Tracks all over the world, temperatures ranging from 10 to 45 degrees and racing action all year round. For Benjamin Mazatis, 2017 was a season full of new experiences and successes. In a wide variety of series with different cars, the driver from Bruckmühl has proven how quickly he can adapt to new situations and make progress through the experience he has gained.
In the 2016 season, the talented Bavarian youngster took a short break from motorsport to devote all his energy to his A-levels and the start of his studies. But in 2017, it was full attack! Mazatis‘ season started in mid-January at the prestigious 24-hour race in Dubai, before he raced in the GT4 European Series Northern Cup with RYS Reiter Young Stars Team Pankl. The 19-year-old also made two appearances in the VLN Endurance Championship on the legendary Nürburgring-Nordschleife.
24 hours Dubai
The season opener from 12 to 14 January 2017 in Dubai could hardly have gone better. On his birthday, Mazatis crossed the finish line in second place in the SP2 class after 24 gruelling hours, giving himself the best present of all. It was a weekend of firsts. The 19-year-old had never competed in a 24-hour race before, never before outside of Europe and he also had no opportunity to test the Reiter Engineering team's KTM X-Bow GT4 before the race weekend. Only his hard training and a lot of work in the simulator served as preparation - with success. For a long time, Mazatis and his team-mates even had a chance of winning the class, but an overnight repair break prevented this minor sensation.
„That was a weekend that I won't forget in a hurry. I had set out to get to know the KTM X-Bow better and to collect a lot of kilometres. When I was finally presented with the trophy for second place on the podium - with so few kilometres under my belt - it was a unique moment. I couldn't have wished for a better present. It was a great race and the perfect birthday!“
GT4 European Series Northern Cup
As part of the Blancpain GT Series and the ADAC GT Masters, Mazatis has raced on Formula 1 circuits such as the Red Bull Ring and the Nürburgring. However, the 19-year-old's biggest highlight came in the DTM. In Zandvoort, he finished on the podium in the Pro-AM classification in both races in his KTM X-Bow GT4 - under the most difficult conditions. Technical problems in qualifying meant that he could only finish 27th and 28th on the grid. On the narrow dune rollercoaster, where overtaking is extremely difficult, Mazatis and his team-mate made up 32 positions in the two races to finish in the top three of the Pro-AM standings. The RYS Team Pankl driver had already achieved his first top 10 result in the GT4 Series on the second race weekend at the Red Bull Ring with eighth place overall. He repeated this at the Slovakiaring with tenth place.
However, this weekend also showed the downside of motorsport. With grid positions two and five, the starting position was perfect until all KTM X-Bow GT4s were subsequently withdrawn from the classification. With a furious race to catch up, Mazatis still managed third place in the Reiter Young Stars classification in the race - maximum damage limitation. The driver from Bruckmühl was similarly unlucky at the season finale at the Nürburgring. After incidents through no fault of his own, Mazatis saw the chequered flag in a disappointing 30th place in the first race and even retired on Sunday.
„It was a mixed debut season in the GT4 Series, with the highlights such as Zandvoort and the first points at the Red Bull Ring obviously outshining everything. Finishing on the podium twice in the DTM was an amazing feeling - especially as the previous overtaking manoeuvres on this track were really tough. We've seen how close the GT4 is and the numerous duels have also pushed me forward as a driver.“
VLN Endurance Championship
There was one important goal for Mazatis in the 2017 season: to complete enough laps on the legendary Nürburgring-Nordschleife to obtain his A licence. The time had come at VLN 3 at the end of June. The driver from Bruckmühl finished ninth out of a total of 20 BMW M235i Racing Cup cars in the Cup 5 class. Shortly before the race, he and his team-mates had to switch to the replacement car, which prevented a better result. „The result was of secondary importance to me that day, because the joy of my A-Permit clearly outweighed everything else. Now I can start in a GT car on the Nordschleife. One of my big goals has been achieved and that makes me proud.“ At VLN 6, Mazatis finally got the opportunity to compete with the KTM X-Bow from Isert Motorsport. Class victory and even a top position in the overall standings were within reach when a cent defect shortly before the end of the race prevented him from crossing the finish line.
Benjamin Mazatis on his 2017 season: „I look back on the past year very positively. It started almost perfectly with a podium finish in the Dubai 24-hour race. Of course, the podium finishes and good results in the GT4 Series will also be remembered, as will achieving my A Permit for the Nürburgring-Nordschleife. Of course, luck always plays an important role in motorsport and I wasn't always blessed with it. However, I am firmly convinced that luck and bad luck always balance each other out in the long run. Accordingly, I can be very satisfied with 2017. I would even go so far as to say it was the most consistent and best season of my career to date. Now I'm looking forward to the future. I have some exciting offers and am taking my time to make a decision. Maybe a programme will even come around the corner that I didn't even have on my agenda before.“
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