Frikadelli Ferrari makes history at Nürburgring 24 Hours with Brit David Pittard at the wheel

British GT racer David Pittard was racing historics – Lotus Elan, Cortina and Chevron B8 – when Goodwood regular Frank Stippler recommended a move to Germany to become a Nordschleife specialist. Pittard listened, made the big move five years ago, and after spells in Aston Martins and Walkenhorst BMWs, what might have seemed a leftfield decision has paid off. The 31-year-old from Hertfordshire was the anchor as Frikadelli Racing scored Ferrari a first Nürburgring 24 Hours win in its 51st edition.

Frikadelli’s defection from Porsche to Ferrari might have seemed sacrilegious, but the Nürburgring’s partisan hordes didn’t seem to mind as they cheered Pittard on his final lap in the new 296 GT3. That’s because team boss Klaus Abbelen – a local entrepreneur famed for his meat balls! – is hugely popular in these parts. The former partner of the late Sabine Schmitz had tried to win this for years.

Pittard also seems to have been accepted as a local and lives “just down the road” from the ’Ring. When he was questioned in the post-race press conference he answered in flawless German. “This is the crown jewel, what everything leads towards. This result is the culmination of five years of trying,” he tells us.

It’s been a long and winding road for Pittard. Now it seems his career is only just beginning to bloom.