At the opening round of the North American race series in St. Petersburg/Florida the Reiter Gallardo GT3 racecars caught the competition by surprise

St. Petersburg/USA. Reiter Engineering made a perfect start to the new season and really made its mark as newcomer on its first outing in the North American Pirelli World Challenge Championship: Tomas Enge started by clearly dominating both of Friday’s free practice sessions in the #25 Reiter Lamborghini Gallardo FL2 GT3 (Reiter Engineering Race Team). In qualifying, Tomas Enge lowered the lap record with his time of 1m 13.429s and was rewarded with pole position for the two 50-minute races. Victory in both races was as good as sealed. After the first race on Saturday afternoon was cancelled due to bad weather, just the one race on Sunday remained.

Drama at the start of race 2: while Marcelo Hahn and Albert von Thurn und Taxis – both at the wheel of a Reiter Gallardo FL2 GT3 in the amateur class, Hahn for team Blau, von Thurn und Taxis for the Reiter Engineering Race Team – made good standing starts, pole sitter Enge had problems. The Czech was slow away and was left to start a brilliant comeback drive from 10th place. Within a few laps, Tomas Enge had scythed his way up to fifth position despite being briefly delayed by a full course yellow after several competitors crashed.

In the second half of the race, Enge broke into the top 3. Turn1 proved to be the Reiter Engineering driver’s favourite hunting ground. He was repeatedly able to squeeze his Reiter Lamborghini Gallardo FL2 GT3 past the competition here. During this stage, Enge set the fastest lap of the race at 1m 13.786s. Five minutes before the end of the race Enge was only 0.188s behind the leader, who he then overtook entering turn 1 two laps later. Tomas Enge defended his lead and took a debut win on Reiter Engineering’s debut in the Pirelli World Challenge.

Albert von Thurn und Taxis also had a strong race in the second Reiter Gallardo FL2 GT3 fielded by Reiter Engineering. After qualifying seventh overall and second fastest in the amateur class, the Regensburg racer occupied fifth place overall and second in class over almost the entire distance and coolly defended his position against strong professional drivers and his class rivals. With the chequered flag almost within sight he finally lost a place and crossed the finish line in St. Petersburg sixth overall. Albert von Thurn und Taxis mounted the podium as third place finisher in the GT-A class for amateur drivers.

Marcelo Hahn completed the ranks of Reiter Gallardo FL2 GT3 drivers: the reigning South American GT Champion from Blau Motorsport qualified fourth in the amateur category and started the race from 10th. Unfortunately, he had to retire from the leading group of lap 13 after over revving the V10 engine in his Blau Motorsport Reiter Gallardo FL2 GT3.

However, Hahn aims to reap the rewards of his and the race car’s potential and plans to complete the entire Pirelli World Challenge season in his Reiter Lamborghini Gallardo FL2 GT3.