Frikadelli Racing Highly Motivated for Second Half of the Nürburgring Endurance Season
18.08.2016
• Team identified and solved the chassis problem on the SP9 Porsche 911 GT3 R, says team owner and driver Klaus Abbelen
• Customer Porsche 911 GT3 targeting even more category wins
Frikadelli Racing is tackling the second half of the Endurance Championship Nürburgring (VLN) with fresh motivation. Leading team figures Klaus Abbelen and Sabine Schmitz (both from Barweiler) compete in the championship’s sixth leg on the Nordschleife plus the shortened Grand Prix circuit together with Patrick Huisman (NL). The driver line-up in the Porsche 911 GT3 R is a trio only because Norbert Siedler (A) has a commitment in the ADAC GT Masters. The chassis problem that caused the team a lot of worry lines during the fifth VLN leg, has been identified and cured in the summer break.
“We will of course try to fight at for top positions on Saturday. Even if the Balance of Performance all but favours our GT3 R”, says team owner Klaus Abbelen. A fortnight ago, he successfully entered a Group C Porsche 962 in two races of Spezial Tourenwagen Trophy (STT) on the Nürburgring – and won both. “As well as eliminating the chassis gremlin we also found new setups for the 911’s front axle on our chassis rig. We hope that the car will be easier to drive now.”
Frikadelli Racing’s contingent this weekend comprises four cars. Frank Kräling (Winterberg), Marc Gindorf (MC) and Christopher Brück (Köln) want to continue their winning in the very competitive SP7 category with their 911 GT3 MR. Janine Hill, John Shoffner (both from USA) and Arno Klasen (Karlshausen) is committed to defend a respectable series with their Frikadelli Porsche: at all four finishes in the category CUP2 the trio has made it on the podium and even won their class once. Thomas Leyherr (Dillingen) and Herbert von Danwitz (Tönisvorst) are again racing their Frikadelli-maintained BMW M235i.
In 2016, the Langstreckenmeisterschaft Nürburgring (German for “long-distance endurance championship”) again consists of ten legs. The 4-hour races are held on Saturdays on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife plus the Grand Prix track’s short circuit that together form a 24.358 kilometre lap. The seventh leg on September, 3 will be this year’s only six-hour event. The season will end on October 22. The undisputed highlight of the season was the 24-hour race on May 28 and 29 which is not part of the VLN. Competitors had to tackle a lap of 25.378 kilometres that consist of the Nordschleife plus the Grand Prix circuit without the stadium section.
After the test sessions on Friday, competitive action will start on Saturday morning. The 90-minute practice starts will commence at 8.30 a.m. The race starts at 12.00 a.m., the chequered flag will drop shortly after 4.00 p.m. Awards ceremony is scheduled for 6.00 p.m.
