KTM True Racing returns for a second Fanatec GT2 European series campaign in 2022 with two full-season KTM X-BOW entries in both the Pro-Am and Am categories plus a third car for the season opener at Imola this weekend.
The race-winning pairing of Stefan Rosina and Sehdi Sarmini will again join forces in the #16 Pro-Am KTM X-BOW. The Austrian duo of Hubert Trunkenpolz and Klaus Angerhofer will also return to the team in the #17 Am entry for all six Fanatec GT2 European Series rounds.
Sarmini and Rosina started their maiden GT2 campaign on strong form last term, fifth at Monza leading to a first series podium at Hockenheim. But it’s the second race at Spa-Francorchamps that will long live in the memory of KTM. Having claimed pole position, Sarmini and Rosina earned the marque’s maiden GT2 European Series win, beating the might of Audi, Porsche and Lamborghini in Belgium.
Rosina said: “We were very happy to represent KTM X-BOW in such a fantastic series last year. Our first win at Spa was something that we were really happy to achieve, scoring the first overall win for KTM in the series. GT2 is a nice mix of a semi-professional racing series, with cars with a top-speed and horsepower that’s very similar to GT3 machinery, with reasonable running costs. KTM together with Reiter Engineering did a very good job developing the X-BOW GT2. We hope to fight for top positions once again this year.”
Sarmini said: “As an amateur in a Pro-Am car, there was a lot to learn in my first season. For sure, our overall win at Spa was amazing. For my part, I’m looking to build on last year’s performance with more consistency. It is a real pleasure to compete for KTM True Racing managed by Reiter Engineering in this wonderful Austrian car!”
In the Am category for Bronze drivers, KTM board member Trunkenpolz and team-mate Angerhofer aim to build on a positive first GT2 season with True Racing. Impressing from the outset with a podium at Monza, the duo will be looking for a repeat performance at Imola next month.
Trunkenpolz said: “Our first season in the GT2 European Series was super exciting! My highlight has to be the podium finish in Monza, plus racing on famous circuits like Spa and Paul Ricard for the first time with the stunning KTM X-Bow! To finish on the podium again this season would be great. It’s a very professional series and I hope it will develop and find its place in GT Racing. There is absolutely a place for such an exciting format for amateurs!”
Angerhofer added: “The upcoming season promises to be a very exciting one with the growing field of cars and drivers. I feel well prepared and I am convinced that we can achieve great things as a team!”
The third Imola entry this weekend sees Laura Kraihamer join Kris Rosenberger in the #15 Pro-Am entry.
Rosenberger returns to the KTM True Racing fold after an outstanding first season in the series, finishing as Am class runner-up alongside Hans Joachim Stuck with a haul of seven second-places. Despite taking the step up to the Pro-Am category for 2022, the Austrian has to be a racing-winning threat when he makes his class debut in Italy in a few days’ time.
Kraihamer, a KTM specialist, won the KTM X-BOW Battle Endurance Championship at her first attempt in 2012 and played a pivotal role in developing the new KTM X-BOW GTX.
With podium finishes and race wins scored across a raft of championships, including the GT4 European Series, GT4 Germany, and the Creventic 24 Hour Series, Kraihamer competed in five different international series for KTM in 2020 to further podium success. Now the 30-year-old is ready to make her GT2 European Series debut in Italy alongside her fellow countryman.
“I am delighted to join the GT2 European Series for the season opener in Imola with the KTM X-BOW GT2,” said Kraihamer. “The GT2 European Series is a very promising championship and a great platform. I am looking forward to an exciting weekend with Kris, who has already spent a season in the car.”
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