Frikadelli Racing uses second VLN leg as first dress rehearsal for the 24-hour race in May
05.04.2018
• Lance-David Arnold and Alex Müller share the #31 Frikadelli Porsche 911 GT3 R with experienced Porsche racer Marco Seefried
• Felipe Laser teams up with endurance racing ace Wolf Henzler and Porsche Young Professional Mathieu Jaminet
• Klaus Abbelen: “Once again we have learned a lot; now we want to take the next step in preparation for the 24-hour race”
The season’s highlight casts its shadows ahead: The second leg of this year’s Endurance Championship Nürburgring (VLN) is all about the preparation for the 24-hour race on the legendary Nordschleife. Frikadelli Racing is eagerly awaiting the classic endurance race and will enter two new driver line-ups this weekend. Felipe Laser (D) in the Porsche 911 GT3 R will team up with long-time Porsche works driver Wolf Henzler and 23-year-old Porsche Young Professional Mathieu Jaminet (F). The red #31 car will be shared by Lance-David Arnold, Alex Müller (D) and – also for the first time in a Frikadelli racing car – Marco Seefried (D). Team principal Klaus Abbelen will take a break this Saturday. Instead, he takes over testing duties this Thursday and Friday.
Wolf Henzler brings a lot of experience and maturity: In 2004, the 43-year-old won the Porsche Supercup, took pole position and victory in the Daytona 24-hour race 2005 and ended the 2006 Porsche Cup as best private entry. In 2008, Porsche promoted him to works driver. He thanked the German make by winning the classic endurance races in Le Mans and Spa among others plus the American Le Mans Series title. In the 24-hour race Nürburgring he took several podiums. “I have not raced on the Nordschleife for a year now and am all the more looking forward to my return to this fantastic track”, says Henzler. “In the past, I have often been in the garage directly besides Frikadelli Racing and every time the team has impressed me greatly. Now the team is entering two Porsches with strong line-ups and high ambitions: we want to fight for the podium. I am happy to contribute to this effort.”
Marco Seefried also knows the demanding Eifel track like the back of his hand. In 2007, the 42-year-old professional racer entered the VLN championship and the 24-hour race in the “Green hell” for the first time. In 2010 and 2016 he took second place at the 24-hour classic. “As far as I'm concerned, the season can finally start. I’m very much looking forward to race a Porsche 911 GT3 R on the Nordschleife”, says Marco Seefried. He watched the first VLN leg in the Frikadelli Racing garage and took the opportunity to get accustomed with all the processes in the team. “Frikadelli Racing is a special team that is highly regarded by the fans. Now my wish to one day drive for Klaus Abbelen’s and Sabine Schmitz’s team comes true on Saturday.”
Mathieu Jaminet from Woippy, France, is only 23 years old but a fully professional racing driver nonetheless. Since 2015, he is part of Porsche’s driver squad. He won the French Carrera Cup in 2016 as well as the Porsche Supercup’s rookie title. Last year, he raced as a Porsche Young Professional in the ADAC GT Masters, in the VLN and the 24-hour race on the Nordschleife among others.
“We learned a lot in this year’s first VLN race. Now we want to take the next step in preparation for the 24-hour race”, says Klaus Abbelen. “Concerning the team’s work, the processes and the cars, we regard this weekend’s race as something like a first dress rehearsal. And of course, we want to achieve the best possible results, too. I am excited to see the two very experienced drivers Wolf Henzler and Marco Seefried at the wheel of our Porsches and at the same time having Mathieu Jaminet as a great upcoming talent in the car.”
In 2018, the Langstreckenmeisterschaft Nürburgring (German for “Endurance Championship”) again consists of nine 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 race on August, 18 will be this year’s only six-hour event. The season will end on October, 20. The 24-hour race on May, 12 and 13 is the undisputed highlight of the season. Competitors will then tackle a lap of 25.378 kilometres that consist of the Nordschleife plus the Grand Prix circuit without the stadium section.
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