Benjamin Mazatis receives trophy at SRO Awards Night in London
Excitement, tension, pure emotion, and right in the middle of it all, Benjamin Mazatis. The Bruckmühl native experienced arguably the most gruelling and, at the same time, most successful season of his motorsport career, which concluded with a finale that was hard to top in terms of drama. The Bavarian battled for the championship in the GT4 Central European Cup right up to the final race of the season. Last weekend, the 20-year-old finally received his well-deserved reward for a successful season and the hard work between races. At the SRO Motorsport Awards Night, attended by the ‚who's who‘ of GT motorsport, the Bruckmühl native, along with his Finnish teammate Ilmari Korpivaara, accepted the trophy which stood at a good 70 cm tall.
Together with Reiter Engineering, Mazatis competed in the KTM X-Bow GT4 and delivered a strong season. He and team-mate Korpivaara battled for the Pro-AM Cup title at a total of five stops this season. On the very first weekend, the duo underlined their championship ambitions with second place in Sunday's race. Mazatis and Korpivaara finished on the podium seven more times in the ten races of the season and were permanently among the front-runners in the standings. In the final race of the season, Mazatis even took a virtual lead in the championship until damage to the KTM X-Bow GT4 a few laps before the finish destroyed all title dreams. He finished the season in third place overall.
The man from Bruckmühl had another successful experience in the VLN Endurance Championship. He celebrated his first VLN victory on the legendary Nürburgring-Nordschleife at the third round of the season on 23 June. In the BMW M4 GT4 of Team Pixum Adrenalin Motorsport, he won the SP8T class with his two team-mates Uwe Ebertz and Manuel Amweg. This was followed by a second place in the CUP X class at the seventh round of the VLN on 22 September in the KTM X-Bow GT4 of Teichmann Racing with his team-mates Thorsten Jung and Uwe Flaig.
In an interview after the awards, Benjamin Mazatis commented on the season:
Describe your impressions of the SRO Awards Night in London?
It's a very special feeling to be part of the SRO Awards 2018. I've always dreamed of this and it's exactly what I've worked so hard for every day. The successful race cars presented right on the banks of the Thames, with the illuminated Tower Bridge and ‚The Shard‘ skyscraper in the background – it was simply unique. I can only congratulate Stéphane Ratel and the entire SRO on this mega-event for us drivers. It was a privilege to have been there.
How would you rate your season in general?
It was a success story that was evident throughout the entire season. From the first race, Ilmari and I were right at the front. In the end, it was small things, a strategic error at Slovakiaring and bad luck at Zandvoort, that decided the title fight against us. After the race in Zandvoort, of course, I was very disappointed at first, because you always want to be number 1, that's what you live for. But with a few weeks' distance, I can say that this season was truly incredible, and I am very proud of my performance and that of my teammate Ilmari. Additionally, I really would have wished for this title for my guys from the Reiter Engineering team. I was also able to achieve success again this year on the Nürburgring Nordschleife with the Pixum Adrenalin Motorsport team, including my first class victory in the VLN Endurance Championship. This adequately rounds off this season.
After your great season, I'm sure there are already enquiries for 2019. Do you already know what's next for you?
There are some interesting options. In September I had a test in Hockenheim with the Porsche Carrera Cup GT3 and recently a test day in Le Castellet with the
Porsche GT4. The times were top, and I really had a lot of fun in both cars. At the moment, I'm in negotiations, and we'll see what comes of it in the end.
comes out. As soon as I know more, I will announce it on my social media accounts. The ultimate goal is to have another award next year
to receive.