With two race wins and a full points haul, RTR Projects made a perfect start to the Fanatec GT2 European Series in Monza. Driver Jan Krabec and the rest of the Czech customer team demonstrated the impressive potential of the KTM X-BOW GT2, while True Racing by Reiter Engineering also secured top finishes in Italy.
“I didn’t come to Monza with any major expectations,” said Krabec, who took the win in the Am class in the first race of the season. “I only just finished behind the overall winner, something I would never have thought possible before the weekend."
Krabec was in outstanding form in race two, too, this time putting in an outstanding recovery drive. After starting towards the back of the grid, the Czech driver worked his way through the field and grabbed first position just a handful of laps before the chequered flag. “I felt very comfortable in the car, which gave me a lot of confidence in my overtakes,” the championship-leader in the Am classification added. “When the set-up is right, the car has a perfect balance and you don’t have to make many corrections as a driver.”
Krabec prevailed over Klaus Angerhofer in the battle for class victory. Angerhofer, who was behind the wheel of the #16 KTM X-BOW GT2, was in impressive form in both qualifying and both races. “Everything finally came together today and I was able to finish on the podium,” said Angerhofer, who had only just lost out on a top-three finish in race one. “The car was perfectly set up and the pit stop was absolutely flawless.”
Nicolas Saelens and Stefan Rosina were the on-track victors on Sunday, but some post-race drama made for a disappointing end to the pair’s weekend. A podium on Saturday showed that the True Racing by Reiter Engineering crew were in good shape and capable of finishing well on Sunday. After some courageous overtakes, they made their way to the front of the field and took the chequered flag in first position. However, a subsequent time penalty resulted in their win being rescinded.
They weren’t the only drivers who experienced some disappointment in Monza, despite some good performances. Hubert Trunkenpolz and Reinhard Kofler were also looking promising ahead of the second race of the weekend, but an early drive-through penalty and a technical issue dashed their hopes of a top finish.
The Fanatec GT2 European Series continues with KTM’s home race. The series visits the Red Bull Ring – not far from the factory where a wide variety of sport and racing versions of the KTM X-BOW are manufacturer – on 26 and 27 May.