Third position at the Dubai 24 Hours, the highlight of the Middle East Trophy, made it two podiums in three races and a top finish in the championship for razoon – more than racing. The KTM customer team ultimately finished third in the final standings of the GTX class.
“Entering the Middle East Trophy again was definitely the right decision,” said team principal Dominik Olbert. “The KTM X-BOW GTX is capable of victories in endurance races – we know that and we are impressed by the car’s potential.” The team bagged a total of 68 points at the 12 Hour of Kuwait, the 6 Hours of Abu Dhabi and the Dubai 24 Hours, all of which formed part of the series.
“It’s always a tough ask for everyone involved to enter three endurance races in such short succession,” Olbert added. “But the team gave it everything and didn’t let the setbacks get them down. I would like to thank each and every one of them for working so hard. We put in a few night shifts over the past few days to get everything ready.”
The excellent performance throughout the series meant that the team were fighting for victories in the GTX class at all three races. The series finale at the Dubai 24 Hours at the Dubai Autodrome was a particularly tight affair. Artur Chwist, Daniel Drexel, Mikaeel Pitamber, Haytham Qarajouli and Kevin Woods battled hard against the competition and were fighting for the lead for much of the race. However, a technical issue four hours before the chequered flag dashed any hopes of a famous victory for the quintet.