With the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring, one of the highlights of the 2022 motorsport season is on the schedule. In True Racing by Reiter Engineering and Teichmann Racing, two competitive teams are participating in the endurance racing classic in the Eifel. The race start is on Saturday, 28 May, at 16:00 CEST. The action is broadcast by NITRO while there is also an official stream on the organiser’s website.
Max Hofer (#116): “I am really happy to be there as well. After all, it is the maiden 24-hour race at the Nürburgring-Nordschleife with the SPX version of the KTM X-BOW GT2. Being part of this development programme is a privilege for every one of us. Moreover, it is the first time that fans are allowed to be on site again, the atmosphere can’t be compared to any other race. This year, we have a car that can keep up with the speed of the GT3 cars and I am looking forward to the occasional duel on track. However, 24 hours at the Nürburgring also mean that it is a long and a tough race. We have to do our job well and shouldn’t have any technical issues. I am curious to find out how that will work out and I can hardly wait for the action to start.”
Markus Palttala (#117): “I have many great memories related to the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring-Nordschleife. I raced there for the first time in 2004. Back then, I was test driver for a tyre manufacturer and we raced with tyres for normal road use. Hard to believe, but with the changeable Eifel weather, we had such a huge advantage because of it that I was even faster than the overall leader temporarily in the rain. After an interruption of the race due to snow in 2016, my team at the time decided to put me in the car for the restart as they thought a Finn would be able to cope with the weather conditions in the best way. And they were to be proven right! In spite of lack of visibility, I moved up from sixth to first place on the first lap. This year, I am already in for the twelfth time, the first time for KTM. I am really looking forward to creating new wonderful memories.”
Reinhard Kofler (#116): “The 24-hour race at this prestigious track, especially with the many spectators, simply is the highlight of the year. Especially for me, it is a nice route I am allowed to go together with KTM, one that is making me very proud. Being able to compete for the overall win in this field is a huge honour. Traditionally, it all starts with the presentation of the cars in Adenau and I am massively looking forward to that. Anyone who still knows the time-honoured values of the fans, the images from the paddock and the dense crowd on the starting grid will obviously be very pleased that all of this can happen again in the normal fashion this year. Like Monaco, the Nürburgring has a feeling that is simply impossible to describe. There are hardly any run-off areas, there is no room for error. Anyone who masters the danger and the challenges at this track has already reached a huge goal, no doubt about that. I hope that this is exactly what we will achieve as a team this year.”
Ferdinand Stuck (#117): “For me, this event has a very special significance because I am able to connect my first participation in the endurance race with the final 24-hour race of my father. On top of that, it is just great that even at my young age, I can already say that this is my seventh 24-hour race. The special thing is the atmosphere around the track and the hype surrounding this race, that is just cool. I was already able to score a class win twice and I am happy to get the chance to be there for the team for the third time. This year, I am also particularly delighted about being able to race together with Johannes again.”
Tim Sandtler (#162): “I am really delighted to be able to race the KTM X-BOW GTX in the 24-hour race. Weather permitting, it will be a long race and therefore really tough for all competitors. As a result, the primary goal clearly is to make it to the finish. Teichmann Racing has cars with very strong line-ups of experienced drivers and coming out on top within the team will be difficult enough already. Our longer-term goal is a top 30 result, but to achieve that, everything has to match.”
Hans Reiter (team principal True Racing by Reiter Engineering): "For our team, the 24-hour race is undoubtedly the highlight of the season. This season's participation is all about the development of the new car, and we are proud that we have been able to continuously narrow the gap. If you want to develop a fast car, you can't avoid the Nordschleife – that has never changed. To make sure we are well prepared, the whole team works hard. From the Fanatec GT2 European Series at the Red Bull Ring, it's straight on to the Nürburgring for us. Stress with such a tight schedule is of course part of it, albeit positive stress. Despite all that, everyone is highly motivated!"
Simon Kammerhofer (chief mechanic True Racing by Reiter Engineering): "Last year, we already did two 24-hour races with our KTM X-BOW GTX that was new at the time, but one of them only lasted nine hours because of the interruption. As a result, the entire crew is looking forward to the upcoming 24 hours that will hopefully be run in its entirety. On top of that, we also want to be in contention at the front of the field with the SPX version based on our GT2 model, which obviously is a particular motivation for every one of us. We were able to continue the development and collect valuable experience in the two NLS rounds and the qualification race. We are accordingly confident!"
Upon his own request, Christian Menzel will not be participating in the 24-hour race. The stalwart, who was meant to be racing the car with starting number 117, explains: “For timing reasons, I wasn’t able to drive a race with KTM at the Nordschleife so far this year. That was the reason I decided not to participate as that doesn’t match with my professional ambition. I would only have been an asset to the team had I been able to prepare accordingly in the build-up. Of course, I am keeping all my fingers crossed for the crew and I will be on site to root.”