KTM has revealed a new track machine based on its X-Bow structure called the GTX, an all-carbon fibre, inline-five-powered lightweight aimed at track day drivers and professional race teams alike. Characteristically for the manufacturer, the €230,000 two-seater uses Audi's familiar turbocharged 2.5-litre unit with 530hp - giving it a power-to-weight ratio of 506hp per tonne - and builds on the Formula 3-influenced X-Bow chassis with a roll cage and sculpted exterior, homologated to FIA Appendix J level so it can compete in GT racing.
The five-pot keeps its original air-cooled intercooler but receives new injection valves, a higher-spec wastegate and bespoke intake system, along with a new exhaust system and custom software. The result delivers 479lb ft of torque, sent rearwards through a six-speed sequential gearbox, via a racing clutch and limited slip differential. The GTX gets six- and four-piston brake calipers, and is suspended on Sachs racing dampers.
To ensure competitiveness in sports car racing events KTM has equipped the X-Bow GTX with a 120-litre FT3 safety fuel tank, which will mean fewer visits to the pump for casual users. The Austrian firm also claims that the Audi motor - mounted in the middle of a high-strength tubular steel frame - was the most efficient solution in its delivery of performance and ease of use for the new application.
"The GTX drives further respectively longer than the competition on every track day, but also on every long-distance race, and the low weight naturally also reduces wear and tear and thus the running costs significantly," KTM reports. "In addition to the desire for the fastest lap time, the desire for the greatest possible safety is always at the top of the priority list for all pilots," added the company's managing director, Michael Wölfling.
As you'd expect from KTM, the chassis is adaptable to every driver, with a custom seat shape and homologated six-point racing harness from Schroth all standard. The canopy entry is an evolved version of the X-Bow GT4's design, with a carbon frame and an inserted windscreen flanked by two new opening sections for quick exit. The complete canopy can be opened as one for more practical entry and exit when the stopwatch isn't running.
Add in that carbon fibre skin and a rear wing shaped to generate aerodynamic downforce and you have yourself about as serious a track proposition as anything this side of a quarter of a million quid gets. The segment is certainly bustling - you may remember that we drove Ginetta's LMP3-level option earlier this year - but KTM's entry really does stand out, not least because the maker's creations have a habit of being really rather good. Anyone with deep enough pockets is free to place an order for one now.
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