With pole position, a podium and – to top it all off – a race victory, the maiden appearance of the KTM X-BOW GT2 in the United States could not have gone much better. Kevin Woods and Chicago Performance performed excellently as the car made its U.S. debut on the hallowed asphalt of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, of all places. The KTM customer team prevailed against some tough competition in the GT2 category, which formed part of the GT America series for the first time.
“In race one, we showed right out of the box that we could be competitive,” said Woods after the weekend. The U.S. driver was one of the surprise packages at The Brickyard, scoring a pole position and securing the best possible starting position in the GT2 field. “We made huge strides throughout the weekend and made some changes in race two. The work paid off and we managed to finish on the top step of the podium.”
During the race, Woods showed not only searing pace but also excellent racecraft. The American smartly avoided a coming-together in the early phase of the race, laying the groundwork for his victory. Woods then managed the gap to the rest of the field masterfully and crossed the line in a comfortable first place.
Woods didn’t put a foot wrong throughout the 40-minute race, to the delight of team principal Al Uscinki. “That was an unbelievable weekend and just reward for all of the hard work and extensive preparations in the workshop,” said Uscinski, who is a long-standing KTM partner.
“U.S. motorsport is a key platform for the KTM X-BOW,” said Michael Wölfling, CEO of KTM Sportcar GmbH. “The on-track debut of the KTM X-BOW GT2 in the U.S. was therefore a significant moment. With pole position, fastest lap and a race win, Chicago Performance really put on a show at Indianapolis and represented the marque brilliantly. Al Uscinski, Kevin Woods and the whole crew deserve all the plaudits for their excellent performance.”
Success on the race track wasn’t the only reason for celebration for KTM. “Our GT2 activities are developing really well and we are proud to have strong partners for the future at our side,” Wölfling continued. “We hope that more customer teams will follow Chicago Performance’s lead and that we will see more KTMs on the grid.”
The GT2 category was launched in international motorsport back in 2021. In addition to the Fanatec GT2 European Series, more and more championships are adding the class to their structure.