24 Hours of Le Mans

Planetlemans talks to Kai Kruse

© Planetlemans - Gabriel Portos // Kruse’s Pescarolo in action at Le Mans 2007

An unfortunate incident towards the end of the 2007 season saw a fire consume the LMP2 Pescarolo of kruse Motorsports. Since then times have been tough for Kai Kruse trying to return to endurance racing as soon as possible. “Germany is not as the UK or France in terms of Endurance popularity” he asserts, nevertheless thanks to a new partnership he has been able to make it to the LMS grid again in 2008.

PLM- Kai, this winter has been quite difficult for you

KK- You can say that. We finished our previous partnership (the Kruse Motorsports company) and I started looking for an alternative. Luckily I found a new partner and we were able to create a new company in Germany with which we are starting the team for 2008.

PLM- How did you select the car?

KK- Last year we were contacted by a team looking to sell their car, we went into negotiations and were done pretty quickly, the Lola is a proven platform.

PLM- What about the engine? You will have the first Mazda in Europe and another high profile team in LMP2 did not opt for them in the end.

KK- That was our biggest challenge because of timing. We were really looking intensely for an engine when I was contacted by Mike Lancaster and I have to say I was very impressed. I travelled to the UK and I saw a very solid package, particularly in terms of reliability. Their results with the B-K team in Sebring and Petit Le Mans had not gone unnoticed on my side and that combined with a strong operation and the very good support we will get is a great deal for us.

PLM- I remember the support was a question mark for the other team when deciding.

KK- I am very satisfied with the Mazda support until now and the operational help we will have during the races. I am very optimistic and can only say that these 2 months of business relationship have been very good. In a way being the only team with the engine also gives me great confidence that we will get 100% attention on the engine side.

PLM- On the driver side you have a strong lineup as well…

KK- I always had a good relationship with the drivers and I am happy that Jean (de Pourtales) is staying with me and supports the project. Alex Müller is also a great addition to the team and he is a German driver with the right experience: LMS in 2004, the Spa 24 hours. We hope the addition of Audi this year will help make endurance more popular in Germany.

PLM- What about the rest of the package?

KK- We have very good tyres with Dunlop, realistically we might have a gap with Michelin but we think Dunlop is a good choice. We are also aware that we’ll have to face very strong competition, especially from the Porsches but I am very confident in the team we have, our crew is second to none and will include two members of the Binnie team that know the Lola very very well.
PLM- What is your objective this year?

KK- This year will be the start of a new phase for me, in the past I was depending on my partner for implementing a lot of decisions, in this case I have more control also on the company side. It makes me feel much more comfortable but it also puts a lot more pressure on me from the business point of view. On the sports side timing is an issue. Last year we assembled the Pescarolo right before Monza and that was a big handicap in terms of being competitive. It will be tough for us again in 2008 in that sense but realistically I’d like to score points every race. My best result ever was a sixth in 2006 and I’d like to improve that as well.

A big bet on a new engine, a race against time to have the car fully prepared for the season but clear dedication and commitment are there to bridge that gap. We wish Kai and team good luck in the long working days until Barcelona and hope to see them there with their full potential.