficult coming from the other side of the world, with very little pre-season testing and having to deal with a completely different type of racing compared to what I was used to. I think I am getting the hang of it though and hope to keep improving.

JOWT: You are an avid karter. On your website it states that you have been competing in karts this year (along with your car endeavors). I noticed that you have even had success in a dirt kart this year. How has karting helped you make the transition to cars?

JK: Karting has helped me understand everything about competition and discipline. It involves immense concentration and is physically demanding, which in turn has helped me for car racing. The competition on the track is very close. It has helped me learn to handle the pressure in open wheel cars. Basically it is the same as open wheel racing, however, the dicing is a lot closer. As a matter of fact, I used all of what I learned in karts when I was holding my 3rd position in the Formula BMW 1st round in Mexico earlier this year, and subsequently got my first podium. I drove the dirt kart for the first time to have a bit of fun and a new experience. It felt fantastic and to come away with a win in my debut dirt speedway race made it all the more pleasing.

JOWT: You made your senior class (karting) debut at the 2008 SKUSA SuperNationals and had a very impressive drive that put you just outside the top-ten (among some of the best names in the business). Can we expect you back in 2009?

JK: Yes! It was also a lot of fun in 2008. As a matter of fact we didn’t even have it in our plans to do the race. My father and I were in Las Vegas meeting up with Richie Hearn as I was going to test one of his Formula BMW Cars. As it was – we were there during the same weekend as the SKUSA SuperNationals. Richie put us in touch with Mike Manning of Mike Manning Karts and we were able to lease a kart and engine from Mike so that we could have some fun while we were there. We didn’t even have tools! I had never driven the senior category before. I had also never driven a street/parking lot circuit before. It was definitely an eye opener! It was a very impressive event, with drivers such as Dan Wheldon, Jamie McMurray, Buddy Rice and other top drivers all racing in the class I was competing in (TAG Senior). The kart and engine package were new to me and we missed most of the practice due to brake failure. In qualifying – I was quick (5th fastest) until the tyre deflated and this occurred twice. I qualified 10th in my group. Once all was fixed, I managed to do overall fastest lap in 3 heats – All was good until the engine expired in the Pre final while I was in third. Mike loaned us another engine from a customer of his for the final, and I had to start from the rear of the field (43rd position) due to the DNF. It was very interesting starting from the rear and I waited for the dust to settle before giving it a hot go. I managed to pass Mike Manning’s other driver and fellow FBMW Competitor Michael Lewis at about the half way point of the race and proceeded to pass Dan Wheldon – That was a lot of fun and it put me into 11th position. Unfortunately, the lead pack of 10 karts were a little too far away and I ran out of laps to catch them. In a way I was a little disappointed as I felt I had a really good chance of winning the race if I’d had a better grid position. In any case, we hope to make it back. It is the best racing and I love the atmosphere in Las Vegas.

JOWT: When you started evaluating your options for the transition to cars, how did you decide on Formula BMW? Adding to that, how did you decide on Formula BMW-Americas?

JK: In 2007, while competing at the Australian National Kart Titles, A FBMW Team called “Team Meritus” awarded me with a free test in one of their FBMW cars. I went to the Sentul International Race Circuit, Indonesia and attended a two day test. They were evaluating options for drivers for the 2008 Pacific Series. I had never driven a car of any type before and especially never a manual shift vehicle. In any case the test went very well and I was quite quick. I was 13 at the time and the youngest Aussie to test a FBMW car at that point. Due to my age I was not permitted by the racing association to get a car racing license. So, I had to wait.

My father and I were very impressed with the class. However, we were not that impressed by the way the car preparation was handled and found many things that should be improved. We still considered FBMW to be a better option than Formula Ford in Australia as it offered International exposure and had a world final, so we looked into the Americas as the other option available.

We then got in touch with David Hunt of Team Apex USA and arranged a test in February 2008. We tested at the ‘No Problems Raceway’ circuit in New Orleans. The test went really well and I met Rod McLeod and Martin Bates at the test. The team did a great job running the test. The Team Apex cars were very well prepared and I immediately felt comfortable.

After the test, we decided to race in the Americas series. An important factor was that I felt the competition level was very high and it would allow me to improve as a driver against the toughest competition.

JOWT: Obviously a lot of aspiring drivers look to make Formula BMW a two-year stop. With the recent announcement about the demise of Formula BMW-Americas for 2010, will you look to continue your program via the Europe or Asia series? … or do you plan to pursue other options?

JK: It is extremely disappointing that FBMW Americas was cut. It is very tough at this point to just change your plans. We have invested a lot of time and money into racing the series and planned on racing the Americas FBMW for two years and it has all been ripped away by the BMW announcement. There was no indication of this happening and I believe that the series in the USA was of the highest caliber. At this point, I’m committed to competing in the Singapore F1 Round of the FBMW Pacific Series. I am pretty sure that I will also race in the Macau Round. On the 21st of August –(1 week after the 12th round of the FBMW Americas) I will be testing with ‘Bill McAnally Racing’ at the ‘All American Speedway, California’ in a 2009 Toyota Camry Nascar (Late Model). It is all for gaining experience. I am currently in discussions with several Star Mazda teams for next season (Including Team Apex). I really enjoy racing in the USA. That said, if we cannot secure a suitable deal, we will definitely continue racing in FBMW next year. – At this point I am not sure which continent we will be on.

JOWT: Behind the scenes this has been an extremely tough year for you with the unexpected passing of your coach/manager Graham Watson. How did Graham impact your career?

JK: Graham worked really well with me. He understood what I wanted in a car and he was an excellent teacher. He was more of the ‘old school’ style as he rarely used ‘data’ to set up the car. He trusted me and made adjustments to the car after I gave my feedback. We had a good understanding of each other which made it very easy to achieve our targets. He respected me and believed in my abilities, which gave me confidence. The respect was mutual, I trusted what he said and with his experience, we always found a solution to what was needed. His death has made a huge impact on my career. Not only did Graham engineer and train me, he was also very well connected in the motorsports world. He had worked and helped the career of drivers such as David Brabham, Mark Webber, Scott Dixon, Will Power, Jonny Reid, Brendon Hartley (all of whom drove for Graham) and many others. He is impossible to replace. Thankfully, Team Apex and the guys have done an excellent job and I have found them to be fantastic. It is very sad that Graham could not still be with us. With his passing, I have had to try and re-establish everything that I built up with him.

JOWT: What are your long term racing aspirations?

JK: My intention is to continue racing in open wheel cars and the USA. Ultimately, my first goal is to continue improving and getting good results. It is definitely my goal to race at the top level of the open wheel world. At the moment, this is F1 or the Indy Racing League. However, the landscape of this sport changes very quickly, so you cannot really plan too far ahead.

JOWT: You recently won your first Formula BMW race and in the process became the first rookie driver to win a Formula BMW-Americas race in 2009. Not to mention the fact that you are the first non-Eurointernational driver to win a race this season. The victory came on the weekend of your sixteenth birthday. Can you tell us a little about that experience?

JK: We decided to arrive a little earlier to this race meeting as I have been suffering from jet-lag in most of the other rounds. Hence arriving in the USA on Sunday really helped me to settle in. The track was fantastic and I found a good rhythm in the practice session, even though my times didn’t reflect it. I was a little disappointed in the qualifying runs as I could not get a clear run in either of them. I was confident I had a good car underneath me though. The team and I managed to get a really good base point for the car at Putnam Park a few weeks before Lime Rock. In the first race (Round 8), I felt as though I could take the win. However, the safety car near the end of the race caused my tyres to cool off too much and subsequently, I was not able to get the same pace out of the car after the safety car pulled in. In the second race, the car felt perfect and got quicker throughout the race. It felt really easy to drive and as my close friend and pit crew (Mitch Biner) would say, I felt I could not drive slow enough! Meaning going fast felt easy. It reminded me of driving karts back home. It was a very nice birthday present. It was especially exciting coming from 5th and passing all the top runners to take the win. The most satisfying part was the fact that I managed to be the fastest driver in both round 8 and 9. The progress we made was very satisfying after all of the effort that we put in this season. I felt that we were knocking on the door at VIR in April. It was good to finally put it all together and walk away with the result and reward the team, my supporters and sponsors with such a great result. They have all put so much effort into supporting me and the race car.

JOWT: Thanks James.

JK: Thank you for showing interest in all of the Junior Open Wheel Drivers racing around the world. I thank you for this opportunity. Cheers.
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7/08/2009

Driver Profile: Peter Dempsey

(photo: Phil Burridge)

Peter Dempsey was born on March 31, 1986 in Dublin, Ireland. Racing was in his blood long before he decided to pursue a career in motorsports. His father, Cliff Dempsey began racing in 1977 in the Mini 7 series---nine years before Peter’s birth. Cliff had a fairly successful driving career in his own right, which included winning the 1986 Crossle Championship. It wasn’t until 1989 that Cliff started his own racing team; Cliff Dempsey Racing. At the time, Peter was only 3 years old, but the seed had been planted. He grew up following in the footsteps of his older brother, Keith Dempsey, who competed in karts, Formula Opel (where he became the youngest champion at 16 years old), and Formula Renault (Europe and UK). Despite being nearly 3 years younger than Keith, Peter was always willing to try and keep up with his older brother, even if it meant crashing.

Peter’s first chance to showcase his speed came at a mere 7 years of age. Keith was testing a go kart in County Cork when Cliff decided to give young Peter a taste of speed. Without hesitation, Peter jumped into the go kart and proceeded to do 3-laps. Everything was going perfectly until a faster kart passed him. Determined to stick with the faster kart, Peter followed the driver deep into turn-1 and proceeded to slam into the back of the front runner on entry which caused Peter’s kart to flip. This was his first karting experience.


Despite a disappointing preliminary experience as a racer, Peter spent the next few years developing his craft full-time in a 60cc go kart, running in the cadet class. Away from karting, he and his brother would spend countless hours driving a Subaru Justy 4x4 around a D-shaped oval in the middle of a field. They could be found in that field every Sunday, pounding laps and learning to drive. One day, they found the seatbelts had been chewed out of the car by Keith’s friend’s dog. After a few minutes of analyzing the situation, they decided to throw their helmets on anyway and keep running laps.


In addition to keeping busy with his driving duties, Peter always helped his dad maintain the race cars. He has been helping his dad’s race team since he was six years old. It didn’t matter what the task was, Peter was just happy to be working on a race car. The experience helped him understand the commitment and hard work involved with being a race car driver. He learned to study data and observed the drivers, even offering his own insight once in awhile. But that wasn’t the only thing he learned by working for Cliff Dempsey Racing. He also learned to drive a manual transmission van at the age of ten. One of Cliff’s drivers decided that it would be a good time to teach Peter to drive, so the duo placed a briefcase on the seat to help Peter see over the dash. From that point on, Peter became the chauffeur of the paddock, moving cars for anyone who needed a car moved. He was happy to do it and he usually got it done very quickly---if you catch my drift.


In 1998, Peter began to put more focus on his own driving (pictured on the right, #27). That season, he attempted to run in the Cadet class, the Junior Restricted class and JICA (Junior ICA). Unfortunately, the race stewards didn’t like the idea of him running more than one junior class, so he decided to focus strictly on the Junior Restricted class. In 1999, he made the jump to the ultra competitive JICA class full time. The season was highlighted by a race win at Mondello Park. Peter started the event in 11th, on a drying track, but managed to close enough ground on the leader to make a pass for the lead with two laps remaining. It was the biggest win of his career (at that point). That race was televised, which added to the prestige of winning. In 2000, at age 14, Peter decided to continue his efforts in the JICA class. This was his final year running karts full-time. The season was highlighted by a last corner, last lap pass at Mondello Park to win the “Race of Champions”. The margin of victory was 0.01 seconds. During this time, Keith was making the transition to car racing and Peter balanced his time between karting and working with the team on Keith’s car.


In 2001, Peter had his first opportunity to sample a single-seater race car. Keith was testing his Formula Renault car in Kirkistown, Northern Ireland. Despite the track being wet, Cliff decided it might be a good opportunity to let Peter go out and run a few laps in the car as the day came to a conclusion. Recalling Peter’s first experience in a go-kart, Cliff told Peter to have fun, but warned him not to crash the car. Peter was so excited to sample the car, he jumped in and ran 3-laps only to crash in Fisherman’s corner. It’s important to note that he did make two successful laps in the car, which is sort of ironic considering he made two successful laps during his inaugural go-kart experience as well prior to crashing. Sometimes history does repeat itself.


At the end of the 2001 season, Cliff offered Peter his first official race car test, in the team’s Formula Renault car. The test took place at Gaudix in Southern Spain. It was a bit intimidating at first for Peter… as all the top teams were in attendance. That being said, his competitive nature welcomed the opportunity. In fact, he and Carl Breeze (who won the 2001 UK Formula Renault 2.0 championship) decided to make a bet on whether or not Peter could run a lap in the eighteen second range. Those in attendance decided to get involved and egg Peter on, by writing rude comments on the pit-board and making gestures. Unfazed, the 15-year-old Irishman continued to put his head down and run laps. On his last lap he managed to turn an 18.7 second lap. The lap time was only one second off the quickest time reported all week. Everyone in attendance began to realize that Peter was the real deal.


During the 2002 and 2003 racing seasons, Peter continued to work for the family-run team. Balancing his time between the shop and school, Peter continued to learn more about race car componentry by helping his dad build cars. When time permitted he did a few Formula Renault tests and even ran a few Formula Renault Libre races in 2003. Peter’s mom, Michelle, was always very supportive of Peter and Keith’s racing, but emphasized that education is important too. She oversees Cliff Dempsey Racing and offers administrative support for the team to this day.


In 2004, after Peter finished school, his parents decided to sell the Formula Renault car and look for a car that offered similar racing opportunities at a lesser budget. They ended up purchasing a 1992 Swift chassis. Peter was quick to note that his mom paid for the car. His first test and race occurred at Kirkistown, Northern Ireland. He qualified 5th and was running 2nd until contact with another competitor prematurely ended the race under red flag conditions. Regardless of the outcome, Peter had proven his speed. The next race weekend offered a double header opportunity at Brands Hatch. Peter swept both races and once again impressed everyone in attendance. In fact, after dominating the weekend he was offered the chance to make a one-off appearance in a Formula BMW car at the Croft Circuit in England. The one-off opportunity turned into a nine-race deal with Team SWR Pioneer. He had limited success but used his time in the series as a learning experience. Away from his Formula BMW efforts, he continued his Formula Ford career.


In 2005, Peter’s talent began to really stand out. His success that year was monumental; he won 76.7% of his races. He won 33 races that year, set 33 fast laps, and qualified on pole 18 times. He won the MSV UK Formula Ford 1600 Championship as well as the Brands Formula Ford Championship and the Northern Ireland Formula Ford series. This was truly a breakthrough year for Peter. In addition to the above mentioned success, he won the BRDC Golden Helmet, the Castle Combe Carnival, and the prestigious Motorsport Ireland Young Driver of the Year award with Cliff Dempsey Racing---which helped fund his racing in 2006.


In 2006, Peter ran in the ultra competitive British Formula Ford Duratec Championship. He finished 3rd in the final standings with 4 wins and 10 podiums in 18 events. The year was highlighted by winning the prestigious Walter Hayes Trophy.


Despite struggling for funding, Peter managed to gather enough support to have another outstanding season in 2007. He repeated as the Walter Hayes Trophy winner, the second driver in history to win the race in consecutive years. He also won the Formula Ford 1600- Leinster Trophy (pictured left), he won the BRDC Golden Helmet for a second time, and added the Martin Donnelly Trophy to his showcase. His success in a Formula Ford car earned him worldwide attention. He was named runner-up for the Dunlop Motorsport Ireland Young Driver of the Year.


With the funding low, Peter and his family decided to look at some different options for 2008. Late in 2007, Peter contacted Dan Andersen of Andersen Racing and the duo scheduled a two-day test at the Andersen Race Park in Palmetto, Florida. The test went so well that they decided to schedule another test in January of 2008 at Sebring. With the exchange rate being so good at the time, Peter decided to commit to the Star Mazda championship for 2008. Despite a continual struggle to find the necessary funding, Peter completed the 2008 season in 3rd place. He won 4 races and found his way to the podium 7 times in 12 races. He finished inside the top-five in 75% of his race starts. The year was concluded with Peter winning the prized Dunlop Motorsport Ireland Young Driver of the Year award--- which put him back in a car for 2009.


This brings us to the current season. Using the prize money from the Motorsport Ireland award, Peter decided to pursue the championship that slipped away in the final two races of 2008. He is currently back in the United States and running in the 2009 Star Mazda championship. You can see a bit of a different driver in the car this year as Peter knows that consistency wins championships. He has finished every race (to date) inside the top-ten.


This has been a tough year for Peter as he has reached the ‘now-or-never’ point of his career--- a point that every aspiring driver dreads. Due to dwindling finances, Peter has been taking this year on a race-by-race basis. In fact, he has sat out numerous test days and pre-event practice sessions to save money. It’s tough to watch a kid with this much talent and promise sitting on the sidelines during official test days. This kind of driver doesn’t come along often and it would be a shame to see him sitting home in 2010.

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Peter Dempsey Q & A


Junior Open Wheel Talent


JOWT: First of all, congratulations on your recent success in the Star Mazda Series.


You spent most of your youth in karts, but chose to move to cars rather than run senior karting classes. Are you still involved in karting when time permits?


PD: Mostly, I work with go-karting teams rather than racing myself. If I have the time and the opportunity, I will obviously jump in the kart myself, but unfortunately it doesn't happen too often! The last go-kart race I ran was in 2007; I had the biggest crash of my life and ended up upside down. I was very lucky to come out all right!


JOWT: In our correspondence, you are always quick to contribute your success to family and friends. What was it like racing with a team owner as a father?


PD: It was extremely exciting and nerve-racking at the same time. For some reason, when I was winning, it was always perfect. As soon as I'd make a mistake or something went wrong, it was tough. I have a lot of great memories both racing and working with my dad's team. When I'm at home, I still help out with the team as much as possible.


JOWT: You’ve mentioned Anthony Murray on several occasions. How has he helped your racing career?


PD: Anthony Murray is a very good friend of the family. My dad met him through racing, they became very good friends, and he actually bought his first Formula Ford from Anthony. Basically, after the Sebring race in 2008, Anthony came into my kitchen and told me he'd find a way to help me out with funding for the rest of the season. He became like another father figure to me by advising me on race weekends and during difficult times. He has always been extremely supportive of me and my career.


JOWT: You’ve won the Walter Hayes Trophy twice. I believe the only driver to win it three times is Joey Foster. Are you planning to run again this season?


PD: I actually competed in the Walter Hayes Trophy last year. I was working with my dad's team on Saturday and managed to talk my way into a car for the races on Sunday. I had to start 136th, but I worked my way through the qualifying races and into the final, finishing 4th overall! Conor Daly won the race for my dad's team, but they were worried that I was going to take their glory! If the opportunity comes to compete in the race again, I'd take it, but it would just be for fun. Although, if I finished 1st, I'd say “Happy days!”


JOWT: In 2007, when you started evaluating different junior formula options here in the United States, how did you decide on Star Mazda?


PD: Over the past few years, I've seen the Star Mazda series broadcast on Sky Sports in Ireland, and I've always thought the cars looked exciting to drive. I could tell that the series has extremely strong grids out of the 40 or so cars, and it also has the MazdaSpeed Motorsports Development program which is an awesome prize for winning the championship.


JOWT: Last year, you unexpectedly jumped in an F2000 car for qualifying at Road Atlanta without any track experience or seat time in the car…. yet, you managed to qualify 3rd. What can you tell me about that experience?


PD: I went from a Star Mazda test to a F2000 race at Road Atlanta in May last year to help do some mechanic work on Doug Prendeville's car with Andersen Racing. After the test day, one of the drivers decided to quit just before qualifying because he thought there was something wrong with the car. I managed to talk the team into letting me drive the car for qualifying. I had no gear with me so I had to borrow Cole Morgan's helmet and ear plugs, Anders Krohn's spare suit, and Johnny Baker's gloves. I didn't have any racing boots either, so I wore my trainers! I got fitted into the car just before qualifying and made it out in time. After 15 minutes I was lying in P2 ahead of all my teammates. This was both my first time at Road Atlanta and my first time driving an F2000 car. The team thought I had to have been under the weight limit, so I stopped driving halfway through the session and ended up P3. We weighed the car afterwards and found out that we were 15 lbs over! I could have been on pole if I had stayed out!


JOWT: After winning the 2008 Motorsport Ireland Young Driver of the Year award… you were offered a test in an A1GP car. Any chance we will see you on the grid in an A1 car next season?


PD: First of all, I'm extremely grateful for even being given the opportunity to test in A1GP. It's a great opportunity for me to get the experience of driving the Ireland A1GP car. The test will take place at Silverstone in September, and for me, it will be about doing a professional job as a driver and not making any mistakes. Hopefully, I can do a good job and impress the team enough that they would consider me for the main seat.


JOWT: What are your long term racing goals?


PD: My main aim is to try to get a seat in Indy Car. I think the series is getting stronger every year, and I feel if I'm given the right chance, I would be capable of competing at the front of the field. At the end of the day, if this opportunity never occurs, I would be quite happy racing anywhere in the world where I can earn a living doing what I love.


JOWT: This has been a financially chaotic year for you in Star Mazda. Is it true that you used practice tires that other teams had discarded…. Just so you could get seat time?


PD: Yes! I've been very fortunate that the other teams on the grid want to see me driving. They have given me their old, used tires to get me out in the practice sessions. If it wasn't for them, I wouldn't have had any tires to run on. I'd better not mention the teams involved, but I'd like to thank them for all their support this year!


JOWT: Is there anyone else that you would like to thank?


PD: I'd like to thank Motorsport Ireland, Irish Sports Council, Anthony Murray, my mam and dad, LotusWorks for their support last year, and everybody else that has helped me get to this point in my career. If I was to thank everyone individually, this interview would be another two pages long!


JOWT: Thank you for taking the time to do this interview. I wish you the best in 2009 and beyond.


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6/18/2008

Driver Profile: Anders Krohn

Until about three months ago, very few in the US junior formula world knew the name Anders Krohn. Since that time, the Norwegian driver has made a name for himself in a big way. The 20-year-old, who currently resides in Florida, has won 4 out of the last 6 F2000 races. In fact, as mentioned last week, Anders has been so dominant this year that he has only been outside the top two spots twice (this includes every on track session in the 2008 season). Just last weekend he set a new track record at Watkins Glen.

Krohn started living the dream at a mere three and a half years of age. His parents bought him a go-kart and allowed him to run endlessly until his first official race at the age of eight. In developing his car control, the young driver could be found running laps on an ice covered race track. The frigid temperatures didn't stop him from further developing his race craft. Anders spent most of his youth in a direct drive kart, emphasizing smoothness. After several championships, including the Formula A Norwegian Championship, Anders moved into the gearbox world of shifter karts. In his first year of ICC competition, he won 50% of his races enroute to becoming the youngest driver to win the ICC Scandinavian Championship.

In 2006, Anders decided to make the transition from karts to cars by entering the JTCC series. He used the experience as a transitioning year, learning to drive a production based car prior to making the jump to a Formula Ford. He signed on with Vuik Racing to drive a Mygale SJ07, running in several Formula Ford Championships during the 2007 season. It was at this point that Anders realized he had a real shot at a professional racing career. He posted some very solid results and worked endlessly on his marketing program, contacting several teams before deciding on his next step. It wasn't until his test at Sebring with Anderson Racing that he decided to come state side and run the F2000 Championship.

For those looking for a little more detail, I've added a short Q&A session with the driver prospect himself; Anders Krohn.

Anders Krohn Q & A

Junior Open Wheel Talent Blog


JOWT: Your website states that you started racing at 3.5 years of age, how did you initially start racing?

AK: It all started with me getting an opportunity to sit in a Gokart when I was about 2. When it was time to get out, I didn’t want to, and my parents quickly saw that I had been bitten by the racing bug. My father had previously raced karts, so him and my mother got me my first Gokart when I was 3.5 years old. My first race, however, was not until I was 8.

JOWT: You spent most of your karting years developing in the direct drive ICA ranks, how was the transition to the gearbox ICC class?

AK: The transition went very well, and it was mainly down to my coach, Walter van Lent. He was my mechanic at my very first ICC race, and he is still my driver coach/mentor. The biggest difference is that you have front brakes in ICC, compared to the direct drive karts back then (These days, most karts in Europe have front brakes). There are also some other different tricks to it, but if you drive a direct drive kart well, chances are you will do well for yourself in the ICC arena as well.

JOWT: At what point did you know you were going to pursue car racing?

AK: I had always dreamed of racing cars, but realized it would be a long, hard route to get there. When I graduated from High School in 2006, I decided to stay away from College for one year to see if I could get together a budget for an open wheel racing season. It worked out, and in 2007 I drove the Dutch&Benelux Formula Ford Championships.

JOWT: Do you foresee yourself moving into the sports car ranks down the road?

AK: I am open to all opportunities that may arise in the future. Sports car racing looks to be on the up, and it is definitely a valid option. Time will show.

JOWT: How did you decide on racing in the US F2000 Championship?

AK: I felt that I wasn’t going very far with my tight budget in Europe, so I tried to look elsewhere. I got talking to Andersen Racing which runs cars in the Formula 2000, Star Mazda and Indy Lights Championships. I tested for them in January at Sebring, and quickly thereafter I signed for them. I am really happy where I’ve ended up this season, and hopefully I can keep my Championship lead.

JOWT: I’ve read that you have really worked hard to come up with the necessary funding to make this season a possibility. Can you tell me a little about that?

AK: Ever since I graduated from High School, raising sponsorship has been my full time job. It has been hard work, but very rewarding. I am now in my second season of open wheel racing, and it’s being funded by my sponsors. I’ve also learned a great bunch, and have found out to some extent how to put together marketing and event packages for companies of different sizes and needs. I would like to add a thank you to my main sponsors Trallfa Industries, Colosseum Dental and Kruse Smith. They make it happen!

JOWT: Congratulations on your success so far this season. You have really opened some eyes in the junior formula world. Can you give us any insight into your future racing plans?

AK: Thank you, I appreciate that. I would love to carry on racing, and where I will end up next year or in five years for that matter, I don’t know. I will keep on working with my corporate sponsors, and see what possibilities there are. My aim is to win and to be the best no matter where or what I drive.
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