Best result of the season for Frikadelli Racing on the Nürburgring Nordschleife
26.06.2022
The Frikadelli Racing Team was able to achieve the best result of the season so far in the fourth round of the Nürburgring Endurance Series. The two regular drivers Klaus Abbelen and "Jules" secured second place in the AM classification of the Porsche Endurance Trophy Nürburgring together with Leon Köhler and thus returned to the podium.
“I am very happy that we made it back into the top three. We are all very happy and satisfied with the weekend. Many thanks to the entire team, especially to Leon, who supported us at short notice in this race and did a great job. In terms of lap times, he was able to keep up with the leaders right away. On the one hand it shows his great talent, but on the other hand it also shows that our Porsche 992 GT3 Cup is now really well set up on the Nordschleife”, praised team manager Klaus Abbelen.
Already in the morning's qualifying, the Frikadelli Racing team managed to make a strong impression. With a lap time of 8:15.269 minutes, Leon Köhler positioned the "fastest meatball in the world" on fourth place on the grid in the once again top-ranked CUP2 class.
In the race, "Jules" took over the first stint and was able to quickly find his rhythm after the start clearance. The Brit made no mistakes and successfully kept the #111 Porsche 992 GT3 Cup within striking distance of the best AM vehicles. After that, Leon Köhler took over the vehicle for a short turn before Klaus Abbelen climbed into the cockpit. Both also coped brilliantly with the conditions and fought for the previously aspired podium place in the AM category in the best weather conditions. In the final phase, Leon Köhler finally secured this and brought the vehicle across the finish line in second place. In the CUP-2 class, Frikadelli Racing finished sixth, in the overall classification it was enough for a respectable 16th position in the round of the more powerful GT3 cars.
More driver comments on the race:
"Jules": I'm very happy with second place and the championship points that came with it. The whole team did an excellent job, and the three of us also made no mistakes on the track. At this point, many thanks also go to Leon, who supported us at short notice this weekend and brought us forward with strong lap times.”
Leon Köhler: “The assignment with Frikadelli Racing came very spontaneously for me, but I still gladly accepted the challenge. In general, of course, I know the Porsche 992 GT3 Cup very well from my starts in the one-make cups, even if I still lack experience on the Nürburgring Nordschleife. But it worked really well and it was a great weekend. I particularly liked the whole teamwork at Frikadelli Racing. All team members were incredibly friendly, so I felt right at home. I think that the bottom line is that we can be very satisfied with what we have achieved together today. Thank you again for the opportunity to work and for trusting me, even though I don't yet have that much experience on the Nürburgring Nordschleife. I'm excited to see what the future will bring."
Next stop: Michelin Le Mans Cup in Monza
For Frikadelli Racing, the Michelin Le Mans Cup in Monza will continue next weekend. A total of 37 cars entered the event at the traditional Italian circuit, divided into 30 LMP3 cars and 7 GT3 cars. For Klaus Abbelen and Felipe Laser it's about reducing the gap to the front with their #30 Ligier JS P320 and getting a countable result. “I will do everything I can to increase my pace again in Monza in order to make a significant leap forward in this strong field. My goal is still to be among the top 5 gentleman drivers,” said Abbelen.
On Friday, the two free practice sessions and the test for the Bronze drivers will take place first. Qualifying and the 110-minute race follow on Saturday.
