The drivers and teams of the REITER YOUNG STARS can put behind them a suspense-filled, exciting and above all cold season’s finale in what was typical Eifel region weather. Despite difficult conditions, the young talents were successful against the competition, and in a repeat of last season, there were two RYS participants on the podium. Austrian Laura Kraihamer and Swiss colleague Cedric Freiburghaus started 11th and came from behind to finish fourth overall, whereby the RYS Team True Racing took an excellent third place in the SILVER category. RYS Team KTM with Eike Angermayr/Reinhard Kofler and RYS Team InternetX with Mads Siljehaug/Jamie Vandenbalck were equally impressive. They came from 15th and 18th places on the grid to fight their way through the field of 37 cars to finish sixth and seventh overall.
Many of the RYS teams started Saturday’s race from more advantageous positions after drivers had been able to make better use of their tires in the first qualifying session. However, this did not necessarily translate into optimal results. Even so, Siljehaug/Vandenbalck (overall fifth) and Angermayr/Kofler (overall eighth) still saw two KTM teams in the top ten. In the battle for the top two places in the overall points, which was to decide which two drivers would compete next year in the Blancpain Endurance Series driving the Reiter Engineering Lamborghini Gallardo RX-E GT3, it was Norway’s Mads Siljehaug who managed to do everything right. Behind him, all eyes were on the German driver Lenny Marioneck, who, depending on his results could have finished anywhere between places one and four depending on his results. Also in the reckoning were Jamie Vandenbalck and Eike Angermayr. In the end, it was a real heart stopper, and even after Marioneck had bad luck in the first race, he ended up with a fantastic result. The final result? Mads Siljehaug won the REITER YOUNG STARS title for 2017, just ahead of Lenny Marioneck. Jamie Vandenbalck and Eike Angermayr had to settle for thankless third and fourth places respectively. This also confirmed that it would be Siljehaug/Marioneck who are advancing to the GT3 next season. Both KTM and Reiter Engineering warmly congratulate the two young drivers.
