Kruse Motorsport's Phil Bennett comes to Petit Le Mans
 Road Atlanta "one of the top 3 tracks in the world"
By Kate Shaw
Photos © Craig Elliott
BRASELTON, Georgia (October 13, 2005) – Barazi Kruse Motorsport is a new team for 2005, though all the drivers are experienced in European racing; the No. 30 Courage C65 was a big presence at Sebring in March, strutting its stuff for the ACO to demonstrate that they could run up front with the big boys when the 24 Hours of Le Mans came around; and at Petit Le Mans on the last weekend in September, they opened the eyes of the ALMS fans wide as Phil Bennett, Elton Julian and car owner Juan Barazi explored the outer limits of both track and car.

Phil Bennett is well known to European – and particularly British – racing fans from his days with the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC), and he’s also appeared on a popular television program called Faking It, in which a young man tried (unsuccessfully) to fool professional racers into believing he was one of them. At the 24 Hours of Le Mans during the Friday Drivers’ Parade he was the focus of attention of a large and enthusiastic fan club who stood by the parade route chanting his name. (“I think they must have been drunk,” he said diplomatically – and correctly – when asked about this experience. “I’m sure every team gets greeted with the same enthusiasm.” No, Phil, only Jan Lammers’ Drinking for Holland fan club was bigger.)

In the interest of acquainting the American Le Mans fans with one of our “visiting teams” RFM Sports got an interview with Bennett, and discovered that he has an entertaining and forthright point of view about racing in general, sports car racing in particular, and the American Le Mans Series.

“From a driver’s point of view,” said Phil, “doing Sebring was incredible, because for me it’s the most historic sports car race in North America. As a team, Barazi Kruse Motorsport decided to do the 12 Hours of Sebring to show the Automobile Club de L’Ouest (ACO) what we could do, to help out with our 2005 entry into the 24 Hours of Le Mans; the team was only established in 2005 and although the guys have had a lot of experience in Europe (for example, in the DTM), we went to Sebring to prove we could run at the front.” Likewise, their run at the Petit Le Mans was to gain recognition for the team and give a boost to their chances of a 2006 invitation to the Big Show; however, Phil said they he came away with a lot more from his experience.

“These events were actually my first impression of America,” he said, “because before this I’d only ever been there to race. The people are so friendly and really can’t do enough for you; the circuits at Sebring and Road Atlanta just blew me away – and in America you have prize money Incredible, but true, in Europe you don’t get prize money. The ALMS is a very professionally run championship; the people at IMSA have worked hard to develop the Series and encourage new teams to join their fold. Even the weather at both events was great.”

About the Petit Le Mans and Road Atlanta in particular, Phil rated the track itself as “one of the top three tracks in the world – along with Spa and the old Nürburgring. With the gradient and the high speed turns, it’s just amazing how we are racing LMP cars on a track like that. I guess I got on top of [the track] reasonably well, as I was faster than the regular ALMS Courage teams!” About the FIA tracks in Europe he was quite dismissive. “Forget about the FIA tracks and all their over-the-top safety,” he said, “because actually what happens then is that the drivers take bigger and bigger risks.” He suggested that although Road Atlanta is certainly a challenging track for am LMP car, a real challenge at Road Atlanta would be driving a Can-Am car there without the chicane.

Barazi Kruse Motorsport’s appearance at the 24 Hours of Le Mans was a maiden voyage; and even more so for Phil because he confessed, “I made a very bold decision back in 1989 that I wouldn’t go to Le Mans unless I was racing in it. So the very first time I’d ever seen the place was for the practice sessions the week before the race.”

As those who make the annual pilgrimage to the Big Show will testify, there’s a lot more to Le Mans than the 24 Hours, and Phil said the biggest surprise to him was the fact that it lasts in fact seven days – from scrutineering on Monday through the end of the race on the following Sunday. “For all that time the fans are completely wired,” he marvelled. “One of the craziest things I saw was a bunch of English guys in open sports cars that they had to wear helmets in, loaded to the gunwales with camping gear and beer.” (If this was you, please raise your hands.)

The Barazi Kruse Motorsport Courage was very quick in the testing, which was to be expected, Phil said – “I’m a professional driver working with a good bunch of guys and a great engineer, so it would have been surprising had we been slow” – but in the race itself they ran into a lot of problems, some of which were driver problems and many of which were fundamental problems with the car. Through the whole event he kept his sense of humour, making Perry McCarthy-like jokes about all the welding experience the team were getting, for example. “You have to laugh,” he said practically, “or else you’d cry. And it does make you appreciate the good times more when they come.” Although the car could have won the LMP-2 class and the team were very disappointed in that regard, Phil said that they came away with many lessons that applied to all long-distance races: the need for discipline that prevents early mistakes which will come back to bite the team as time goes by (“I learned at Road Atlanta,” he commented, “how not to start a 10 hour race.”) and of course when the team is racing for the win, as they were doing at Le Mans and at Petit both as long as the car held up, that provides motivation of its own. “But the biggest thing I took away from [Le Mans] was the knowledge of how fortunate I was to have had the chance to race in the world’s biggest motor race and that the fans really make the whole thing special. It’s racing for them that really inspirers you to come back and do your best in future years.”

As far as plans for 2006, Phil said that Kruse Motorsport is still formulating its plans. “I think for Barazi Kruse Motorsport we all need to sit down and make our 2006 plans before the end of this year,” he said, “and I’m sure that will include a return to Sebring. I’ll be racing an LMP car somewhere, I’m sure.”

He hasn’t ruled out other forms of racing, though. “I’d love to do Dakar,” he said, “or the Baja 1000. In fact I’d like to do more racing in America in 2006.” Having enjoyed the ALMS and their fans at both Sebring and Petit, Phil Bennett would like to give them a chance to get to know him and the team better. “We are a new team and we were not a regular ALMS competitor,” he said honestly, “and I have no history in America, so I guess that limits people’s interest. I think if we come back and do the same races in 2005, then perhaps there will be more fans for Kruse Motorsport and Phil Bennett.”

Those who had the privilege of seeing the No. 30 Barazi Kruse Motorsport Courage in action this year should look forward to another exciting year of racing from the team – and stop by the Kruse paddock and get to know Phil Bennett. We guarantee you’ll come away looking forward to your next encounter.