ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, July 15, 1996 TAG: 9607150119
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-3 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: TORONTO
SOURCE: Associated Press
ROOKIE JEFF KROSNOFF dies after crashing in the Toronto Molson-Indy.
Jeff Krosnoff thought himself a lucky guy.
He had paid his dues with a six-year apprenticeship driving Formula 3000 cars in Japan as well as doing a lot of sports car endurance racing. Now he was joining the Arciero-Wells Racing team for the start of the Indy-car season.
On Sunday, Krosnoff ran out of luck. He was killed in a crash late in the Toronto Molson-Indy.
Dr. Hugh Scully, the race's medical director, said the 31-year-old driver and a course worker died.
Krosnoff was racing Stefan Johansson for 15th place when the crash occurred. His car launched after touching wheels with Johansson's car on lap 92 of what was to have been a 95-lap race.
Krosnoff's car sailed into the steel catch-fencing above the concrete barrier, scattering pieces and parts. His cockpit came to rest upside down on the opposite side of the track against the concrete wall.
In 1994, Krosnoff was part of the team that finished second overall and first in class in the 24 Hours of LeMans.
His new team provided Krosnoff with a new Reynard chassis powered by one of the new Toyota V8 Indy-car engines, and Krosnoff was working his way up the ranks.
In his first 10 Indy-car starts, the resident of La Canada, Calif., had a best finish of 15th last month in the Detroit Grand Prix.
``I'm getting more comfortable and the team is getting more comfortable with me,'' Krosnoff said over the weekend. ``I think we're really starting to make some progress now. The engine is going to get better and the whole combination is going to be a lot better before the end of this season.
``I'm just lucky to have had an opportunity like this,'' he added. ``There aren't that many of these rides around.''
Alex Zanardi, another Indy-car rookie who finished second to Adrian Fernandez in Sunday's race, got his ride with Target-Chip Ganassi Racing after both he and Krosnoff tested for the seat.
``That is when I met Jeff and I could tell right off he is a nice guy,'' Zanardi said. ``Of course, we have seen each other on the circuits many times since then. Something like this brings you down to earth right away.''
Krosnoff, who graduated from UCLA with a degree in psychology in 1987, started racing in 1983 at the Jim Russell Racing School for Formula Fords and won the school's rookie award.
Krosnoff is survived by his parents and his wife, Tracy.
LENGTH: Medium: 62 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: AP Track rescue crews work to remove Jeff Krosnoffby CNBfrom his car after a horrific crash Sunday in Toronto. Krosnoff,
who was a rookie on the Indy-car circuit, and a course worker were
killed. KEYWORDS: AUTO RACING FATALITY