Klaus Abbelen (born 15 September 1960) is a German racing driver and businessman.
Abbelen was a regular participant in races sanctioned at the Nürburgring, including the Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie and the Nürburgring 24 Hours. He finished on the overall podium of the 2008 24 Hours of Nürburgring and, as the team principal of Frikadelli Racing, won the 2023 24 Hours of Nürburgring. He retired from racing at the Nürburgring in September 2025 and currently competes only in historic racing events.
Abbelen owned his family's business Abbelen GmbH, a German Frikadelle manufacturer, until 2017. Abbelen was also married to German racing driver Sabine Schmitz before her death in 2021.
Racing career
Early career Abbelen's career began in motorcycle racing, rather than cars, in the late 1970s and early 1980s. He switched to cars towards the turn of the century and participated in the 1999 Ferrari Porsche challenge, finishing second in his class.
In 2002, Abbelen attempted to run the 24 Hours of Nürburgring, but failed to get in. In 2022, Abbelen placing third overall in the Euro GT Series, and the following year made one appearance in the same series, one in the 2003 Porsche Supercup, and one in the FFSA GT Championship, driving a Porsche 911 for Chateau Sport for two races along with racer Stéphane Ortelli. The pair would fail to reach podium and would settle for a 41st in the final standings. In 2004, Abbelen ran in the Le Mans Endurance Series, driving a Saleen S7-R for Konrad Motorsport in one race.
Nürburgring competition Abbelen was a frequent participant of races at the Nürburgring. He took his first win in the series in 2013 in the fourth round of the VLN Series. In 2008, he finished on the overall podium at the 24 Hours of Nürburgring for the first time.
Abbelen's trips to the Nürburgring extended outside of NLS and the 24 hour race. In 2019, he entered the Nürburgring round of ADAC GT Masters. In 2024, he competed in the Nürburgring round of the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup, his first GTWC start.
Abbelen announced his retirement ahead of the NLS8 round in the 2025 Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie. After suffering an early end to his race with a gearbox issue, he momentarily postponed his retirement to compete in the next round in NLS9. By finishing the race, he became the first GT3 driver to complete an NLS race solo, and finished second in the SP9 Am class.
Other ventures Abbelen competed in the 24 Hours of Daytona for the first time in 2016, racing alongside Patrick Huisman, Sven Müller, Frank Stippler, and his wife Sabine Schmitz. On race day, the crew finished 12th in the GTD class.
In 2024, Abbelen competed in the full Prototype Cup Germany season, having competed in the Nürburgring rounds in both 2022 and 2023, finishing on the podium in the former. He drove a Ligier JS P320 alongside Felipe Fernández Laser. In the final race at the Hockenheimring, Abbelen took his first and only win in the series.
Abbelen competed in some historic racing events in a Porsche 962 in 2025 and 2026.
Frikadelli Racing
Abbelen owns and is the co-founder of Eifel-based sports car racing team Frikadelli Racing. He and his wife Sabine Schmitz founded the team together in 2005 and were partners in the operation until Schmitz's death in 2021.
One of Frikadelli Racing's most notable achievements came in 2023, when the team scored a breakthrough victory at the 2023 24 Hours of Nürburgring with a Ferrari 296 GT3, driven by Earl Bamber, Nicky Catsburg, Felipe Fernández Laser, and David Pittard. It was the first victory in the event for Ferrari, and the first for a non-German manufacturer since 2002, when Zakspeed won the event with a Chrysler Viper GTS-R.
The team occasionally competes outside of the Nürburgring. They competed in the 2020 24 Hours of Spa, and planned to participate again in 2021 but withdrew because of the 2021 European floods.
Career summary
Complete 24 Hours of Nürburgring results Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps 2002 Edgar Dören Karl-Christian Lück Ernst-Paul WawerPorsche 996A7128DNFDNFBesaplast Gate Keeper Franjo Kovac Kurt Thiim Bobby CarradinePorsche 996A735DNFDNF2005 Wolfgang Destrée Kersten Jodexnis Marco MertenPorsche 996A733DNFDNF Uwe Reich Michael Prym Karl-Christian LückPorsche 996A725DNFDNF2006 Sabine Schmitz Andy Bovensiepen Heinz Dieter SchornsteinPorsche 911 GT3 RSP787DNFDNF2007 Manthey Racing Sabine Schmitz Edgar AlthoffPorsche 911 GT3 RSP747DNFDNF2008 Sabine Schmitz Edgar Viersen Kenneth HeyerPorsche 911 GT3 RSP7145 3rd 3rd2009 Frikadelli Racing Team Sabine Schmitz Edgar Althoff Kenneth HeyerPorsche 911 GT3 RSP71496th 2nd2010 Frikadelli Racing Team Sabine Schmitz Edgar Althoff Dieter Schornstein Jr.Porsche 911 GT3 RSP7122DNFDNF2011 Sabine Schmitz Tim Bergmeister Niclas KentenichPorsche 911 GT3 RSP9 GT31529th6th2012 Sabine Schmitz Patrick Huisman Christopher BrückPorsche 911 GT3 RSP9 GT31516th6th2013 Sabine Schmitz Patrick Huisman Patrick PiletPorsche 911 GT3 RSP9 GT38416th12th2014 Frikadelli Racing Team Sabine Schmitz Patrick Huisman Patrick PiletPorsche 911 GT3 RSP9 GT341NCNC2015 Frikadelli Racing Team Frank Kräling Marc Gindorf Connor De PhillippiPorsche GT Cup AmericaSP714319th 2nd2016 Frikadelli Racing Team Sabine Schmitz Patrick Huisman Norbert SiedlerPorsche 911 GT3 RSP950DNFDNF2017 Frikadelli Racing Team Sabine Schmitz Andreas Ziegler Alex MüllerPorsche 911 GT3 RSP915216th15th 2019 Frikadelli Racing Team Alex Müller Robert Renauer Thomas Preining Porsche 911 GT3 RSP9 Pro-Am135DNFDNF 2020 Frikadelli Racing Team Alex Müller Robert Renauer Norbert Siedler Porsche 911 GT3 RSP9 Pro-Am 81 NC NC 2022 Frikadelli Racing Team Hendrik von Danwitz Ayhancan Güven Julian Harrison Porsche 992 GT3 Cup Cup2 62 DNF DNF Complete FIA GT Series results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap) YearTeam12345678910111213PosPoints2003 Zwaan's Racing BAR MAG PER BRN DON SPA6 SPA12 SPA24 AND OSC EST MON19th142004 Zwaans GTR Racing Team MON VAL MAG HOC BRN DON SPA6 SPA12 SPA24 IMO OSC DUB ZHU NC 0 Complete 24 Hours of Spa results Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps 2003Zwaan's Racing Arjan van der Zwaan Rob van der Zwaan Marc GoossensChrysler Viper GTS-RGT17DNFDNF Complete Porsche Supercup results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap) YearTeam12345678910111213PosPoints2003 DeWalt Racing/PZRO-JAM IMO CAT A1R MON NÜR MAG SIL HOC HUN MZA IND1 IND2NC02005Konrad Motorsport BHR IMO CAT MON NÜR IND1 IND2 MAG SIL HOC HUN MZA SPA13th432006Harders Plaza Racing BHR IMO NÜR CAT MON SIL IND1 IND2 MAG HOC HUN MZANC0 Complete 24 Hours of Daytona results
Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps 2016 Frikadelli Racing Team Patrick Huisman Frank Stippler Sabine Schmitz Sven MüllerPorsche 911 GT3 RGTD69827th12th
Complete Le Mans Cup results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap) YearTeam1234567PosPoints2021Frikadelli Racing TeamBARLECMNZLMS1LMS2SPAPOR35th1.52022Frikadelli Racing TeamLECIMOLMS1LMS2MNZSPAPOR37th12023Frikadelli Racing TeamBARLMS1LMS2LECARASPAPOR23rd4 Complete Prototype Cup Germany results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap) YearTeam1234567891011121314PosPoints2022Frikadelli Racing TeamSPA1SPA2NUR1NUR2LAU1LAU2HOC1HOC2NC02023Frikadelli Racing TeamHOC1HOC1OSC1OSC2ZAN1ZAN2NOR1NOR2ASS1ASS2NUR1NUR2NC02024Frikadelli Racing TeamSPA1SPA2LAU1LAU2LAU3ZAN1ZAN2HOC1HOC2HOC3NUR1NUR2SAC1SAC25th149
VLN / Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie results summary
SeasonSeriesTeamRacesWinsPolesF/LapsPodiumsPointsPosition2006VLN Series80000??2009VLN Series100000??2013VLN Series — SP981115??2014VLN Series — SP9Frikadelli Racing Team9312553.432nd2015VLN Series — SP9Frikadelli Racing Team9113414.76?2016VLN Series — SP9Frikadelli Racing Team60000??2017VLN Series — SP9 Pro-Am / SP9 GT3Frikadelli Racing Team91116??2018VLN Series — SP9 Pro / SP9 PreFrikadelli Racing Team711229.2538th2019VLN Series — SP9 ProFrikadelli Racing Team200009.3237th 2020Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie — SP9 Pro-AmFrikadelli Racing Team4212319.58 4th2021Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie — SP9 Pro-AmFrikadelli Racing Team5121428.01 3rd2023Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie — SP9 Pro-AmFrikadelli Racing Team200000NC 2025Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie — SP9 AmFrikadelli Racing Team300010 NC
Other racing results summary SeasonSeriesTeamRacesWinsPolesF/LapsPodiumsPointsPosition1999Ferrari Porsche Challenge?????1922nd2001Euro GT Series155407?1st2002Euro GT Series1420061383rd2003French GT Championship20000941stEuro GT Series200000NC2004Le Mans Endurance SeriesKonrad Motorsport100000NC2011Porsche Carrera Cup GermanyKonrad Motorsport100000NC 2015Porsche Carrera Cup Germany — Class BKonrad Motorsport20001165th2016IMSA SportsCar Championship — GTDFrikadelli Racing Team10000165th 201924H GT Series — A6 ProFrikadelli Racing Team100000NCADAC GT Masters200000NCInternational GT Open200000NC2021GT Winter SeriesFrikadelli Racing Team320334414th2023Porsche Endurance Trophy Nürburgring — CUP2Frikadelli Racing Team7030081.512th2024GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup — Bronze CupFrikadelli Racing Team10000438thSource for all tables:
References
External links Company website