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GT2: One-two finish and maximum points haul in Hockenheim
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The KTM X-BOW GT2 remains the most successful car in the GT2 European Series powered by Pirelli, taking the fifth victory of a possible eight in 2024. At the fourth race weekend of the season at the Hockenheimring (19 to 21 July), Reinhard Kofler and Martin Koch added two further wins to an already impressive record. The pair, who race for KTM customer team MZR, took first place in both the Pro-Am class and the overall classification. Their fellow KTM drivers Thomas Andersen and Simon Birch rounded out a successful weekend with a second-place finish.
“Everything went according to plan this weekend,” said Reinhard Kofler. “Every restart, every driver change, every stint – it was all absolutely perfect." The 39-year-old started Sunday’s race from pole position and led comfortably throughout the first half of the race before handing over to Koch, who built on Kofler’s strong start. “Reini left a lot of performance in the tyres, which was great for me as I was able to pick up where he left off and bring the car home for our second win in a matter of hours.“
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After their brilliant performance at the famous circuit in southern Germany, Kofler and Koch have markedly improved their chances in the battle for the championship. Maximum points from Hockenheim has handed the duo a significant advantage over the rest of the field. Kofler and Koch lead the championship with 44 points, ahead of Leonardo Gorini and Carlo Tamburini (Maserati), with two race weekends remaining in Monza (20 to 22 September) and Barcelona (11 to 13 October).
Thomas Andersen and Simon Birch are two drivers who will be looking to make it to the top step of the podium before the season is out. The Danes competing in their first GT2 European Series season for razoon – more than racing in 2024 showed plenty of perseverance at Hockenheim. After race one ended in disappointment following contact from another car, Andersen and Birch focused on limiting the weekend’s damage in race two – in impressive fashion! In the tricky opening stages of the race, the 17-year-old Birch displayed outstanding patience and expertise to move up from P9 to fourth position. Teammate Andersen continued in the same vein as Birch, overtaking Mercedes driver Mauro Ricci brilliantly for second position.
Sehdi Sarmini was also in impressive form at the Hockenheimring. The True Racing by Reiter Engineering driver was one of the main beneficiaries of the chaos at the start of the first race of the weekend. As the lights turned green, Sarmini took the inside line and ended up overtaking no fewer than four cars into the first corner. In the end, Sarmini and teammate Klaus Angerhofer finished fourth twice and scored a solid haul of points in the Am classification. The duo narrowly missed out on the podium.
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The images are free for editorial use.
Copyright: Gruppe C Photography
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