Frissbee KR3

The Frissbee KR3 was an American sports prototype racing car, built by Frissbee in 1984 for the Can-Am series. Originally built by Lola Cars as a Lola T330, it featured a 5-litre Chevrolet V8 engine, and was used by Horst Kroll Racing between 1984 and 1987. Horst Kroll used the car to win both the Can-Am and Canadian American Thundercars Championship in 1986.

Racing history

The Frissbee KR3 started out as a Lola T330, and featured a 5-litre Chevrolet V8 engine. It was first used by Horst Kroll's self-run Horst Kroll Racing team at the opening round of the 1984 Can-Am season, held at Mosport;^[1] he finished in fourth place.^[2] At Dallas, he finished eighth, and fifth of the full Can-Am entries,^[3] before finishing second at Brainerd,^[4] fifth at Lime Rock,^[5] second at Road Atlanta,^[6] and fourth at Trois-Rivières.^[7] The next round of the season was held again at Mosport; he went one better than the first race of the season, and took the KR3 to third place.^[8] He finished the season with eighth at Sears Point,^[9] fourth at Riverside,^[10] and eighth in the final round of the season, held at Green Valley.^[11] Kroll finished the season in third place, with 119 points; 37 behind Jim Crawford, and 31 ahead of Kim Campbell.^[12]

Kroll used the KR3 again in 1985, and started the season with a win at Mosport.^[13] The next two rounds, both held at Lime Rock, were less successful; Kroll finished tenth overall, and fifth of the full Can-Am cars in the first race,^[14] before taking fourth overall, and second in class, in the second race, held two months later.^[15] The fourth race of the season was held again at Mosport; Kroll returned to the podium, taking second place.^[16] The penultimate race of the season was held at St. Louis International Raceway, where Kroll again finished second.^[17] He finished the season by finishing eleventh overall, and sixth in class, at the St. Petersburg Grand Prix.^[18] Kroll finished second in the Driver's championship, with 71 points; ten behind Rick Miaskiewicz in a similar Frissbee GR3, and 19 ahead of Lou Sell in a 2-litre March 832.^[19]

For 1986, the Can-Am series saw a partial split; a new Canadian American Thundercars Championship (CAT) was formed, and four races were shared between the two, with a fifth race being held as part of the latter series.^[20] Kroll started the 1986 season in exactly the same way he had started the 1985 season; by winning the opening race at Mosport in his Frissbee KR3.^[21] Kroll followed this with fourth overall, and second in the O2L class at Summit Point,^[22] and a pair of second places, at St. Louis and Mosport.^[23][24] As a result, Kroll won the Can-Am championship, with 64 points; 11 points more than his closest rival, Bill Tempero, who drove a March 84C.^[20] Kroll finished the CAT season with a sixth place at Hallett,^[25] having taken tenth in the first race,^[26] and fourth in the second.^[27] This was enough to also secure him the CAT title, beating Tempero by ten points.^[20]

In 1987, the Can-Am series folded, and the CAT series took over.^[28] Kroll continued to use the KR3, but retired after four laps from the first race of the season, held at Willow Springs,^[29] before finishing third at the second race;^[30] this was enough to secure seventh place at the meeting.^[31] He then took third at Hallett and Milwaukee,^[32][33] before finishing fourth at Sanair.^[34] Kroll finished the season by taking eighth at both Pueblo and Phoenix;^[35][36] his 65 points were enough for him to take third in the Driver's championship once again.^[28] He finished 27 points behind Al Lamb in a similar Frissbee GR2, and three ahead of Buddy Lazier in a March 85C.^[28] The CAT series was replaced by the American Indycar Series for 1988,^[28] and the KR3 was not used again.^[37]

References