Successful dress rehearsal for the 24h race

30.08.2020

The Frikadelli Racing Team has successfully passed the final hardness test before the 24h race. In the fifth race of the Nürburgring long-distance series, Kévin Estre, Michael Christensen, Jeroen Bleekemolen and Maxime Martin did the final fine work for the big season highlight with the #31 Porsche 911 GT3 R and finished in the top 10 of the overall classification. Klaus Abbelen, Lance David Arnold and Alex Müller celebrated their second victory of the season in the Pro-Am category with their sister car.

"Overall, we can be very satisfied with the weekend. Our vehicles came over the 6h distance without a scratch and passed this last hardness test without any problems. In addition, we won the Pro-Am with our #30 Porsche 911 GT3 R. We are now very well prepared for the 24h race, but we hope for a better BOP rating by then. In the fast corners we are currently losing too much speed to the competition," sums up team leader Klaus Abbelen.

With the #31 Porsche 911 GT3 R, Kévin Estre, Michael Christensen, Maxime Martin and Jeroen Bleekemolen were able to start a convincing chase after a difficult qualifying. Thanks to a good strategy, the driver quartet, which was on the Nürburgring Nordschleife together for the first time in this combination, was able to fight its way forward lap after lap. In the end, the Neunelfer crossed the finish line in tenth place overall.

Alex Müller, Lance David Arnold and Klaus Abbelen also made no mistakes with the #30 Porsche 911 GT3 R. From the second starting place in the "Pro-Am category" entered the race, the well-rehearsed trio of drivers were able to take the lead in the second third of the race and successfully defend it to the finish. For Müller, Arnold and Abbelen it was the second victory of the season.

Away from the SP9 class, the Frikadelli Racing Team used the #962 Porsche Cayman GT4 after a break in the race. Hendrik von Danwitz and "Jules" continued their performance from the first three NLS races and were able to achieve another good result despite a time penalty with the fourth place in the hard-fought class Cup3.

Driver's voices after the race:

Jeroen Bleekemolen (#31 Porsche 911 GT3 R): "It was a very good preparation race in terms of the 24h-Nürburgring. Almost all teams used this run as a last test, which is why they were able to draw solid analyses and comparisons. Overall, I am very satisfied with our preparation and am now looking forward to the great long-distance classic."

Maxime Martin (#31 Porsche 911 GT3 R): "We started from very far behind, so it was difficult to fight our way through the strong field. Nevertheless, we succeeded very well and we were able to achieve a solid result with the 10th place. Overall, we learned a lot for the 24h race. It was incredibly important to have this 6h race as an additional test opportunity beforehand."

Alex Müller (#30 Porsche 911 GT3 R): "There were a lot of accidents on the track this time. In my double stint I only had one lap in which there was no double yellow or code-60. Nevertheless, we have come over the distance without any incidents or problems. The vehicle and the strategy were very good, so that we were able to secure the victory in the Pro-Am and overall position 16. Now we are looking with a lot of confidence towards the 24h race."

Hendrik von Danwitz (#962 Porsche Cayman GT4): "In qualifying we were still a little unlucky with code-60 and double yellow, but we were able to make a clear leap forward in the race. The setup changes we made also had a positive effect, especially in the final phase of the race. The bottom line is that it was a very satisfying weekend for us."

"Jules" (#962 Porsche Cayman GT4): "It was a good race for us. The competition in our class is extremely strong and it's always a big challenge. In the final phase I had a great duel for the fourth place, which I could decide for myself. I am very satisfied with the result and our performance. Many thanks to the entire Frikadelli Racing Team."


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