Horst Kroll: A Crew-members Story} Part Three - 1985 Season

 

The 1985 season began with a new excitement for our team after our strong third place finish the year before. Following the departure of the 1984 Champion Micheal Roe and runner up Jim Crawford, Kroll was entering the season as a strong favorite for the championship, along with newcomer Rick Miaskiewicz driving the two Gallis Frissbee's which had won championships in 1982 and 1983, in the hands of Al Unser Jr and Jacques Villeneuve. Our team also welcomed newcomers Greg Dixon as a mechanic, Joe Demarco driver of our Lola T300 back-up car, and Cero Gucciardi and Extrudex Aluminum as a new sponsor.

Joe Demarco

Mosport-June 2nd, 1985

Qualifying turned out to be a big disappointment for the Kroll team with Horst posting a time two and a half seconds off his best time the previous year. Although fast enough to lock up third on the grid is was far from the high expectations we had for the seasons start. With Joe Demarco posting only the 9th fastest time and being slower than three 2-liter cars it was clear much work was still needed before the race.

After pulling a late night at the track Sunday warm up went well with both Joe and Horst pleased with there cars and lap times coming down. Race day morning was busy as always with last minute preparations and Horst as always buying out time from his busy schedule and workload for the media and fans.

The race went well for both drivers. With Horst faster out of the gate and front runners Rick Miaskiewicz (crash) and Rod Cusumano (engine) falling out of the race Kroll found himself in the lead and eyeing his first Can-am victory. However the big surprise for the team was the steady drive by Joe Demarco that saw him move up to 4th place and in a battle for 3rd with ex CART driver Bill Tempero.

With two solid pit stops the team was able to protect Kroll's lead and move Demarco into third. With Horst consistent driving we held our breath for what Horst described as "the longest laps of my life". With a solid lead little did he know his other car was in a battle for third. Lap after lap we watched with excitement as Joe slammed the door on Tempero entering turn one to take a well deserved 3rd place finish.

There is no way to describe the satisfaction I experienced as the flagman passed me the checkered flag to give to Kroll. As Horst did his victory lap, I made my way to victory lane to join the team celebration. Alone with the excitement of his first Can-am win came the surprise of seeing Joe on the podium with him. Overall this was by far the most successful weekend of Horst Kroll Racing and suddenly all the long hours and many miles seemed all worth it. With our first win and the championship lead it was off to Lime Rock Park for rounds two and three.

Lime Rock-July 6th, 1985 

 Qualifying saw Dr Lou Sell put his 2-liter March M12 on the pole with Kroll second ahead of  Miaskiewicz, Cusumano, and Peter Greenfield. With his 2nd place finish in the season opener at Mosport and the pole here it now appears Sell will be a serious championship contender.

Race day threw a new challenge with wet conditions a factor. The team were forced to gamble on setup with Kroll desiring to start on dry tires and setup and Demarco going with wet from his 16th place on the grid. While Demarco was able to cash in with a 7th place improvement the rain left Kroll struggling to a disappointing 10th and costing us the championship lead.

With local instructor Bruce MacInnes taking the win and Rick Miaskiewicz finishing 2nd it was apparent a championship title was going to be no easy task. With a two month break in the schedule it was back to the shop and preparations for a tough fall championship battle, unclear who the main competitor would be.

During the long break I convinced Horst to come out and do a Formula Vee race with me at Mosport. It was the first time for the two of us on the track together with our Altona's. The break also provided an opportunity for the team and a few close friends to get together at Kroll's condo, celebrating our June victory, before getting back to Championship mode.

Lime Rock-Sept 2nd, 1985

 Qualifying on the tight Lime Rock circuit proved a great opportunity for the 2-liter March of Lou Sell who cashed in with the pole position leaving Kroll to settle for third behind  Rick Miaskiewicz.

 Most of the race was spent with Kroll locked in a battle with the 2-liter cars of Sell and Peter Greenfield while Miaskiewicz ran away with the lead. The race ended with Rick Miaskiewicz in 1st, followed by Peter Greenfield, Lou Sell and Kroll in 4th sending us back home to Mosport clear that we were in a three way battle for the championship with Sell and Miaskiewicz.

Mosport, Sept 15th, 1985

Fresh off his win here in June, Horst wasted little time getting back to business. With the comfort of his 25 years experience and knowledge of his home track, Kroll set a blistering pace in qualifying to secure the pole. With Rick Miaskiewicz placing second ahead of Lou Sell in third our team prepared the car knowing the importance this race would have in championship.

Happy with the car, Sunday morning was very relaxed with our last minute race preparations. It was routine for Horst, checking over the car, interviews, autographs, pre race lunch and nap. On the grid Kroll was very confident and relaxed. After spending time with the fans and media it was our normal practice as we strapped Horst in the car to do a last minute review of pit strategy and pit-board signals. While we did have in helmet headsets, they were often very unreliable, so the pit-board was always in use.

The race began with Horst jumping out to an early lead. Things were running its course as planned, until disappointment hit on our last pit-stop. Following a routine stop, as Kroll exited pit lane a Miaskiewicz crew member accidentally stepped in the path of his car, forcing Horst to stand on the brakes to avoid contact. As an angry Kroll jumped back on the throttle the car spun and stalled on the pit exit. As he watch Miaskiewicz drive off with the lead and the rest of the field in tow a frustrated Kroll coasted down the hill to corner one and jump started the car. Over half a minute behind the leader the race seemed all but over, but for anyone who knows Horst the word quit is not in his vocabulary.

With the race winding down and Horst on a blistering pace, our pit-board messages informed Kroll of Miaskiewicz's decreasing lead. On the closing laps with ever increasing pressure from Kroll, Miaskiewicz had a brief encounter off track at Moss corner leaving Horst breathing down his neck as he crossed the finish line. With Lou Sell a DNF and only two races left it was shaping up to be a Miaskiewicz and Kroll championship battle heading into the final two races.

St Louis International Raceway, Oct 13th, 1985

Thursday morning a partial team team embarked on the long journey for St. Louis with championship hopes in site. After an evening detour into Indianapolis to show the team the speedway we arrived in St Louis in middle of the night. Tired and unable to find the track we decided to spend the night in an abandoned garage parking lot.

Arriving  at the track Friday morning we were joined by long time friend of Kroll's, Carl Hogan. Hogan was owner of many Can-am, F-5000 and CART teams over the years and his experience would be a welcomed addition for our short staffed team on such an important weekend. After spending Friday shaking down and setting up the car we raced off to a local bar to watch our Blue Jays who were locked in the American Series Playoffs with the Kansas City Royals. With a rowdy crowd of St Louis Cardinal and KC fans who were hoping for a I-70 World Series we were forced to keep a low profile while quietly hoping for a Jay's win. To our disappointment the Jay's lost but still maintain a 2-1 series lead.

Saturday qualifying went well with Kroll placing 2nd to pole winner Peter Greenfield and championship rival Miaskiewicz back in 4th behind Sell. While filling five of the top nine spots the 2-liter cars would once again prove to be a strong challenge on this tight track. Once again it was an evening race to finish our work and get to the bar for game four of the Jays and Royals. This time we watched our Jays rally to a ninth inning comeback to take a 3-1 series lead. After a brief outburst that left the crowded bar giving us dirty looks it was back to the track for one last bit of excitement. A local track race instructor who we had made friends with had promised me a few laps in one of the schools VW Rabbit GTI's. With the guidance of my new friend Jim I navigated around the dark course for a few laps until an angry security guard shut us down. All in all a fun and successful day.

The race Sunday saw Miaskiewicz out battle Kroll for his 3rd win of the season and take over the championship lead going into the final race at St Petersberg, Florida.

Leaving St. Louis thinking our next obstacle in the championship was finishing ahead of Rick in Florida, Kroll was dealt another unexpected blow. Arriving back in Toronto about midnight Monday, Kroll parked his tow vehicle at the shop and rushed home for a few hours rest. Arriving  at his shop on Tuesday morning only to find his truck, trailer and beloved KR3 missing. The car was later found in a farmer's field north of Oshawa. Missing was our spare VDS engine and the car was in pieces from an attempt to remove our main engine. Police said probably the only reason the car wasn't torched was the thief's were not done and were planing a return to finish the job. Not only would the season be lost but possible could have meant the end of Krolls career.

St Petersberg, Nov 3rd, 1985 

 Arriving at the Tampa airport on Thursday morning I was greeted by Paul and Monica Strak of Grid-work Photography who were my ride to the track. I was informed our tow vehicle had broken down in North Carolina and Horst and Joe Demarco were at the hotel with no vehicle or race cars. Thursday evening was the most unpleasant with two very frustrated drivers being told the cars would not be arriving in time for any Friday practice.

With no cars and plenty of free time I hunted down my fellow Annapolis Valley resident and Trans-Am driver Murray Edwards and spent the day assisting his crew chief Rod Chisholm. It was a pleasure to work with Murray as I was a fan of his in my early years as a spectator at Atlantic Motorsport Park in Shubienacadie, NS. Horst, Joe and myself returned to the hotel again frustrated and concerned our cars were no where to be seen and championship rival Miaskiewicz spending the day getting in valuable track time.

Saturday morning we were informed the cars and crew would be arriving shortly before the final qualifying session leaving Kroll and Demarco basically a shot in the dark. With Miaskiewicz grabbing the pole Kroll used his years of experience to secure a fifth on the grid with three 2-liter cars separating them. To have any chance to win the title we needed to win the race and Rick Miaskiewicz finish outside the top five positions.

With Joe struggling to only a 20th on the grid and Kroll having to guess on a race setup with only one warm up session to test it out, Sunday morning left the team with much work to be done. After the final warm up Horst was confident with the setup but Joe was going into the race concerned with with his oil pressure.

The race began with Kroll working his way to second behind Miaskiewicz. On lap 12 disappointment set in as Demarco had to park our number two car with engine problems. Disaster would hit around mid race with Kroll coming to the pits with a engine misfire. Horst who never says quit jumped from the car and went strait to the tool box. As expected a broken rocker was the culprit. After replacing the broken rocker Kroll jumped back into the cockpit and fought his way back to an 11th place finish to secure second place in the championship from race winner Lou Sell.

With his second place finish Rick Miaskiewicz was the 1985 Can-Am Champion. With our 11th place finish our streak of top 10 finishes ended at a Can-Am record of 18. However with his desperate repair Kroll's record of the most consecutive finishes was still alive.

With much disappointment over losing the championship we attended the year end banquet Sunday evening with Miaskiewicz treating our team to our drinks for the evening. All and all it was a fun and successful season. Although pleased with second place it would be a long winter thinking about what had slipped away.

Up next: Part Four - The 1986 Season