Rick Bouthoorn has successfully qualified for the GTC Race talent scouting programme, with a chance at winning a lucrative move to GT3 racing. The opportunity has come after the Dutchman’s impressive performances behind the wheel of a KTM X-BOW GT4. Both Bouthoorn and his teammate Daniel Drexel from razoon – more than racing showed that the KTM X-BOW is the perfect car for young drivers just starting out in the sport. The CCS Racing team, who race the GTX version of the car, also made a splash with some solid results.
Just in time for the season finale, the weather gods gave the GTC Race series the chance to really put drivers to the test. With low temperatures and torrential rain, the challenge was to find the right balance between pace and keeping things on the straight and narrow. The driver who rose to the challenge best was razoon junior Rick Bouthoorn. The 18-year-old Dutch driver finished Saturday’s sprint race in the points to secure one of four coveted spots in the GT3 talent scouting. In 2021, Bouthoorn just missed out on qualification.
“I had a clear objective this season: to qualify for the series organiser’s GT3 scouting programme,” said Bouthoorn. “Finishing the season first in the junior classification and second place overall in GT4 is a fantastic feeling.” The best driver out of the four candidates will walk away with two free years of GT3 racing in the GTC Race series.
Besides Bouthoorn’s performances throughout the season, the outstanding work by the razoon – more than racing team has also been one of the main reasons for the young Dutchman’s qualification for the scouting (11/12 October). Dominik Olbert and his team gave Bouthoorn and his teammate Daniel Drexel the tools to regularly finish in the top spots.
The close-knit team have also secured plenty of plaudits themselves. “Thanks to Rick’s great performances and Daniel’s excellent development, we secured third position in the teams classification – to go with first in the junior championship and second in the overall GT4 classification,” said Olbert. “At the start of the season we would never have envisaged such a result. We have to say a huge thanks to our sponsors Brebeck Composites and Milwaukee, not to mention KTM. Without their support over the past few years, we would never be where we are today.”
GTC Race newcomer Daniel Drexel demonstrated how well the package has come together. “Fifth in the GT4 classification in Assen was my personal highlight of the season,” Drexel, who hails from Graz, said. “I will be looking to build on that moving forward. I can’t wait for my second GTC Race season with this fantastic team.”
The KTM X-BOW GTX entered once again by CCS Racing also attracted plenty of attention over the course of the season. Drivers Uwe Schmidt and Michael Grassl put together some strong performances, particularly at the Lausitzring and in Oschersleben.
One of the highlights of the season came at the Nürburgring, where the KTM customer team mixed things up in the middle of the GT3 pack and finished the one-hour GT60 race in an excellent fourth overall. The team finished up the season in Hockenheim with second in class.