Industry News
2.0T-Powered KTM X-Bow Stars in the Race of Champions
By source: KTM Automobiles
Dec 27, 2008, 13:01

• The best racing drivers in the world behind the wheel of the KTM X-Bow at the „Race of Champions“: • Schumacher/Vettel victorious in the “Nations Cup”, Loeb gets the ROC victory!

It’s the crowning finale of each motorsport year: For two decades now, the “Race of Champions”, organised by former world class rally driver Michelle Mouton and her husband Fredrik Johnsson, has captivated the worlds best racing drivers as well as thousands of fans at the track and millions on TV at home.

As in 2007, this years 21st edition took place in Londons Wembley Stadium where the worlds best drivers, coming from totally different racing series, crowned their “Champion of the Champions”. Before that, teams of two drivers from each country raced for victory in the “Nations Cup”.

One highlight in this years edition was for sure the premiere participation of KTM with the first car from the traditional motorcycle manufacturer. The supercar, handcrafted in the production plant in Graz (Styria), enthused the pilots already in rain-marred free practice – and after the race world’s best racing drivers were enthusiastic about the KTM X-Bow!

For the victorious Nations-Cup Team, Red-Bull-Driver Sebastian Vettel, who conquered his first Formula 1 win in this years Monza Grand Prix , made the point: “This quite small, tricky racetrack is absolutely demanding! But to drive the KTM X-Bow here is just great fun.” Vettels Formula 1 colleague David Coulthard made sure that the KTM team has some work to do, as he crashed out: “I guess I just ran out of talent there”, the Scotsman commented self-ironic.


Drama at it’s best then in the “Race of Champions”. Five times World Rallye Champion Sebastien Loeb putted in an absolute highlight when he recovered from an early off and came back to win against eight-times Le-Mans winner Tom Kristensen. Around 40.000 fans in the Wembley Stadium then saw the early retirement of Formula 1 legend Michael Schumacher as well as of last years winner, DTM champion Matthias Ekström.

The finale then was David Coulthard vs. Sebastien Loeb. And although David Coulthard was able to win the one final heat out of three that was raced with the KTM X-Bow, he was defeated by the five times Rallye World Champion. Regarding the X-Bow, Sebastien Loeb, the “Champion of the Champions” summed it up: “A great car!”

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