30 January 2025, Ronalds

Buggy 1600 driver Ricardo Otto (dtuch) proved himself to be a fast and consistent competitor during the 2024 season, despite his relatively limited experience with the new GRR buggy. Read more below!

"My 2024 season exceeded our expectations. Before Seelow, I had only driven two races with this car, and it was the first time GRR built a Buggy 1600 like this. 

Our biggest strengths were overtaking and maintaining a consistent race pace, often improving with every heat. This was especially important since most of the tracks were completely new to me. One of my weaker areas was qualifying—possibly due to a high starting number combined with track conditions at the time, but also because it’s something I need to improve as a driver. The highlight of the 2024 season was, without a doubt, my victory in Saint-Igny, where I won all the heats, the semi-final, and the final.

The most difficult moment came in Seelow. I had a great weekend up until the final, where I was running in second place before crashing on the second lap—completely on my own. It was a driver’s error, and we had also taken an overly aggressive approach with the car setup. At that moment, I had to stay mentally strong and not let it affect my confidence. Looking back, I think that accident made me more cautious about taking unnecessary risks when there’s no pressure from behind.

For 2025, my plan is to compete in the European Championship with the Buggy 1600 as long as we have the car, as it is currently for sale.

Alongside that, we are building an entirely new GRR Superbuggy with a fresh suspension and engine concept, which I will race in this year’s Dutch Championship and Autocross Masters. The goal is to have the car fully developed by 2026 to compete at the front. If everything goes as planned, we’ll race in the Dutch Championship again and hopefully enter a few European Championship rounds as well."

 AX MAGAZINE ITALIA wishes Ricardo a successful 2025 season and the highest possible achievements!