Following the challenging race weekend for RTR Projects at Zandvoort in the Netherlands, the Czech KTM customer team found back to its old form in the seventh and eighth race of the ADAC GT4 Germany season. In the second race on Sunday, Josef Knopp and Matěj Pavlíček crossed the finish line in 16th place overall and collected seven points in the Junior classification. On the previous day, the two 18 and 20 year-old junior drivers saw their car ground to a halt with a technical failure halfway through the race.
“Today, I was able to overtake multiple cars, a great feeling. On the final lap, I had to let a Mercedes pass again. That cost us a better result. Nevertheless, I am super happy,” Matěj Pavlíček commented. “The race boosted my self-confidence.”
Josef Knopp also did well at Nürburgring from the very beginning. In qualifying in the morning, he was just six tenths of a second slower with the KTM X-BOW GT4 than the front runners. “At this track, the KTM really is great to drive, particularly in the short loop. There, you notice the low weight,” the youngster praised his car.
Reinhard Kofler, who supported as a driver coach at Nürburgring, was also very happy with the performance of the two junior drivers. “With their lap times, Josef and Matěj were quite close to each other. Taking into account the limited track time in the past two race weekends, that was quite good,” the KTM test and development driver said. “Especially in terms of data analysis, we have made a considerable step forward at Nürburgring. The guys have great potential as this weekend has shown once again,” Kofler commented.
The young talents from the Czech Republic can prove what they have learned at the twisty and undulating Sachsenring from 23 to 25 September during the penultimate ADAC GT4 Germany round. For its season finale, the championship, part of the ADAC GT Masters package, will be heading to Hockenheim from 21 to 23 October. The clear goal for RTR Projects: substantial results and valuable points for the Junior classification.