The KTM X-BOW GT2’s debut at the most challenging circuit in the world provided a huge amount of insight. At the season-opening race of the Nürburgring Endurance Series, True Racing got a first taste of the sportscar’s potential and gathered some important data for the continued development of the machine. Technical problems prevented both True Racing cars from finishing, but the KTM customer racing squad Teichmann Racing managed to finish in the top 30 with its pair of KTM X-BOW GTXs.
“Driving a car like this on such a wonderful circuit is arguably one of the most exciting experiences you can have on the racetrack,” said Mads Siljehaug after his first laps of the Nordschleife in the SPX version of the KTM X-BOW GT2. “I felt comfortable right from the off. The aerodynamics give us a great deal of downforce and make the car pleasant to drive. Of course we still have a lot of work to do, but our impressions and findings from this weekend have been promising.”
The pace was promising too, as Siljehaug and his teammates showed. One of the two KTM X-BOW GT2s was running in the top 10 in the first half of the race, but technical problems put a premature end to the test in real-life racing conditions. Up until retirement, the KTM X-BOW GT2 continued to show the kind of performance it had hinted at last year, at the front of the chasing pack behind the more-powerful GT3 class.
Teichmann Racing rounded off a promising weekend for KTM customer racing, with two top 30 finishes thanks to a pair of rapid driver line-ups. Georg Griesemann, Felix von der Laden, Maik Rönnefarth and Yves Volte finished 25th overall and secured victory in the CUPX category. The sister car, driven by Stephan Brodmerkel, Hendrik Still and Constantin Schöll, finished just behind in 27th.
Team manager Michael Teichmann was in a confident mood after the race: “We are pleased with how everything went,” he said. “For some of our drivers this was their first time switching from GT4 to GTX. The guys found their feet straight away, which is a testament to the quality of the car. Now we will be focusing on gathering more experience and working on our set-ups.”
The next Nürburgring Endurance Series race takes place on 9 April and will provide another important opportunity to prepare for the Nürburgring 24 Hours at the end of May.