Leading racing drivers from across the world have been battling it out in the minimalist KTM X-BOW sportscar at this year’s Race of Champions in Beijing.

Drivers from various motorsport disciplines, including Formula One, World Rally Championship and World Touring Car Championship, competed in the event in China’s stunning Bird’s Nest Olympic stadium.

Claiming the esteemed title ‘Champion of Champions 2009’ at the wheel of a X-BOW was DTM ace Mattias Ekström, while Team Germany (consisting of Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel) fought off stiff competition from Brits Jenson Button and Andy Priaulx to win the ROC Nations Cup.

‘The Race of Champions is the crowning event of the motorsport season, and is a chance for the world’s best drivers from multiple disciplines to come together on an equal footing,’ comments Georg Silbermayr, Head of Sales and Motorsport, KTM.

‘With its racecar-inspired chassis and dramatic styling, the ‘Ready to Race’ KTM X-BOW really adds to the drama of the event, and seeing motor racing legends such as Marcus Gronholm, Michael Schumacher and Tom Kristensen racing alongside current Formula One world champion Jenson Button in the X-BOW is a sight sure to stir the blood of any ardent petrolhead.’

In addition to the X-BOWs used for the main event, fans were also treated to a number of KTM’s sensational off-road motorcycles which were used during the breaks between the races by the ‘Red Bull X-Fighters’ display team.

To celebrate its inclusion in the Race of Champions event at Wembley in 2008, KTM unveiled a limited edition ‘ROC’ model of its lightweight sportscar at the Autosport International Show in January 2009.  Featuring extra carbon-fibre body parts, fully adjustable racing suspension and exclusive livery, all ROC model X-BOWs were sold within months of going on sale.

Those interested in finding out more about the extreme X-BOW sportscar can visit www.ktm-x-bow.com.  For more information about the Race of Champions, visit www.raceofchampions.com.

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• KTM TESTS ITS 2010 X-BOW RACER IN FULL GT4 SPEC

KTM successfully tested several new racing developments on its X-BOW GT4 over the final weekend of the 2009 British GT championship last weekend (19-20 September).

The invitation KTM racer, with Reinhard Kofler in the cockpit, qualified just 0.45 seconds behind the MTECH GT3-specification Ferrari 430 Scuderia for race one, and 0.70 seconds in qualifying for race two. In each of the two races, the X-BOW was consistently over three seconds faster than the GT4 championship-winning Ginetta G50 around Brands Hatch’s GP circuit and one second faster than a strong invitation entry from Morgan. Furthermore, Kofler lapped all the GT4 competitors in each outing. The excellent performances were achieved despite enduring 30-second pitlane penalties in each race for voluntarily foregoing the mandatory driver change.

The first competitive outing for the upgraded X-BOW GT4 signals a move up to full GT4 racing in 2010, having previously competed in the more restrictive Supersport class, which has yet to be confirmed for both the GT4 European Cup and British GT championships for next season. It is also a strong demonstration of KTM’s continued commitment to pursuing GT racing to promote the company’s ‘Ready to Race’ range of fully-homologated road-legal X-BOW sports cars.

At the heart of the new developments being tested at Brands Hatch included a tuned version of the 2.0-litre TFSI Audi engine, an improved aerodynamics and cooling package and a revised, stiffer chassis set-up. KTM aims to make the X-BOW GT4 a highly competitive and cost-effective proposition for drivers and teams targeting entry-level GT racing next season.

‘While we have enjoyed success in the Supersport class, it’s not been as popular as the British or European organisers had anticipated,’ said Jeff Lau, Manager of KTM UK. ‘KTM in Austria therefore took the decision to develop a full GT4-specification X-BOW for the 2010 season.

‘We’re greatly encouraged by our performance over the weekend at Brands Hatch and with how the different elements of the new package have come together in quite a short space of time,’ he said. ‘Nevertheless, we’ve set ourselves some tough performance targets and there is still some further work to do in the close season. The objective for KTM is to position X-BOW as the leading contender in British and European GT4 racing next year, while also being cost-effective.’

A factory-supported Team Reiter KTM X-BOW secured the Supersport class of the GT4 European Cup in 2008, and X-BOW privateer, Augustin Eder, celebrated winning the 2009 title earlier this month.

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• KTM X-BOW POWERS EKSTRÖM TO VICTORY AT 2009 RACE OF CHAMPIONS