First win of the season for Frikadelli Racing on the Nürburgring Nordschleife
10.10.2022
At the seventh round of the Nürburgring Endurance Series, Klaus Abbelen, Jules and Felipe Laser found their way back to success and secured victory for the first time in the hard-fought AM classification of the Porsche Endurance Trophy with the #111 Porsche 992 GT3 Cup. Thanks to the points scored, the Frikadelli Racing team has also made a big leap forward in the championship and is now in the top 3.
“Of course we can be very satisfied with the weekend. Like many other teams, we had problems with the GPS today and had to make two additional pit stops as a result. Nevertheless, our pace was extremely strong throughout the race and this time we were able to rely on the necessary luck under the changeable weather conditions. This was not the case in the 12-hour race, so the bottom line is that the whole thing balances out again. We are all super happy with the result and are already looking forward to the two remaining NLS races, in which we would like to be similarly successful," sums up team boss Klaus Abbelen.
In qualifying, the trio of drivers from Frikadelli Racing initially lined up in seventh starting position within the CUP-2 class. A Code 60 phase made it difficult to chase times in the final phase as the track dried out. At the start of the race, however, the cards were reshuffled again because it had started to rain on various sections of the track.
“In qualifying we had hoped that the Code 60 phase would be resolved, which unfortunately wasn't the case. The first stint in the race was all the more successful and certainly a key factor. We were the fastest Cup vehicle in the field and as a team we made the right decision at the beginning with the rain tires,” beamed Laser, who not only brought the #111 Porsche 992 GT3 Cup to the top of the CUP 2 class, but to the Driver change even stirred up the top 10 in the overall classification. Later, his teammates “Jules” and Abbelen also got along brilliantly with the set-up they had worked out in their respective stints and were able to set strong times despite the traffic. Shortly before the end of the race, Abbelen handed the wheel over to Laser for the final laps, who successfully brought the lead in the AM classification across the finish line.
“At the end it got really tight again, but thanks to the fantastic last pit stops by our Frikadelli team we were able to hold on to the lead. It was extremely good teamwork today and I'm incredibly happy that we were able to reap the rewards," Laser continued. His teammate “Jules” adds: “We worked hard all year and after a few podium finishes we were able to achieve our first win of the season. This is absolutely fantastic, I can only say thank you to every single one of the Frikadelli Racing Team. We had strong pace, a great strategy and we were able to keep the car on track even in the difficult phases - regardless of whether the track was half dry/half wet or covered with oil."
Next stop: Michelin Le Mans Cup in Portimao
The Frikadelli Racing team only has a short time to catch their breath. Next weekend, Klaus Abbelen's team will continue at the season finale of the Michelin Le Mans Cup in Portimao. “After we unfortunately had to miss Spa-Francorchamps due to illness, we are all the more looking forward to the event and to being able to take part again. All team members are in top form again and we will try to attack the top 10 together. Even if the journey to Portugal is very long, we are looking forward to a few days in the warmer Algarve region,” says Abbelen, who will share the wheel of the #30 Ligier JS P320 with Felipe Laser as usual.
A total of 40 vehicles have entered the event. It starts next Friday with the first free practice session and the bronze test. The second free practice session and qualification will follow on Saturday. The 110-minute race follows on Sunday morning and will be streamed live at: www.lemanscup.com.
