Reini Kofler in KTM X-Bow at DMV TCC at Hockenheimring 19.06.2012: For KTM, the 2012 racing season is developing in an increasingly positive way. Following the great appearance

For KTM, the 2012 racing season is developing in an increasingly positive way. Following the great appearance at the Nürburgring where Reini Kofler was overall third in the 100- mile race, things continued in the same vein at the DMV TCC (German Motorsports Federation Touring Car Challenge) at the Hockenheimring!


Franz Graf, Technical Leader of the KTM X-BOW Racing Team explained the switch to the DMV TCC, which like the 100-miles race, is held on the AVD weekends. “The AVD racing weekend is a particularly professional event with many attractive race series. In principle we went to Nürburgring to sample what goes on, to take a good look at everything and then we decided that we best fit to the DMV TCC competition.


 Super sportsmen from all brands meet there, there is a very big field of starters, how it is run is very compact and the races are very fast. It is exactly in this environment that we want to prove just how the KTM X-BOW can perform.”
 

It was already clear in the timed practice that the X-BOW had no reason to hide in this field even when the five-man KTM delegation was upset about a detached turbo hose – which incidentally was the only problem of the entire race weekend. The KTM X-BOW was running like clockwork just in time for qualifying on Friday afternoon and driver Reini Kofler put in a great time of 1:44.316 for a fantastic sixth grid position right between a GT3- Corvette and a GT3-Porsche.


The second qualifying was held just a few hours later in which the KTM X-BOW was seventh, once again between Corvette and Porsche. Reini Kofler was satisfied: “It was already clear to us beforehand that this wouldn’t be enough to be right up front. We had no chance against a Porsche GT2 RSR or Edy Kamm’s DTM Audi. But we were in front of many GT3 cars, among them Mercedes SLS and Porsches. That shows the potential of the X-BOW and with a great deal less financial input!”

 
There was a real gala performance by Reini Kofler and the KTM X-BOW in both races on Saturday. In race one he fought bravely against the Corvette-Armadas (one of which was shared by ex ski jumping star Sven Hannawald and Mathias Lauda, son of world champion Niki Lauda), and in the end was rewarded with an overall sixth place and second place in the class.


But there was to be the biggest sensation in the second race. After several of the drivers at the front of the pack failed to agree about who had priority, Reini Kofler appeared out of the dust and drove into an unchallenged second place overall.


 “That was a super race and a great result for KTM, I’m extremely happy that we could again prove how fast the X-BOW is and so are all the guys in the team. We left all the GT3 teams behind in the second race and before this race weekend that was something nobody believed we could do. We’re now looking forward to the race in Oschersleben at the beginning of July – this track really suit us and I bet that it’s going to be really interesting!”



- KTM also photos