Third place in the AM championship of the Porsche Endurance Trophy Nürburgring - 2023 with Ferrari 296 GT3
07.11.2022
With the final race of the Nürburgring Endurance Series, the 2022 motorsport season came to an end for Frikadelli Racing. After a total of eight rounds of the season, Klaus Abbelen and "Jules" can be happy about third place in the AM championship of the Porsche Endurance Trophy Nürburgring, even if the hoped-for top result at the end of the season didn't materialize because the #111 Porsche 992 GT3 Cup failed was involved in a mass accident through no fault of an oil slick just a few meters from the finish line. For the new 2023 season it is already clear that Frikadelli Racing will use the new Ferrari 296 GT3 in cooperation with another team.
“At the end of the season we were well on the way to achieving another top result. Unfortunately, Felipe didn't have a chance to react in the last lap in the Galgenkopf area and, like some other vehicles, fell victim to an oil slick. All in all, we achieved our big goal, the top 3 in the championship, but of course we would have wished for a better end to the season. The disappointment, especially after a really perfect race up to that point, is huge. Nevertheless, the most important thing is that nothing happened to Felipe. Our best wishes also go to the other pilots who got caught there,” said team boss Klaus Abbelen.
Qualifying for the NLS season finale started around half an hour late due to fog and was reduced to a driving time of 60 minutes. Felipe Laser, Klaus Abbelen and "Jules" placed the #111 Porsche 992 GT3 Cup in second place on the grid in the AM category on a slightly drying track, which should mean seventh place in the CUP2 class. The Frikadelli team made quick progress in the race. Laser was able to make up a few positions on the starting lap. The man from Leipzig not only took the lead among the AM vehicles, but was also among the top 5 in the CUP-2 class. Thanks to a good strategy and flawless stints by the driver trio, the Frikadelli team found themselves in a strong eighth place overall until the incident on the last lap, while at the same time leading the AM classification and holding second position in the CUP2 class .
“Unfortunately, when I got into the second turn at the Galgenkopf, I was only a passenger. I tried to turn in, but then slipped on the oil slick, hit the guard rail on the left and slid into the vehicles that were already stationary. It had hit four or five other cars before me. A short time later, a TCR vehicle slid into my back again. The bottom line is that I'm just glad that we all came out relatively unscathed. Unfortunately, no flag could be seen that would have warned us in advance. Since the curve is not visible, none of us had a chance to react. I very much hope that this mass accident will be investigated by the VLN afterwards, just to be able to draw conclusions for the future,” says Laser, who draws a positive conclusion of the season despite the cancellation. "I really enjoyed the season and the coaching with Klaus and Jules. Overall, we have made a big step forward and I think that if we continue next year, the two of them will certainly be among the championship contenders in the AM Cup of the Porsche Endurance Trophy Nürburgring.”
His teammate “Jules” adds: “I am very happy about our third place in the championship. We have achieved what we set out to do beforehand. It's been an incredible year in an exciting new championship. My thanks go to the entire Frikadelli Racing team. Every team member has their share in this success.”
With regard to the new 2023 season, it is already certain that Frikadelli Racing will use the new Ferrari 296 GT3 on the Nordschleife together with another team. Further details on this project can only be announced at a later date. In all likelihood, the Porsche 992 GT3 Cup will also be used again.
“We are looking towards 2023 with confidence. In addition to the new Ferrari commitment, we can also very well imagine competing again with the Porsche 992 GT3 Cup in the Endurance Trophy Nürburgring with the aim of winning the AM championship. We know in which areas we still have potential for improvement and will try to work towards this during the winter break," said Abbelen.
