The latest round of the Fanatec GT2 European Series in Portimão was no easy task for True Racing by Reiter Engineering. Despite a strong showing and error-free performance, it still proved to be a challenging weekend for the team. Nevertheless, the KTM X-BOW GT2 drivers were still able to provide some highlights.
“We had to fight like lions because we didn’t have the best starting point for this weekend,” said Hubert Trunkenpolz, driver of the #17 car alongside Reinhard Kofler. “But races like these are part of motorsport. The team showed great strength to finish on the podium in spite of the challenges. Without the puncture and the spin in the first race we might even have got a second top-three finish. I firmly believe that luck will be on our side again next time out. I was delighted to see such success in the Am category.”
Nicolas Saelens and Stefan Rosina were the two drivers who managed to finish on the podium in the Pro-Am category. The pair stormed through the field in race two on Sunday to secure third position in the Pro-Am classification. The two True Racing by Reiter Engineering drivers secured a solid points haul for the podium finish, but still surrendered the lead of the championship. Saelens and Rosina now lie in second place in the drivers’ championship, with two race weekends remaining – in Valencia and Le Castellet. Kofler and Trunkenpolz ended Sunday’s race in fourth position.
Klaus Angerhofer and Sehdi Sarmini provided another highlight of the weekend in Algarve with their performance. The pair, who have hinted at their potential on numerous occasions already this season, secured victory in the Am classification. “We both drove excellently, there’s no other way to put it,” said Sarmini. “It was a fantastic team performance and we are really delighted with the win.”
Victory gave the Angerhofer’s title hopes a major boost. The Austrian now has 137 points and is the closest challenger to championship leader Jan Krabec of RTR Projects. It was a weekend of highs and lows for Krabec, who retired early in race one on Saturday but came back strongly on Sunday to take the race win.
The Fanatec GT2 European Series now takes a two-month break for the summer before returning on the weekend of 15 – 17 September at Circuit Ricardo Tormo near Valencia. The Spanish round is the penultimate weekend of the six-round 2023 calendar.