Reiter Engineering, in cooperation with KTM and SRO, developed a completely new and revolutionary concept for female and male young drivers in GT racing, which already begins with the start of the 2016 race season with KTM X-BOW GT4 within the SRO GT4 European Series.

The key facts of the new championship for budding engineers and drivers:

• -  Every driver pairing is supported by a European university
• -  Best male and female drivers step up automatically to Blancpain Sprint Cup 2017
• -  All KTM X-Bow GT are prepared identically by Reiter Engineering
• -  Sensational low season budget: 59,000 € per driverIn formula and touring car racing there are many championships for newcomers. However, in the past it was difficult break into the booming sportscar world to start a racing or engineering career. The technical education demands in particular are lacking in today’s established championships for budding talents.

  Time now, to develop a new concept for affordable and challenging motorsport with fascinating GT cars in an attractive environment. Hans Reiter, Team Owner of the GT racecar stable Reiter Engineering in Kirchanschoering, Bavaria, wanted more than the familiar ‘arrive and drive’ program: “With the support of KTM Sportscar GmbH and Stephane Ratel (SRO), we are able to originate the “REITER YOUNG STARS” championship already for the 2016 race season. To explain the idea behind this new championship is easy: Primarily the drivers’ education should be sustainable and give our partners the opportunity to access talented young engineers,” explains Hans Reiter. “Young drivers and engineers should be introduced to GT racing and have more opportunities to use their skills than merely optimizing tyre pressures.”

  This means: In addition to young male and female drivers, youngsters of other genres will also be included in this project. Every team is supported by two emerging engineers and a marketing and business student from a network of leading technical universities. At the race weekends, the young teams will receive the backing of engineers and technicians to operate the KTM X-Bow GT4.

  Reiter Engineering assumes responsibility for the logistics of the KTM X-Bow GT4 cars between events.

  Interested young female and male drivers have to be quick now: The request for the available driver seats is expected on a high level. For interested companies: The grid is nearly full, but there is still some capacity for additional cars!

Intensive program throughout the entire racing weekend

Each of the five Reiter Young Stars racing weekends supporting the GT4 European Series opens on Thursday with several program points for each team, before moving onto the free practice, qualifying and races. Setup work with the engineers and courses with the industrial partners are integral parts of the education.

Victory is more than speed

Competitors need to do much more than take the chequered flag first to win the Reiter Young Stars by Reiter Engineering Championship. To concentrate on this single aspect would not justify the core element of this concept and be unfair as two drivers share one car. In addition to scoring points in the races, the fastest five race laps per male and female driver, the tyre wear during an event or damage to the car will be influence the championship standings.

There will also be a classification during the season for the engineering students. This category will be judged by experienced motorsport professionals.

Attractive prizes and support for the Champions.

An attractive package to assist with the next step in GT racing for the 2017 season awaits the winners of the Reiter Young Stars by Reiter Engineering Championship. Both the female and male champion will receive a GT3 seat in the Blancpain Sprint Cup. The prize also includes the entry fees and 20 sets of Pirelli tyres provided by SRO.

Race event organization by SRO– a success story in GT racing

The Reiter Young Stars will compete at five events of the GT4 European Series, which is organized by Stephane Ratel’s organization SRO. Founded in 1995, the SRO was responsible for the rebirth of GT racing. Since then, SRO has organized several races and championships worldwide. These projects include one-make cups for Lamborghini and Mercedes, national GT championships in Great Britain, Germany, France or Brazil and international championships like the FIA GT Series or the successful Blancpain GT Series.

At the end of 2005, SRO created the GT3 category, which today represents the standard in GT racing worldwide. Nearly every renowned sportscar manufacturer has homologated one or more models for this class. In 2007, the GT4 group was born, also a creation of Stephan Ratel. The GT4 was conceived as the basic class in GT racing below the GT3 category. For 2016, the SRO has once again taken over organization of the GT4 European Series.

With all these projects and developments in mind, SRO is considered as the most successful promoter and organizer of sportscar events. Good reason for Reiter Young Stars to cooperate with the SRO.

Due to the cooperation with SRO, the teams will be able to race at some of the legendary race tracks in Europe. The season kicks off takes place at Italians high speed circuit in Monza, continues at the traditional road course in Pau (F) and has its highlight in Spa-Francorchamps, the famous and notorious race circuit in Belgian Ardennes. For the second half of the season, the Hungaroring in Budapest is waiting for the teams, before the final round takes place right behind the Dutch dunes at the North Sea in the Netherlands.

Stephane Ratel (Founder and CEO SRO Motorsports Group): “At the SRO Motorsports Group we have always believed in supporting young and upcoming drivers to make their mark in GT Racing. That is why we fully embraced the Reiter Young Stars idea. It is an innovative concept and a cost- effective first step in GT Racing. Hans Reiter’s experience in GT Racing is a certain guarantee for a solid program.”

The racecar for Reiter Young Stars by Reiter Engineering – KTM X-Bow GT4

One of the most state-of-the-art GT4 cars is the chosen chassis for the young teams. Unveiled at the beginning of 2015, the KTM X-Bow GT4, developed by Reiter Engineering in cooperation with KTM Sportscar GmbH, is perfect for success in GT4 racing. A full carbon chassis weighing around 1,000 kg is propelled by the 360 horsepower produced by a 2.0 liter Audi TFSI engine and is transmitted to the rear axle by a sequential Holinger gearbox.

High performance and low running cost provide a great foundation for the Reiter Young Stars Championship.

The KTM X-Bow GT4 took overall honors in its first year of competition by winning the drivers’ title in GT4 European Series AM class and was championship runner-up in the PRO Cup team standings. Victories in sprint and endurance racing in both Europe and the USA were taken by customer teams in the young career of the KTM X-Bow GT4.

The KTM Sportcar GmbH and perhaps the most extraordinary sports car of the world.

The KTM AG, since the fiscal year 2012 Europeans biggest manufacturer of motorbikes, is an Austrian company. In Mattighofen, the KTM AG produces ready-to-race motorbikes, used in real racing competition and fun events. KTM also is the leading brand for off road motorbikes.

After the successful launch of motorbikes and quads for street use, the X-BOW had been the next step, presented as a breathtaking concept car at the Geneva car show in 2007. It took just one year to show the production car on the same place, with fabrication starting only four months later. In August 2008 the first KTM X-BOW could be delivered and in 2016 chassis number 1000 is expected to be built by KTM Sportcar GmbH in Graz (Steiermark, Austria).

A first championship title could be won in 2008 with the first model in the “Sports Light” division of the GT4 European Series. Since 2010, KTM organizes the successful one make championship “X-BOW BATTLE” (including the “ROOKIES CHALLENGE” for newcomers).

The KTM –XBOW introduced several pioneering technologies to the production of smaller car series as the full carbon monocoque, until then just used in formula racing, or the downforce concept without compromises. Even the road car produced 200 KG of downforce at a speed of 200 km/h. With KTM X-BOW R, the KTM X-BOW RR, the KTM X-BOW GT and the KTM X-BOW GT4, KTM Sportcar GmbH has a portfolio of four different cars to offer. Two of them, the R and GT model, have a small production series homologation of the EU and are street legal.

Michael Wölfling, CEO of KTM Sportcar GmbH: „The KTM X-BOW GT4, developed in cooperation with Reiter Engineering, is not only a successful racecar, proved with several pole positions, victories and championship titles. Furthermore the X-BOW GT4 has extremely low running costs in collaboration with newest technologies, all very reliable. The combination of full carbon monocoque and FIA homologated roll cage makes it the safest GT4 race car on the market. We believe, that we can offer not only an attractive package for semi-professional or professional teams respectively drivers, but also a suitable car for beginners in GT-racing thanks to all this attributes. Together with SRO and Reiter Engineering we are excited about the competition and spectacular racing of the REITER YOUNG STARS races in 2016.”