The HTM X-Bow RR is a custom-created version of the X-Bow GT and X-Bow R designed to beat all others in the one-make ‘Crossbow’ Battle. The one-make racing series puts the KTM dash-board mantra into action — you must be Ready To Race!
Sure, the RR is not the best-looking of the X-Bow line. Its extra aero kit and crash structures like roll bars and crash protection is purely functional. This makes sense when you see the list of huge track-attack upgrades that are fitted to this racing special.
For buyers outside of Europe, where the X-Bow will be a track-only car anyway — the RR is an enticing was to go absolutely bonkers with more than 2.0G of lateral grip on the standard slick tires and available center-locking wheels.
In terms of the design, the RR can be distinguished by its exposed-carbon body and a nose with a bigger crash cone and a two-layer lower splitter. The X-Bow GT and R have a far more attractive nose overall, and are greatly enhanced by the optional painted bodywork. The RR is ready for racing graphics – it looks a little too naked without any decoration or color.
The Specs doc for the RR is very incomplete, but the power options without any need for street emissions or noise compliance stretch far beyond the 300-horsepower of the X-Bow R and the 280Hp of the X-Bow GT. Benchmark about a 3.5-second sprint to 60-mph and at least 10-percent improvement in laptimes versus the road-going KTM crossbows.
KTM X-Bow RR
KTM X-Bow RR
Horses from Maranello? Steeds from Zuffenhausen? Stars from Stuttgart? Bulls from Sant’Agata? Or rather three letters from Mattighofen? If you want to take on the best, you need to be well prepared. Just like our factory driver Reinhard Koffler, who acquainted himself with the KTM X-BOW RR during the 2012 motorsports season and celebrated incredible successes against supposedly superior opponents. The KTM X-BOW RR is the essence of all the experience that KTM has gained since 2008 in the widest variety of motorsports events around the globe. Tuned uncompromisingly for victory, almost limitlessly customisable, alarmingly fast for its opponents – and still surprisingly affordable. Depending on the configuration level, the “RR” can be the perfect vehicle for KTM’s own one-make cup (“KTM X-BOW BATTLE”) or an extremely awkward rival for the aforementioned international competitors. Talk to the specialists from our Motorsport department, who do their best to fulfil every customer request – after all, they’re always “Ready to Race” as well!
TECHNICAL DETAILS
ENGINE
| Design | Inline 4-cylinder gas engine with direct injection, exhaust turbocharging with intercooling |
|---|---|
| Displacement | 1,984 cm³ |
| Performance | Depending on specification |
| Maximum torque | Depending on specification |
| Valves | 4/cylinder, DOHC |
| Fuel consumption | Depending on specification |
| CO₂-emission | Depending on specification |
CHASSIS
| Length x Width x Height | 3,738 x 1,915 x 1,202 mm |
|---|---|
| Wheelbase | 2,430 mm |
| Turning radius | 10.8 m |
| Wheeltrack front / rear | 1,672 / 1,626 mm |
| Power train | Rear wheel drive with mechanical limited-slip differential |
| Transmission | 6-speed gearbox, manual |
| Tyres front / rear | 205/40 R 17 / 255/35 R18 |
| Height of center of gravity | 380 mm |
| Fuel tank capacity | 40 l |
| Weight excl. fuel | 810 kg |
| Top speed | Depending on specification |
| Acceleration 0-100 km/h | Depending on specification |
| Deceleration 100-0 km/h | 32.9 m |
| Aerodynamic downforce 100 km/h | Depending on specification |
| Aerodynamic downforce 200 km/h | Depending on specification |
| Lateral acceleration | > 2.0 g (Semi-Slicks) |
| Static weight distribution (front / rear) | 37:63 |
MONOCOQUE
BELTS
Driver and passenger are protected by a six-point safety belt from Schroth, which is also used in racing.
EXTREMELY LIGHT, EXTREMELY STABLE
Four layers of carbon fibre, epoxy resin, elaborate handiwork, autoclave technology: they all come together to produce the twin-wall, two-part, extremely lightweight, carbon monocoque, which is manufactured by composite-fibre specialist Wethje in Germany. The result is a carbon-fibre construction that provides the highest levels of safety, but only weighs 80 kilogrammes – with an unbelievably high torsional stiffness of 35,000 Nm/o. Alongside the safety factor, the monocoque can provide a further decisive advantage in racing use: Damage can be repaired in next to no time and very inexpensively.
TECHNOLOGICAL LEADERSHIP
The KTM X-BOW is the first production vehicle to boast a monocoque made completely from composite carbon fibre material – a trailblazing and pioneering technology, previously reserved exclusively for racing vehicles.
ROLL BARS
In the event of a rollover, optimum protection is guaranteed by the steel roll bars integrated in the monocoque: They withstand loads of up to 7 times the weight of the vehicle.
SIDE AND REAR COLLISION PROTECTION
The side “protection drops” and carbon rear-end collision protection have been developed especially for use in the European GT Championship and for the FIA homologation required for this purpose. They prevent the wheels of the KTM X-BOW RR from interlocking with those of other vehicles in tough one-on-one combat.
RACING WINDSHIELD & RACING FOOTWELL COVER
Nowhere are optimum aerodynamics more important than in racing. So the carbon racing windshield not only saves weight, it also guides the airflow over the cockpit in a substantially more streamlined manner. Also made from carbon, the footwell cover minimises air turbulence in the cockpit.
CRASH BOX
The crash box at the nose of the vehicle provides additional safety. Thanks to its carbon-aluminium sandwich construction, it even complies with the strict safety regulations of the FIA-GT and Formula 3.
HEADREST
The racing headrest has been developed especially for use on the racetrack. It provides the driver with additional safety and stability by supporting the helmet and it can of course also be used simultaneously with a HANS® system.
CHASSIS
FORGED WHEELS
The racing wheels with central wheel nut are made from high-strength, forged aluminium and fitted as standard exclusively to the KTM X-BOW RR. Alongside the intricate design that also improves brake ventilation, the uncompromisingly lightweight construction saves 3 kilogrammes per wheel, thereby reducing the unsprung masses on the “RR” by a whole 12 kilogrammes!
BRAKES FROM BREMBO
Extreme power demands an equivalent level of brake performance. The KTM X-BOW RR employs a Brembo brake system, featuring a four-piston, fixed-calliper brake on the front axle, with an internally ventilated, slotted disc measuring 305 mm in diameter – this large brake system is also used on the rear axle of the “RR”. The driver can directly adjust the distribution of braking power between front and rear axles using the balance beam that is installed as standard on the “RR”.
ADJUSTABLE STABILISERS AND PUSH-RODS
Adjustable stabilisers on the front and rear axles are just as much a matter of course at the racetrack as adjustable, particularly short push-rods when it comes to lowering the vehicle significantly.
SPRINGS AND DAMPERS FROM WP
Together with chassis and test-drive guru Loris Bicocchi, WP Suspension was involved in developing the springs and dampers for the KTM X-BOW from the very beginning. This expertise and the accumulated experience that the KTM X-BOW development team has gained in four years of racing, among others in the European GT4 Championship, the DMV-TCC and the KTM X-BOW BATTLE, are perceptible in the “RR” from the very first moment. For example, the stiffness of the springs can of course be chosen freely to suit the conditions at every racetrack.
MICHELIN PILOT SPORT CUP OR SLICK
High-performance tyres, that have been developed especially for super sports cars and use on the racetrack, among others for the KTM X-BOW RR: For track-day drivers, the Michelin Pilot Sport Cup provides the best compromise between suitability for everyday use and performance on the racetrack. For use in professional motorsport, there are a variety of different mixes for the slick as well as wet tyres to suit the “RR”.
AERODYNAMICS
DOWNFORCE
The KTM X-BOW RR supplies technical solutions from the racing world. The design of the ingenious aerodynamics – developed by KTM Technologies in cooperation with Dallara – is particularly impressive. However, many additional aerodynamic parts are used on the “RR”. Thanks to a double front splitter, many “flics” and air baffles, plus the larger rear spoiler, around 400 kg of downforce are generated at 200 km/h – almost twice as much as the already impressive values of the KTM X-BOW R. Depending on the tyres, over 2.0 G of lateral acceleration is possible – more than with any other street-legal production vehicle and practically at the same level as formula racing vehicles.
UNDERBODY
One look underneath the KTM X-BOW RR reveals the three-piece, completely flat, racing underbody derived from formula racing vehicles.
DIFFUSER
Air flows optimally into the rear diffuser, which ensures distribution of pressure in the underbody thanks to its asymmetric design. It generates a large part of the downforce.
DRIVE TRAIN
PREVIOUS BENEFIT NEXT BENEFIT
TORQUE SUPPORT
The extreme forces of the engine are cushioned in the KTM X-BOW RR by a torque support, which is mounted directly on the carbon monocoque.
HIGH-PERFORMANCE RADIATORS
The generously dimensioned, high-performance radiators on the KTM X-BOW are a match for any task. As a result, neither the engine cooling system nor that for the charge-air cooler need to be enlarged for use in racing. Only the throughput of the charge-air cooler has been increased through use of a racing water pump, in order to keep the charge-air temperature as low as possible, even during the toughest racetrack use.
ENGINE TECHNOLOGY FROM THE WORLD OF RACING
The rear end of the KTM X-BOW RR accommodates a 2.0-litre TFSI engine, featuring gasoline direct injection and turbocharging with highly effective charge air cooling. Depending on the intended use and engine management software employed, the power unit can be prepared for deployment in the KTM X-BOW BATTLE or long-distance races. In every case, modified injection nozzles, a larger fuel pump, a larger turbocharger and completely revamped intake and exhaust systems provide for a substantial increase in performance compared with the series production model. The engine astonishes with exceptional power and torque characteristics, relatively low fuel consumption and outstanding reliability.
TRANSMISSION
The manual 6-speed gearbox in the KTM X-BOW RR can be reconfigured for racetrack use. Alongside the existing short-shifting movement, it is also possible to install a CNC-machined gearshift lever that impresses with extremely short and precise shifting paths. And naturally the standard Drexler limited slip differential ensures optimum propulsion in every curve on the racetrack. The whole gearbox unit is provided with lubricant at the optimal temperature, thanks to an additional oil radiator.
PERFORMANCE PACKAGE
A tubular space frame made from chrome-molybdenum steel stiffens the subframe of the KTM X-BOW RR even further. This significantly increases the torsional stiffness of the vehicle, thereby improving handling even further, especially when exiting corners under full load.
FRAME
The aluminium spaceframe is the central supporting element for the engine/gearbox assembly. The whole unit also sits 19 millimetres lower in the KTM X-BOW RR, thereby lowering the already impressively low centre of gravity by another 15 millimetres. As a direct consequence, even greater lateral acceleration forces and even higher cornering speeds are possible.
Tom Burkart is the founder and managing editor of Car-Revs-Daily.com, an innovative and rapidly-expanding automotive news magazine.
He holds a Journalism JBA degree from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. Tom currently resides in Charleston, South Carolina with his two amazing dogs, Drake and Tank.
Mr. Burkart is available for all questions and concerns by email Tom(at)car-revs-daily.com.