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(Jeff Krosnoff image; The Krosnoff Foundation -
Source: SPEED.com)
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Today marks the twentieth anniversary of the
unfortunate death of rising IndyCar Star Jeff Krosnoff, along with volunteer
Corner Worker Gary Arvin...
Author's Note
I originally penned the following story five
years ago, when there was still a SPEED television channel and subsequent website, for which Y'all know was unceremoniously DUMPED in favour of
another FRIGGIN' "Stick 'N Ball" TV Channel. Thanks' FOX, like we
don't have enough of them littering thou television's landscape already; BARF!
Thus, although Marshall Pruett, who's since
migrated to Racer Magazine, had made us wait an inexorably L-O-N-G year's wait
to read the second three part installment. Whilst ultimately due to SPEED's
demise, A-L-L six-parts of his excellent article remembering Jeff Krosnoff on
his 15th Anniversary were naturally rendered obsolete and NO longer accessible!
Although some years ago for reasons
unknown I found the story re-posted on Max Papis website.
Hence, with today marking the tragedies that
occurred twenty years ago at Exhibition Place, Toronto, I'll attempt once again
honouring the memory of Messer Krosnoff with a condensed, updated rendition of
what I originally posted the past 4-5 years ago.
Arrivederci
Tomaso
Prologue
Really enjoyed reading Marshall Pruett’s excel
ante six part Jeff Krosnoff Stay Hungry retrospective broken into two three
part trilogies, for which Marshall, or was it SPEED? Definitely kept us Hungry
by making us wait a year between start to finish!
In my Part 1 retrospective five years ago, it
seemingly covered the most poignant aspects of the story to Mwah, which I've
left as a standalone story, where Massimiliano
"MAD MAX" Papis and Team Owner Cal Wells and Bobby Rahal share their
thoughts upon the intersection of Papis assuming the mantle of Krosnoff's
vacant IndyCar seat.
Parts 2-3
Marshall Pruett subsequently covers the
“missing” Japanese years of Jeff Krosnoff's career in Part-2. Which I can
personally attest to the original ‘TK’s Quip ‘bout thee Pre-internetz era...
That’s TK as in a one Tommy Kendall, Krosnoff’s friend who muses ‘bout when the
only news you could get of far-away Foreign
“feeder” series was thru a magazine called On Track, which your humble No
Fenders scribe subscribed to this mainly black & white grainy newspaper
"Rag" for years – and remembers fondly awaiting each new issues
release every Fortnight!
Thus Pruett expounds partially upon
Krosnoff’s sacrifices in far-away Japan along with some very positive recollections
from other cast-away competitors with names like “IRV-THE-SWERVE” and “Mr. Le Mans,”
aka Eddie Irvine and Tom Kristensen
respectively, not to mention another driver who’d lose his life racing named
“Roland-the-Rat.” (Ratzenberger)
Next, Marshall continued his Excel ante
look-back at the fallen American Open Wheel Racing driver Jeff Krosnoff – as
part-three focused upon the ‘SoCal’s Shootout with ‘el Zorro, aka Alex Zanardi,
as the two drivers fought for ‘Cheep’s second TCGR seat which ultimately went
to Zanardi, yet Cal Wells CART team was waiting in the wings...
As Bloody Hell! I'm fairly certain I made
some sorta very stupid comments about the tail end Charlie Japanese powered
racecar amongst the likes of the perpetual Back-markers of Dick Simon Racing
and Dale Coyne racing during our annual Boyz Outing to Portland that summer,
albeit it was actually Scandia-Simon Racing.
Ironically, the man who beat Jeff out of the
drive at Target Chip Ganassi Racing the prior year would be notching his debutant CART/IndyCar victory
that June's Father's Day weekend while Krosnoff finished an unnoticed P17,
3-laps behind Alex Zanardi, albeit improving six spots from his 23rd starting
position.
With Jeff finishing ahead of eleven
competitors total, including the likes of Emerson Fittipaldi's Hogan-Penske
Racing, Paul Tracy of Team Penske and Forsythe Racing's Greg Moore, all of whom
Did Not Finish (DNF) due to varying mechanical maladies...
If Y'all wanna
jump ahead of Part-2of this riveting story, especially since I've got ZERO idea
if Marshal Pruett will repose this hefty 18-page tome over at Racer Magazine
this year? Then I highly recommend reading the story in its entirety! As it
gives an excellent look at this forgotten driver...