GT racing stalwarts Reiter Engineering has announced a brand new initiative aimed at elevating up and coming young drivers and engineers into the SRO’s stable of series in 2017.
This new concept, called ‘Reiter Young Stars’ will see a number of young male and female drivers and engineers compete within the SRO GT4 European Series with KTM X-BOW GT4s, the best of which will graduate to the Blancpain Sprint Cup in 2017 as a prize.
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 € / +VAT per driver
Hans Reiter, team Oowner of Reiter Engineering wanted more than the familiar ‘arrive and drive’ programme: “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 that in addition to young male and female drivers, youngsters of other fields 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.
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.
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.
The prize package is very attractive indeed. The winners of the Reiter Young Stars by Reiter Engineering Championship 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.
Provisional calendar:
21-24 April, Monza, supporting the Blancpain Endurance Series
12-15 May, Pau, supporting the Grand Prix de Pau
07-10 July, Spa-Francorchamps, supporting the British GT Championship
22-25 September, Hungaroring, supporting DTM
06-09 October, Zandvoort, standalone grand finale
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.”
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 prospective entrants, the grid is nearly full, but there is still some capacity for additional cars.
