Klaus Abbelen

Klaus Abbelen, born on September 15, 1960, is a German race car driver and entrepreneur. Abbelen began his motorsport journey on two wheels, competing in motorcycle racing from 1979 to 1986. His success in this arena included achieving third overall in the German Road Racing Series' Superbike class. After focusing on his business ventures, he returned to racing in 1998, this time in cars. He quickly made an impact, securing fourth place overall in the Ferrari-Porsche Challenge in his first year. The following seasons saw him consistently improving, culminating in a championship win in his Porsche 911 GT2 in 2000 in the Euro GT Series.

Driven by a desire to compete at a higher level, Abbelen entered the FIA GT World Championship in 2003, piloting a Dodge Viper GTS-R. He later raced a Saleen S7-R in the Le Mans Series. In 2005, he participated in eight races of the Porsche Supercup. Alongside his racing career, Abbelen established his own team, Frikadelli Racing.

Abbelen has also been a regular competitor in the VLN endurance racing series on the Nürburgring, achieving multiple wins and a third-place finish at the Nürburgring 24 Hours in 2008. In 2006, he famously partnered with Sabine Schmitz in a Porsche 997 entered by Land Motorsport in the VLN. More recently, he has continued to race in various GT series, including the GT Open and the GT World Challenge Europe.