The established racing team from Upper Bavaria runs a Ligier in the Prototype Cup Germany in 2022. The first victory came at the Nürburgring. 2023 will see the programme expanded.

Reiter Engineering has been a very familiar name in international GT Racing for more than 20 years. During this time, it has racked up countless victories and titles all over the world. However, team principal Hans Reiter is not one to rest on his laurels: last winter, he went in search of a new challenge for his experienced team, and expanded into the booming Prototype segment. Reiter Engineering lines up with a Ligier JS P320 in the 2022 Prototype Cup Germany and has impressed from the outset in the new series. The team immediately secured pole position and claimed a podium at the opening race weekend at Spa-Francorchamps. Better was to come at the Nürburgring, where drivers Mads Siljehaug (26/NOR) and Freddie Hunt (35/GBR) won the Saturday race, backing up that result with a fine third place on the Sunday. “We are obviously very happy with the results,” says team principal Hans Reiter, looking back at the first few races in the Prototype Cup Germany. “2022 is a learning year for us in LMP3 racing – and our form is improving rapidly.”

Reiter Engineering was formed in 2000 and is based in Kirchanschöring. They originally put pedal to the metal on the racetrack with various Lamborghini models. Between 2006 and 2010, the starting grid at the 24h Le Mans featured Murciélagos that had been prepared for racing by Reiter. In 2006, Reiter developed the GT3 version of the Lamborghini Gallardo. And they did so with resounding success: in 2007, Christopher Haase was crowned the inaugural ADAC GT Masters champion with the Italian car ‘made in Upper Bavaria’. The pairing of Albert von Thurn und Taxis and Peter Kox repeated this feat in 2010. Reiter also won the Team competition in the ADAC GT Masters in 2007, 2008 and 2011. “My wife always says that the ADAC GT Masters is our favourite series. Of all the championships we have raced in over the years, we have always felt most at home in this one,” says the team principal. “Should we at some point have a suitable GT3 car at our disposal again, then the ADAC GT Masters would be the first series we would race in.“

Reiter has also had plenty of cause for celebration in another ADAC Series. In 2019, Eike Angermayr and Mads Siljehaug won the Drivers’ Championship in ADAC GT4 Germany at the wheel of a KTM X-Bow GT4. The similarities with the ADAC GT Masters are striking: Angermayr/Siljehaug were also inaugural champions in the ADAC Series. The racing version of the KTM X-Bow was also developed by Reiter.

Now that the specialists from Kirchanschöring have created a successful GT2 version of the KTM, they are moving into LMP racing in 2022. “We will obviously remain true to KTM over the coming years,” says Reiter unequivocally. “However, as a racing team we want to return to Le Mans. And LMP3 racing is the first step in this direction.”

For this purpose, Reiter Engineering spent the winter creating a Ligier JS P320 that can be run in both the Prototype Cup Germany and the Michelin Le Mans Cup. “The fact that there are no scheduling clashes between the two series is ideal for us as a team,” says Reiter, pleased that the two calendars are compatible. “Financially, it makes a lot of sense. For example, with regard to the depreciation of the racing car and the workload for the team members.” Incidentally, the LMP3 programme is a family affair at Reiter Engineering. Sabrina Reiter, one of the boss’s daughters, is team manager. She heads a young and dedicated team.

At the latest race weekend in the Prototype Cup Germany at the Lausitzring, it was other teams that featured on the podium. Reiter Engineering was forced to miss the event: following engine damage suffered during a test, the spare engine the team had ordered did not arrive at the headquarters in time. However, the team will be back in business at the season finale, from 21st to 23rd October at the Hockenheimring. One of the two drivers for the event in Hockenheim has already been confirmed. “All of this year’s outings in the Prototype Cup Germany are with an eye on 2023. We definitely want to remain loyal to the series. Our plan is to expand the programme to two Ligier cars next year,” says Reiter. “The Prototype Cup Germany is a really good racing series and we have always enjoyed motorsport in an ADAC environment.”