Laura Kraihamer concludes GT2 season in Barcelona, secures sixth in ProAm standings

Laura Kraihamer wrapped up her GT2 European Championship season at Circuit de Catalunya with consistent performances, securing ninth and tenth-place finishes in ProAm, and ending sixth in the drivers' standings despite overcoming numerous challenges throughout the year.

Photo credits: Gruppe C Photography

Laura Kraihamer concluded a positive season in the GT2 European Championship at Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona, securing ninth and tenth-place finishes in the ProAm class at the season finale.

Kraihamer, who returned to the series after a partial campaign in 2022—where she achieved a personal best of sixth—teamed up with Hubert Trunkenpolz aboard the #17 True Racing KTM X-Bow GT2 in 2024. The duo faced challenges throughout the rounds but always fought back, securing a breakthrough result at Monza, where they climbed onto the podium in Race 1.

This result marked Laura's first podium in GT2 Europe, a well-deserved reward following a series of setbacks earlier in the season. It was a particularly impressive achievement given the difficulties faced during the Italian weekend, where the Austrian racer battled illness and the team had to repair the car after missing qualifying due to an issue in practice. Starting from the back of the field in both races, Trunkenpolz and Kraihamer charged up to a stellar second place.

The duo had also shown their determination at Misano, securing a top-five finish in the ProAm class, highlighting again their steady progress over the weekend. With high hopes for the Barcelona finale, where Kraihamer had previously raced—and won—in the 24H Series, they aimed to end the season on a high note.

The weekend started with Trunkenpolz behind the wheel in FP1. Kraihamer took over in the final minutes, setting a lap time of 1:47.740, which placed them 13th overall and 10th in ProAm. In FP2, Kraihamer was first out on track and set a solid lap time that briefly put them 6th overall. As other cars improved, they eventually finished 13th overall and 10th in ProAm, with a best time of 1:46.897. The session ended under a red flag caused by an incident involving the sister #16 KTM.

In the first qualifying session, Hubert Trunkenpolz took the wheel of the #17 KTM X-Bow GT2. He consistently improved his times, setting a best lap of 1:49.674, which placed him 15th overall and ninth in ProAm.

During the second session, with Kraihamer now in the driving seat, she set a competitive 1:45.720 lap time, securing 13th overall and 10th in ProAm for Race 2. Despite a few spots of rain that created uncertain conditions, Kraihamer managed to keep a solid position on the grid.

Photo credits: Gruppe C Photography

The opening race of the weekend started under heavy rain, with Trunkenpolz beginning the first stint from eighth in ProAm. Conditions were extremely challenging, leading to cautious driving through the first few laps. Trunkenpolz dropped a few positions initially but soon found a consistent rhythm, making up places as others struggled with the wet track.

By lap 8, Trunkenpolz had moved up to ninth in class after a well-executed pass on Wim de Pundert, setting his best lap in 2:06.850—nearly two seconds faster than his earlier times. He climbed to eighth in ProAm before pitting on lap 11, handing the car over to Kraihamer from 11th overall.

Kraihamer rejoined in 10th in class and 16th overall, with a gap of five seconds to the #81 Mercedes driven by Bernd Schneider. A Safety Car period was triggered by the stranded #61 Mercedes on lap 14, bunching up the field. While Laura used the restart to her advantage and overtook the sister #90 Razoon More Than Racing KTM, she was unable to rejoin the rest of the pack as the car ahead of her had not closed back to the group ahead.

Despite running faster than her rivals—clocking a personal best of 2:01.568—Kraihamer was unable to fully catch up to the rest of the pack before the checkered flag, finishing ninth in class and 13th overall. Her pace in mixed conditions was however a very positive takeaway from the opening race of the weekend.

"In the first race my teammate did a good job and when I got in the car and with wet conditions I felt super comfortable from the first minute", Laura told us. "I was always fast for top three or four after the safety car, from time to time the fastest on track", she continued. "The issue was that the car in front of me would not catch the safety car which is strange but it is what it is. Obviously very unfortunate because I think there would have been a lot possible."

Photo credits: Gruppe C Photography

The final race of the season began after a delay due to fog on Sunday morning. Once the track action commenced, chaos unfolded on the opening lap: contact between the Akkodis Mercedes at Turn 2 sent several cars, including the #16 KTM of Samini, into the gravel. Kraihamer skillfully navigated through the melee, emerging unscathed and slotting into P12 overall, maintaining her position in ProAm as the Safety Car was deployed.

Upon the restart, with 42 minutes left, Kraihamer went on the offensive against the #90 Razoon More Than Racing KTM driven by Chwist. Though she was quicker, she couldn't make the pass immediately, and this battle cost them valuable time against the leading pack.

Kraihamer's consistent sector times improvements saw her running in clean air by lap 11 after Chwist pitted, and she began matching the lap times of the cars ahead.

Opting for a longer first stint, Kraihamer pushed hard, setting consistent laps in the 1:49 range before pitting on lap 14.

Trunkenpolz rejoined in 10th in class, determined to make more improvements. Despite running in the 1:55 range and improving his times each lap, he couldn't bridge the deficit to the #16 KTM.

As the race reached its final stages, the NM Racing Team Mercedes of Jorg Viebahn engaged in a thrilling battle with the RTR Projects KTM of Lennart Marioneck, ultimately securing the win by just 0.3 seconds. Trunkenpolz brought the #17 KTM home in 10th place in ProAm, setting his fastest lap on the final lap at 1:55.267.

Laura Kraihamer's weekend ended with a double top-10 finish in the ProAm class. Though they couldn't quite reach headline results like at some of their earlier outings, it was a consistent and solid weekend that secured valuable points to Kraihamer/Trunkenpolz. The duo concluded the season sixth in the ProAm drivers' championship despite missing two rounds, showcasing their potential through some unfortunate race meetings. Austrian manufacturer KTM secured the team's title.

"For the season itself, I've not done the whole season and it's been kind of an up and down", Kraihamer summarized. "We were not so lucky, but got it all together in Monza with a good strategy and a good pace. And all in all, it's been a super exciting season. I'm happy that I've been able to be part of that."

Looking ahead to 2025, Kraihamer's recent reclassification to bronze driver status could open up new opportunities; building on this momentum, she aims to continue her upward trajectory and further establish herself as a versatile and competitive driver in GT competitions.