2011 KTM Sport Cars X-Bow R Exclusive Class

KTM is developing another variant of its X-BOW model called the X-BOW R for 2011. The prototype of the model is featured in the photographs published here doing some testing. Pictured above is a prototype of the new X-Bow R taken at its first test outing at the Nurburgring circuit in Germany. The 2011 KTM Sport Cars X-Bow R Exclusive Class will be a sportier version of the current X-BOW from the boutique Austrian automaker (KTM is mainly a motorbike and bicycle maker) which has been available since 2008.

As far as streetable open-track cars go, the KTM X-Bow is in a very exclusive class, kept company primarily by the Ariel Atom and the Lotus 2-Eleven. But KTM is reportedly planning to up the ante with a pair of new models, including a race-bred R model and a more practical T model. The R model will likely be an evolution of the GT4 car.

The T model will up the comfort and practicality factor a bit for folks looking to get more double-duty out of the X-Bows, adding a windshield to divert air over the cockpit. That will no doubt be a welcome addition for those that would like to drive the car without wearing a helmet all the time. The X-Bow T will wait until 2012 to hit the streets.

After having been on the market for approximately two years now, the 2011 KTM Sport Cars X-Bow R Exclusive Class line-up will be supplemented with the introduction of the “R” model in the upcoming year. The engine for this even more powerful version comes again from Audi – but it will be exactly the same engine used among others in the actual Audi S3.

The X-BOW R will boast a 2.0-litre TFSI engine from the Audi S3, and this motor is good for 221kW of power. All of this will fit into the 790-kilogram body which boasts an upgraded suspension which is lowered, and better handling — thanks for a new engine mount setup. The two-seater will include a road-legal Sport package and a Race kit for the track only version.

At the moment KTM Cars is working intensively on the 2011 model of its super sports cars X-BOW. The first ever small series manufactured and street legal homologated car with a carbon fibre monocoque has been sold around 500 times since its launch in 2008. Around 50 X-BOW partners throughout Europe and currently ten importers globally look after sports cars enthusiasts all over the world in order to supply the only 790 kilogram light, 240 horsepower strong extreme athlete.

KTM X-Bow Race,2008

KTM X-Bow Race,2008

 

Motorsport is very important for KTM, as indicated by the company slogan 'Ready to Race'. It was therefore entirely logical that at the same time as the plans for the series production were developing, KTM was planning to run the X-Bow competitively on the racetrack. Together with Dallara, KTM developed its own racing version, with the cars being run in the GT4 European Cup by German race team, Reiter Engineering. The decision by KTM to place the racing premiere of X-Bow in the hands of Reiter, rather than enter the championship with an in-house, factory-run operation, allowed KTM to use the GT4 entry as a pilot project to 'power' development of future customer motorsport applications as well as the production model.

As with the production road car, KTM drew on the vast expertise of world-renowned Italian racing driver Loris Bicocchi in the development of the KTM X-Bow Race car. He has been heavily involved in the X-Bow programme from the outset as test driver and played an important role in its chassis and dynamics tuning. Biccochi's motorsport experience includes the testing, development and racing of many of the world's most prestigious supercars - including the Koenigsegg CCR and the Bugatti Veyron.

In retrospect, KTM can say that the X-Bow first saw the light of the day on a racetrack. Although conceived as road car, racing DNA is at its core and motorsport was a logical step. Together with the experienced Reiter Engineering GT team, KTM soon found the GT4 European Cup run by the SRO and Stephane Ratel as the ideal racing series for the X-Bow. Racing in the Sports Light category, KTM faced opponents from Lotus and Donkervoort, but the KTM X-Bow also took on the immensely more powerful teams in the primary GT4 European Cup series, with their Aston Martin N24, BMW Z4 M, Ford Mustang or Nissan 350Z cars.

The changes made to the GT4 racing X-Bow (compared with the production model) are predominantly related to additional safety equipment demanded by the FIA regulations. The rollover bars are made of steel instead of aluminium; additional layers of zylon fibre are fastened to the flanks of the monocoque to enhance side-impact protection and prevent the penetration of sharp objects; the exhaust system has a racing cataytic converter; the mudguards are extended; and there is added side-impact protection between the front and rear wheels (to prevent tangling with other cars).

These modifications are so minor that they highlight the fundamentally sporting design of the X-Bow, confirming that even the road-going model has the soul of a racing car. In fact, the GT4 KTM X-Bow complies with the FIA crash-regulations (Article 258a) and meets the same safety standards as dedicated open wheel and ALMS-race cars.

Throughout 2008, competitive racing provided important feedback in the final phase of the series production car development. It also served as a trial run for the future 'KTM Customer Racing Service', and for the development of the customer racing version of the KTM X-Bow.

After pre-season testing at Monza and Nogaro, a pair of X-Bows made a sensational competition debut at Silverstone (England) on 19 April 2008 - claiming 1st-2nd in-class finishes in both races and humbling many more powerful, more expensive GT4 machines.

The pair of X-Bows went on to repeat their 1st-2nd in-class form at Monza (Italy) and even claimed a remarkable third place overall in a 50-minute rain-soaked race. Only three race weekends later (Oschersleben, Spa-Francorchamps and Brno), KTM secured the title in the GT4 Sports Light category - with all three KTM drivers in the top three places overall.

And on the final racing weekend in Nogaro, providing a sensational climax to the season, Christopher Haase claimed the X-Bow's first overall pole-position ahead of the more powerful GT4 racers. The young German driver then exploited his excellent qualifying performance to clinch overall victory in the GT4 Sports Light European Cup, ahead of team mates Dennis Retera and Catharina Felser.

Through its new Customer Racing Service, KTM aims to write a new chapter in national and international motor racing, by providing everything a racing enthusiast needs to take part in professional motorsport. 'CRS' customers from all over the world will be able to race their own KTM X-Bow Race in professional-level motorsport, with support from a dedicated team of KTM race technicians.

Whether competing in the GT4 European Cup, in the ADAC GT Masters or at selected 24 hour or endurance races around the globe, the KTM CRS will supply customers with a full support crew, an extensive range of spare parts, and technical support for all the drivers and teams who campaign a KTM X-Bow.

Running a KTM X-Bow Race is simple and cost effective. The minimalist concept of the car means that it is extremely easy to maintain and offers significantly lower running costs than competitor cars. Taking into account all 'wear and tear' parts, tyres and fuel, the typical cost of running a X-Bow in GT4 is just €3,000 per race.

As well as creating the CRS and working to make customer entry into GT racing even easier, KTM hopes to introduce a 'Sports Light' category in each country that hosts a national GT racing series. In addition, expansion to higher racing classes is planned - so that KTM customers are not only 'Ready to Race' immediately, in GT4, but also have the opportunity to achieve longer-term ambitions within a sustainable and progressive motorsport programme.

The CRS was designed with the idea of making entry to professional motorsport easy and affordable, with prices for one season's GT4 racing only costing around €100,000 (based on four race cars minimum in one support structure). This figure is based on eight GT races - six in the GT4 European Cup and a further two in a national GT4 championship - and includes full service of a customer's own car, transport, race service by specialist race engineers, hospitality for customers and team, spare parts (excluding crash-damaged parts), tyres, fuel, and driver and team wear.

Technical Data

• Bodystyle: Mid-engined two-seater open extreme sports car
• Chassis: Carbon composite monocoque with transverse mid-mounted engine, rear-wheel drive and fully independent suspension
• Structure

          o Monocoque: Carbon composite construction
          o Torsional rigidity: 35000Nm per degree
          o Nosebox: Carbon construction
          o Rear subframe: Ultralight reinforced aluminium
          o Exterior panels: Carbon fibre
          o Underfloor: Ultra light carbon composite construction with rear diffuser

• Engine

          o Make: Audi TFSI
          o Type: Turbo-charged, 4-cylinder petrol with direct fuel injection
          o Capacity: 1984 cc / 2.0-litres
          o Bore & Stroke: 82.5 x 92.8 mm
          o Max power: 240 ps (177 kW) at 5500 rpm
          o Max torque: 310 Nm (229 lb ft) from 2000 to 5500 rpm
          o Valves: 16 (4 per cylinder)
          o Materials: Cast iron block, aluminium alloy cylinder head
          o Emissions class: Euro 4 compliant

• Transmission: 6-speed manual
• Suspension

          o Front: Fully independent double wishbones with twin push-rod operated concentric coil spring/damper units (adjustable) mounted on top of the monocoque, Anti-roll bar
          o Rear: Fully independent double wishbones with concentric coil spring/damper units (adjustable), Anti-roll bar

    * Brakes
          o System: Hydraulic (unassisted)
          o Front: Brembo 305 mm ventilated discs with 4-piston fixed calipers
          o Rear: Brembo 262 mm ventilated solid discs with 2-piston fixed calipers
    * Wheels & Tyres
          o Front: 17 x 7.5 inch alloys with 205/50 tyres
          o Rear: 18 x 9.5 inch alloys with 235/40 tyres
    * Performance
          o 0-80 km/h (0-50 mph): 2.86 sec
          o 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph): 3.90 sec
          o 0-120 km/h (0-75 mph): 5.27 sec
          o 0-140 km/h (0-87 mph): 6.61 sec
          o 0-160 km/h (0-99 mph): 8.51 sec
    * Lateral Acceleration / Speed
          o Racing: 1.8 g max
    * Top speed: 220 km/h (137 mph)
    * Braking to standstill (warm brakes)
          o 100-0 km/h (62-0 mph): 32.9 metres
          o 160-0 km/h (99-0 mph): 77.9 metres
    * Aerodynamic Performance - Downforce
          o at 100 km/h (62 mph): 48 kg
          o at 200 km/h (124 mph): 193 kg
    * Dimensions
          o Length: 3738 mm
          o Wheel base: 2430 mm
          o Width : 1900 mm
          o Height: 1205 mm
          o Dry weight: 825 kg

Electric bikes ignored?

When the UK government announced earlier this week it was ring-fencing £43 million for Plug-in Car Grants, there was a mostly positive response from the motor industry.

However, the exclusion of electric motorcycles from the scheme has been met with criticism. The Motor Cycle Industry Association (MCI) is not too happy, and it has already contacted the Department for Transport demanding an explanation for the omission.



Quite rightly, the MCI points out that electric bikes beat congestion better than any car and so reduce journey times. Its stance is that the government should therefore be encouraging them, not ignoring them.



There is already a selection of electric motorcycles and scooters available on the market. These include the Econogo Yogo and the Zero range, with more - such as the KTM Freeride - coming soon. In general, these bikes are more expensive than their petrol-powered counterparts, due mainly to the cost of the batteries. Therefore, some cash from the government would help to narrow the price gap.

But maybe the government feels that as two-wheelers usually emit less CO2 and use less fuel than cars, the benefits of getting riders to switch to electric won’t actually be that great?



Or perhaps it’s a question of economics. One of the objectives of the Plug-in Car Grant is to encourage the development and manufacture of low emissions vehicles within the UK.



With the likelihood that the majority of electric bikes (especially scooters) would come from the Far East, the government may have already determined that including motorcycles will be of little advantage to the UK. And after all, why should it spend taxpayers’ money on grants that effectively subsidise imported products?

Electric KTM Freeride

Austrian manufacturer KTM has unveiled its Freeride electric bikes at the Tokyo Motorcycle Show.

Available as either an off-road enduro or a street-orientated supermoto, both versions share the same battery and motor technology. That means a peak 30 horsepower and a top speed of 43 mph (70 km/h). Performance is helped by the two bikes being so diminutive - total all-in weight is only 90 kg, including the battery pack.

As with most electric vehicles, it’s the battery that will be so critical to the success of the product. Price, performance, range and recharging time are all directly influenced by it.

According to KTM, the Freeride’s 2.5 kWh battery should be good for one hour of off-road riding. After that, it’ll take 90 minutes to fully recharge, although alternatively it can simply be swapped over for another one - assuming the rider can afford the cost of a spare.

KTM is planning to commence European Freeride sales in spring 2011, with a price expected to be ‘under €10,000’ - that’s around £9,000 at today’s exchange rates. By comparison the KTM 125 SX, a two-stroke petrol-powered enduro, is £5,256. Such a difference can partly be explained by the money spent on developing the Freeride, but it’s mostly down to the cost of that battery.



There are already a few electric scooters on the market, but the Freeride’s main competition will probably come from the Zero Motorcycles range.



Zero’s X and MX off-roaders are less powerful than the Freeride, producing 23 hp from a 2.0 kWh battery. However, they do only tip the scales at 73 kg and 78 kg respectively, so that weight advantage should help to overcome some of the power deficit versus the KTMs.

UK prices are also much less than those envisaged for the Freeride, with the X starting at £5,995 and the MX at £6,595. The other Zero models are the S supermoto and DS dual-purpose. Both cost £7,995, and use a more powerful 4 kWh battery that allows a top speed of 67 mph and a range of 50 miles (80 kilometres).

The current state of electric vehicle technology means bikes like KTM’s Freeride seem expensive. But they may safeguard the future of off-road motorcycle sport, because of their virtually silent running. True, reduced carbon emissions are a benefit, but noise is often a real problem. It causes objections from nearby residents which, combined with local regulations, often mean it’s difficult to stage events or build a track.

KTM X-Bow Race

KTM X-Bow Race

Motorsport is very important for KTM, as indicated by the company slogan 'Ready to Race'. It was therefore entirely logical that at the same time as the plans for the series production were developing, KTM was planning to run the X-Bow competitively on the racetrack. Together with Dallara, KTM developed its own racing version, with the cars being run in the GT4 European Cup by German race team, Reiter Engineering. The decision by KTM to place the racing premiere of X-Bow in the hands of Reiter, rather than enter the championship with an in-house, factory-run operation, allowed KTM to use the GT4 entry as a pilot project to 'power' development of future customer motorsport applications as well as the production model.

The KTM drew on the vast expertise of world-renowned Italian racing driver Loris Bicocchi in the development of the KTM X-Bow Race car. He has been heavily involved in the X-Bow programme from the outset as test driver and played an important role in its chassis and dynamics tuning. Biccochi's motorsport experience includes the testing, development and racing of many of the world's most prestigious supercars - including the Koenigsegg CCR and the Bugatti Veyron.

The changes made to the GT4 racing X-Bow (compared with the production model) are predominantly related to additional safety equipment demanded by the FIA regulations. The rollover bars are made of steel instead of aluminium; additional layers of zylon fibre are fastened to the flanks of the monocoque to enhance side-impact protection and prevent the penetration of sharp objects; the exhaust system has a racing cataytic converter; the mudguards are extended; and there is added side-impact protection between the front and rear wheels (to prevent tangling with other cars).

These modifications are so minor that they highlight the fundamentally sporting design of the X-Bow, confirming that even the road-going model has the soul of a racing car. In fact, the GT4 KTM X-Bow complies with the FIA crash-regulations (Article 258a) and meets the same safety standards as dedicated open wheel and ALMS-race cars.

Throughout 2008, competitive racing provided important feedback in the final phase of the series production car development. It also served as a trial run for the future 'KTM Customer Racing Service', and for the development of the customer racing version of the KTM X-Bow.

After pre-season testing at Monza and Nogaro, a pair of X-Bows made a sensational competition debut at Silverstone (England) on 19 April 2008 - claiming 1st-2nd in-class finishes in both races and humbling many more powerful, more expensive GT4 machines.

The pair of X-Bows went on to repeat their 1st-2nd in-class form at Monza (Italy) and even claimed a remarkable third place overall in a 50-minute rain-soaked race. Only three race weekends later (Oschersleben, Spa-Francorchamps and Brno), KTM secured the title in the GT4 Sports Light category - with all three KTM drivers in the top three places overall.

And on the final racing weekend in Nogaro, providing a sensational climax to the season, Christopher Haase claimed the X-Bow's first overall pole-position ahead of the more powerful GT4 racers. The young German driver then exploited his excellent qualifying performance to clinch overall victory in the GT4 Sports Light European Cup, ahead of team mates Dennis Retera and Catharina Felser.

Through its new Customer Racing Service, KTM aims to write a new chapter in national and international motor racing, by providing everything a racing enthusiast needs to take part in professional motorsport. 'CRS' customers from all over the world will be able to race their own KTM X-Bow Race in professional-level motorsport, with support from a dedicated team of KTM race technicians.

Whether competing in the GT4 European Cup, in the ADAC GT Masters or at selected 24 hour or endurance races around the globe, the KTM CRS will supply customers with a full support crew, an extensive range of spare parts, and technical support for all the drivers and teams who campaign a KTM X-Bow.

Running a KTM X-Bow Race is simple and cost effective. The minimalist concept of the car means that it is extremely easy to maintain and offers significantly lower running costs than competitor cars. Taking into account all 'wear and tear' parts, tyres and fuel, the typical cost of running a X-Bow in GT4 is just €3,000 per race.

The CRS was designed with the idea of making entry to professional motorsport easy and affordable, with prices for one season's GT4 racing only costing around €100,000 (based on four race cars minimum in one support structure). This figure is based on eight GT races - six in the GT4 European Cup and a further two in a national GT4 championship - and includes full service of a customer's own car, transport, race service by specialist race engineers, hospitality for customers and team, spare parts (excluding crash-damaged parts), tyres, fuel, and driver and team wear.

Technical Data

= Bodystyle: Mid-engined two-seater open extreme sports car
= Chassis: Carbon composite monocoque with transverse mid-mounted engine, rear-wheel drive and fully independent suspension
= Structure
o Monocoque: Carbon composite construction
o Torsional rigidity: 35000Nm per degree
o Nosebox: Carbon construction
o Rear subframe: Ultralight reinforced aluminium
o Exterior panels: Carbon fibre
o Underfloor: Ultra light carbon composite construction with rear diffuser
* Engine
o Make: Audi TFSI
o Type: Turbo-charged, 4-cylinder petrol with direct fuel injection
o Capacity: 1984 cc / 2.0-litres
o Bore & Stroke: 82.5 x 92.8 mm
o Max power: 240 ps (177 kW) at 5500 rpm
o Max torque: 310 Nm (229 lb ft) from 2000 to 5500 rpm
o Valves: 16 (4 per cylinder)
o Materials: Cast iron block, aluminium alloy cylinder head
o Emissions class: Euro 4 compliant
* Transmission: 6-speed manual
* Suspension
o Front: Fully independent double wishbones with twin push-rod operated concentric coil spring/damper units (adjustable) mounted on top of the monocoque, Anti-roll bar
o Rear: Fully independent double wishbones with concentric coil spring/damper units (adjustable), Anti-roll bar
* Brakes
o System: Hydraulic (unassisted)
o Front: Brembo 305 mm ventilated discs with 4-piston fixed calipers
o Rear: Brembo 262 mm ventilated solid discs with 2-piston fixed calipers
* Wheels & Tyres
o Front: 17 x 7.5 inch alloys with 205/50 tyres
o Rear: 18 x 9.5 inch alloys with 235/40 tyres
* Performance
o 0-80 km/h (0-50 mph): 2.86 sec
o 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph): 3.90 sec
o 0-120 km/h (0-75 mph): 5.27 sec
o 0-140 km/h (0-87 mph): 6.61 sec
o 0-160 km/h (0-99 mph): 8.51 sec
* Lateral Acceleration / Speed
o Racing: 1.8 g max
* Top speed: 220 km/h (137 mph)
* Braking to standstill (warm brakes)
o 100-0 km/h (62-0 mph): 32.9 metres
o 160-0 km/h (99-0 mph): 77.9 metres
* Aerodynamic Performance - Downforce
o at 100 km/h (62 mph): 48 kg
o at 200 km/h (124 mph): 193 kg
* Dimensions
o Length: 3738 mm
o Wheel base: 2430 mm
o Width : 1900 mm
o Height: 1205 mm
o Dry weight: 825 kg