Frikadelli Racing starts the new season with victory in the "Pro-Am"
28.06.2020
At the start of the Nürburgring long-distance series, the Frikadelli Racing Team secured victory in the "Pro-Am category" of the GT3 class. Lance David Arnold, Alex Müller and team leader Klaus Abbelen steered the #30 Porsche 911 GT3 R to this opening success. Hendrik von Danwitz and "Jules" were also happy about a good seasonstart. Right at the debut of the new #962 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport (type 982) they managed to jump to the class podium.
"We can be satisfied with the first race weekend after the long motorsport break, although the early failure of our #31 Porsche 911 GT3 R was of course extremely unfortunate," says team leader Klaus Abbelen. The two Porsche factory drivers Kévin Estre and Michael Christensen had put the Neunelfer in the 12th starting position in qualifying. In the race, however, the French-Danish driver duo lacked the necessary luck. Starting driver Estre had to turn off the Neunelfer at the pits after the introductory lap due to a technical defect.
Lance David Arnold, Alex Müller and team leader Klaus Abbelen, on the other hand, were able to easily cover the four-hour distance in the "Green Hell" with the sister vehicle. In the first joint race with the Porsche 911 GT3 R (type 991.2) at the Nürburgring Nordschleife, the trio of drivers mainly strived for a top result in the "Pro-Am rating" of the GT3 vehicles. After being in second position after the time training, they won the race with the "fastest meatball in the world".
Hendrik von Danwitz and "Jules", who will once again compete together for Frikadelli Racing in 2020, completed a successful "baptism of fire" with their new Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport (type 982). After an error-free performance, the drivers set the third place in the heavily-staffed Cup3 class.
Voices about the race:
Klaus Abbelen (Team Principal/Driver #30 Porsche 911 GT3 R): "I am very satisfied with the performance of our entire team. Despite the long Corona break and the numerous changes in the pit area, all processes worked perfectly. Now we have to give all in the next races."
Alex Müller (driver #30 Porsche 911 GT3 R): "The Frikadelli Racing Team provided us with a very well prepared car. At this point, thank you again to our mechanic crew, who made some setup changes during the night from Friday to Saturday. Especially in my starting stint at the beginning of the race, I noticed that we are on an equal footing with our Porsche brand colleagues. This gives us a lot of confidence and optimism for the further races with the new vehicle for us."
Lance David Arnold (driver #30 Porsche 911 GT3 R): "With the victory in the "Pro-Am" we made a very good start. It was incredibly important for us to collect kilometres with the Porsche 991.2 on the Nürburgring Nordschleife, because Klaus, Alex and I were not yet on the Nordschleife with the new vehicle type. So we're taking a lot out of this weekend and we're on the right track."
Kévin Estre (driver #31 Porsche 911 GT3 R): "After the long motorsport break, it was important for us to get back into the rhythm this weekend and work on the setup of our Porsche 911 GT3 R. Unfortunately, I had to stop the car early in the race after an electrical problem, which was a great pity. But we are already looking ahead to the upcoming races."
Hendrik von Danwitz (driver #962 Porsche Cayman GT4): "First of all, I would like to thank the Frikadelli Racing Team, but also the entire VLN organisation. Despite all the changes that had to be made in the paddock, everything worked really well. The third place was a good start to the new motorsport year for us, although we still have a little work ahead of us in the setup area."
