A ten-second handicap for their victory in the season opener at Paul Ricard and an unfavorable Balance of Performance (BoP) adjustment—RTR Projects tackled both challenges head-on during the second round of the series. Ultimately, it was a technical failure that crushed their hopes for a strong result.
“We’ve been dealing with sporadic electronic issues since the beginning of the weekend. We had support from KTM and Reiter Engineering, but unfortunately, the problem fully manifested itself in the first race and again in the second,” explained the team’s executive director, Tomáš Fanta. Despite the setbacks, Fanta also highlighted the positives:
“We had a good pace throughout the weekend and gained positions at the start of both races. Even with the results, we’ve proven we’re competitive and can fight for podium finishes.”
The race conditions were far from favorable for the KTM X-BOW GT2.
“The BoP adjustments following our successful weekend at Paul Ricard didn’t play in our favor. On the straights, Mercedes and Maserati had a significant advantage—they were 12 km/h faster. Our only chance was to make up time in braking zones and technical sections,” explained driver Erik Janiš. For the second race, organizers revised the rules, theoretically giving KTM an additional 16 horsepower. Unfortunately, the team couldn’t capitalize on this advantage due to the ongoing technical issues. 
The situation was particularly frustrating for Jan Krabec, who had an excellent start in the first race despite the handicap.
“I managed to get ahead of Martin Koch in a KTM who partners with Reinhard Kofler—KTM’s fastest driver. I even felt I could challenge the Mercedes ahead of me,” Krabec recalled, describing the early stages of the first race when they were still running with reduced power. On paper, RTR Projects had the potential to fight for the podium and maintain their championship lead.
“We had a good setup, and I genuinely believed we could make it to the podium,” confirmed Tomáš Fanta.
Despite the outcome, the team left Misano with valuable data for future races. The addition of professional driver Erik Janiš brought new insights and perspectives to complement the feedback from Maťo Homola earlier in the season.
“It’s great to work with another professional and get their input. Erik’s perspective added another dimension to our approach,” noted Jan Krabec.
The team will now focus on resolving the technical issues, collaborating closely with KTM engineers. The problem seems to be related to the car’s control unit.
“From a sporting perspective, it’s disappointing, but setbacks like these are part of racing. We’ll keep moving forward and continue to fight,” said Krabec.
“Regardless of the result, I want to thank the team for selecting me for this lineup. I regret not being able to repay their trust, but I hope this isn’t the last time we team up,” added Erik Janiš.
