Pole position and second overall for Frikadelli Racing at the start of the season
18.04.2021
The Frikadelli Racing Team started the new motorsport season with a top result. Dennis Olsen and Porsche works driver Frédéric Makowiecki drove the # 31 Porsche 911 GT3 R to second place overall in the opening race of the Nürburgring endurance series and thus secured the team of team principal Klaus Abbelen the first podium success on the Nürburgring Nordschleife since 2018.
The strong performance of Frikadelli Racing started in the morning qualifying. With a lap time of 7: 53.565 minutes, Dennis Olsen put the “fastest meatball in the world” on pole position. “During the tests we succeeded in developing a very good set-up. I got a good lap without traffic and was able to drive freely. The pole position made me incredibly happy for the whole team. I think Sabine watched us from above and she is proud of us, ”the Norwegian said afterwards.
At the start, his team-mate Frédéric Makowiecki successfully defended the lead and initially fought an unleashing duel with his brand colleagues from Manthey Racing for the top spot. In the following laps, the battle for the individual podium places among the GT3 vehicles continued to expand. After all pit stops had been completed, the two drivers of the # 31 Porsche 911 GT3 R consolidated their second overall position. Final driver Olsen successfully withstood the pressure of the Phoenix Audi R8 LMS in the final phase and ultimately prevailed by 0.964 seconds.
Nick Tandy and Maxime Martin's # 30 Porsche 911 GT3 R was also strong and also undercut the magical eight-minute barrier in qualifying with a lap time of 7: 57.547 minutes. Starting from fifth on the grid, Tandy initially fell back to tenth when he turned into the Mercedes-Arena, but the Briton and his teammate Martin were able to get back within striking distance of the top five in the overall standings. However, due to a stranger contact while lapping, the driver duo had to head for the pits prematurely after around two and a half hours of driving time.
For the # 962 Porsche Cayman GT4 of “Jules” and Hendrik von Danwitz, the season opener for the Nürburgring endurance series ended with a strong second place in the Pro-Am classification of the CUP3 class. The well-rehearsed driver duo showed a flawless performance and unwound lap after lap in the "Green Hell" without any problems. In the overall account of the CUP3 class, it was also enough for seventh place. A total of 18 vehicles were at the start here.
Quotes about the race:
Klaus Abbelen (Team Principal Frikadelli Racing): “We are very satisfied with our first appearance this season and our podium place. It shows that we are on the right track. Many thanks at this point to the entire team. We will now continue to work hard and give everything to be well prepared for the 24h race. "
Dennis Olsen (# 31 Porsche 911 GT3 R): “The day started very well for us with pole position in qualifying and ended successfully with second place in the race. All in all, a successful start to the new season, even if of course there is still a lot of work to do."
Frédéric Makowiecki (# 31 Porsche 911 GT3 R): “For us, of course, the focus is on preparing for the 24h race. Accordingly, this commitment was incredibly important for us, also to get to know the entire Frikadelli Racing Team and the processes. After all, it was the first time that we competed here together at the Nürburgring in this constellation. Everything harmonized very well right from the start and I'm already looking forward to the next races together. "
Nick Tandy (# 30 Porsche 911 GT3 R): “It was really nice to be back at the Nürburgring. The performance of our # 30 Frikadelli Porsche 911 GT3 R was extremely good, even if we unfortunately couldn't reward ourselves for it today. Nevertheless, we can take away a lot of positive things and important insights from the weekend. "
Hendrik von Danwitz (# 962 Porsche Cayman GT4): “In qualifying, unfortunately, I had a bit of bad luck with a double yellow phase on my fastest lap, otherwise it would certainly have been a lot more than eighth place in class. So it went all the better for us in the race. I was able to bring our Porsche Cayman GT4 up to fourth place, after which “Jules” delivered a strong double stint. We are very satisfied with the start and our pace. "
