The 2022 motorsport year is coming to an end and with it the extensive engagements with the KTM X-BOW on race tracks around the globe. Once again, the different models of the racing car have established themselves in customer sport. The highlights of the season include successes in sprint as well as endurance racing - including on the legendary Nürburgring-Nordschleife.
“This season once again demonstrated how many different opportunities there are to race the KTM X-BOW,” said Hubert Trunkenpolz, member of the KTM Executive Board. “Over the years, the KTM X-BOW GT4 and the KTM X-BOW GTX have served as the perfect platform for teams looking to offer their customers affordable motorsport. The same applies to the placement in the GT2 segment. Our commitment is paying off and we can successfully expand the KTM portfolio."
The Fanatec GT2 European Series is the main player in the GT2 segment, with six different manufacturers represented on the grid in 2022. True Racing by Reiter Engineering secured several race wins in the series, with Stefan Rosina and Filip Sladecka fighting for the Pro-Am championship and only just missing out on title glory. The race at the Red Bull Ring was undoubtedly among the highlights of the season, with the drivers competing in the Am classification also finishing on the podium.
The success of the KTM X-BOW GT2 is due in no small part to an elementary location for testing and development work: the Nürburgring Nordschleife. The Green Hell is considered one of the toughest circuits in the world, and KTM made full use of the facilities to test out its machinery in racing conditions. No wonder, that the KTM X-BOW GT2 SPX was entered in selected races of the Nürburgring Endurance Series (NLS) and in the legendary Nürburgring 24 Hours. “We made significant progress with each race we competed in,” explains Hans Reiter, who is involved in the development of the car together with his team. “We were twelve seconds off the pace in the first NLS race, but by the end of the season we were fighting among the leaders.”
Nowhere else was the variety of KTM machinery on a better show than at the historic circuit in the Eifel mountains. Thanks to customer team Teichmann Racing, fans were treated to on-track appearances from both the KTM X-BOW GTX and the KTM X-BOW GT4. The battle for top-ten finishes was just as much a part of the programme as training up the next generation of driver talent. “The GT4 in particular is well suited to learning and reeling off the necessary laps for obtaining the Nordschleife racing permit,” says Michael Teichmann.
RTR Projects are a testament to the KTM X-BOW GT4’s qualities in driver training. The Czech squad focused its activities on talent development in 2022, competing in ADAC GT4 Germany among other series. The team secured numerous top finishes in the Junior classification.
razoon – more than racing also took part in the ADAC GT4 Germany series this year, with a number of guest appearances. Among other things, the team around Dominik Olbert focused on the GTC Race, in which young talent Rick Bouthoorn won the title in the GT4 Junior classification and the GT4 runner-up championship. In addition, the Touring Car Masters (TCM) was on the agenda for razoon. The championship, organised by Gerhard Trenker in cooperation with the Eset Cup, was also the field of several KTM teams in 2022.
These included Motorsport Zentrum Ried (MZR). No other driver gathered as many points as Martin Koch, either in the sprint or in the endurance categories. The Swiss driver, who also runs the team as team principal, competed in a KTM X-BOW GTX. MZR specialises in giving amateur drivers the best possible experience behind the wheel of KTM machinery. The situation is similar at CCS Racing: The company knows its way around the KTM X-BOW thanks to numerous races. With strong individual results in the GTC Race, Uwe Schmidt and Michael Grassl provided several proofs of this.
Regardless of whether it's professional or amateur sport - teams around the globe have relied on the KTM X-BOW, including in the Carbonia Cup and in Asia. Taiyo Ida, Hiroki Katoh, Hiroki Yoshimoto and Kazuho Takahashi secured a class win in the 24 Hours of Fuji and finished fourth overall. The quartet showed that the GTX version of the KTM X-BOW was still able to fight it out with higher-performance GT3 cars even in 2022. Meanwhile, Dane Ronnie Bremer ensured brilliant success in the Danish Endurance Championship with the Racing Lab team. The highlight here is undoubtedly the title win with a KTM X-BOW GT2.
The KTM X-BOW’s presence in US motorsport is thanks in no small part to the collaboration with GT Celebration. The championship, which is geared towards gentleman and amateur drivers, used a KTM X-BOW RR as its official safety car in 2022. KTM also celebrated class wins with the GTX and GT4 models.
Global motorsport activities in 2022 were rounded out with numerous track days throughout the year, including at the Red Bull Ring. In the past year, the KTM X-BOW has once again proven its worth as an excellent machine for track days and driving experiences. The events organised by KTM Sportcar GmbH will remain one of the main pillars of the new season in 2023.