Jeff Krosnoff
Jeffrey John Krosnoff was an American race car driver. A competitor in the CART PPG Indy Car World Series, he was killed in a racing accident during the 1996 Molson Indy Toronto.
Early life and career
Krosnoff was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, but grew up in La Cañada, California, where he attended Flintridge Preparatory School, a private high school. He then attended the University of California, San Diego for one year beginning in September 1982. Afterward, he transferred to UCLA, where he majored in Business. Throughout his college career, Krosnoff was focused on pursuing his dream of professional racecar driving.Krosnoff competed in Japan in Formula 3000, where he was active from 1989 to 1995. Krosnoff also competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans several times, scoring 2nd in 1994. In the 1996 season, he made eleven starts in the CART series, driving a Reynard-Toyota for Arciero-Wells Racing.
Death
On July 14, 1996, with four laps to go in the Molson Indy Toronto at Exhibition Place, Krosnoff's car made wheel-to-wheel contact with the car of Stefan Johansson, sending it into the air, over a concrete barrier, and into the catch fencing lining the street course. The fence did not stop the car enough to keep it from hitting a tree which was outside the fence. The car then rotated into a light post which was located inside the fence near the tree.The violence of the accident left the car broken in half and sent the cockpit section back across the track, and the race was ended ahead of time due to the amount of debris blocking the course. Even though the paramedics were there almost immediately, Krosnoff died instantly after his head struck the tree and then suffered major internal injuries when his car hit the light post. A track official, Gary Avrin, was also killed in the accident when he was struck by the right front wheel of Krosnoff's then-airborne car. Krosnoff was declared dead minutes later at a local hospital, with the cause of death being listed as "massive head and chest injuries, skeletal injuries, and complete cardiac arrest."
Career results
Japanese Top Formula Championship results
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | DC | Pts |
| 1988 | Speed Star Wheel Racing Team | SUZ | FUJ | MIN | SUZ | SUG | FUJ | SUZ | SUZ 13 | NC | 0 | |||
| 1989 | Speed Star Wheel Racing Team | SUZ | FUJ 5 | MIN 9 | SUZ Ret | SUG Ret | FUJ 13 | SUZ 9 | SUZ 3 | 12th | 6 | |||
| 1990 | Suntec Racing | SUZ 10 | FUJ Ret | MIN DNQ | SUZ 3 | SUG 10 | FUJ Ret | FUJ 4 | SUZ 5 | FUJ 17 | SUZ 3 | 7th | 13 | |
| 1991 | Suntec Racing | SUZ 7 | AUT 10 | FUJ 4 | MIN Ret | SUZ Ret | SUG 14 | FUJ 17 | SUZ Ret | FUJ C | SUZ 9 | FUJ 4 | 14th | 6 |
| 1992 | Speed Star Wheel Racing Team | SUZ 12 | FUJ 9 | MIN Ret | SUZ 13 | AUT 11 | SUG 14 | FUJ Ret | FUJ 24 | SUZ 10 | FUJ | FUJ | NC | 0 |
| 1993 | Speed Star Wheel Racing Team | SUZ 14 | FUJ 13 | MIN 2 | SUZ 13 | AUT C | SUG Ret | FUJ C | FUJ 11 | SUZ 11 | FUJ 13 | SUZ 15 | 11th | 6 |
| 1994 | Giza Racing Team | SUZ 6 | FUJ 11 | MIN Ret | 16th | 1 | ||||||||
| 1994 | Speed Star Wheel Racing Team | SUZ | SUG | FUJ | SUZ 12 | FUJ 7 | FUJ 16 | SUZ Ret | 16th | 1 | ||||
| 1995 | Team 5Zigen | SUZ 10 | FUJ C | MIN 9 | SUZ 12 | SUG 9 | FUJ 10 | TOK Ret | FUJ 12 | SUZ Ret | NC | 0 |
Complete JGTC results
| Year | Team | Car | Class | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | DC | Pts |
| 1994 | Toyota Team SARD | Toyota Supra | GT1 | FUJ | SEN | FUJ | SUG Ret | MIN 10 | 27th | 1 | |
| 1995 | Toyota Team SARD | Toyota Supra | GT1 | SUZ 3 | FUJ 12 | SEN 5 | FUJ 16 | SUG 3 | MIN 11 | 8th | 32 |