KTM customer team razoon – more than racing finished the 24 Hours of Barcelona in second position despite numerous setbacks and challenges throughout the weekend. The podium finish in the GTX class was just a reward for the team’s hard work and perseverance. The endurance race at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya held between 13 and 15 September also saw a KTM X-BOW GT4 successfully compete, alongside the KTM X-BOW GTX.
“That was a tough weekend for us, all told,” said Dominik Olbert, who went into the event aiming to repeat the team’s success from last year. “We had all the ingredients we needed for a great weekend: a strong driver line-up, a pit crew who were perfectly in sync and, with the KTM X-BOW GTX, a car that is able to win in 24H Series.”
What was missing was that little bit of luck that is always required in motorsport. The pre-race test, free practice and qualifying sessions all went entirely to plan, but just a couple of hours into the race the team suffered a major setback: The X-BOW shared by Simon Birch, Artur Chwist, Daniel Drexel and Christian Loimayr was involved in a collision with a car from another class. Repair work to the front of the car cost the team a huge amount of time, dashing any hopes of finishing at the sharp end of the field.
Other difficulties and extensive repairs proved to be a mammoth task for the pit crew. “We made up time on the track, but primarily in the pit box thanks to our mechanics,” Olbert continued. “They were the reason we were able to fight back and finish well in class.” The reward for the team’s commitment was a second-place finish in the GTX class – an unexpected result considering how the race began.
Mihael Ambroz, Petar Matic, Miloš Pavlović and Alessio Ruffini demonstrated the robust and long-lasting character of KTM racing machinery by entering a KTM X-BOW GT4, which made its on-track debut back in 2015. The car, which was also entered by razoon – more than racing, led in class at times during the race and ultimately came home in sixth position.