“Fly and Help VW Beetle RSR” – Motorsport with heart and for a good cause

Final countdown for the “White Angel for Fly and Help” VW Beetle RSR – Bernd Albrecht, Sebastian Asch, Carsten Knechtges and Julian Reeh take to the wheel for a good cause at the 52nd ADAC Ravenol 24-hour race Nürburgring from 30 May to 2 June 2024.

Accidents, technical disqualifications due to a too loud exhaust system, or even serious illnesses, nothing stops Bernd Albrecht and his team. Nothing! For years, the likeable Swabian has been pulling out all the stops to simply put motorsport with heart in the limelight.

Always with the mission to be charitable. KW automotive has accompanied the team boss on his missions for almost 30 years. The racing driver from Hirrlingen in the Dodge Viper CC GT3 had long been a crowd favourite on the international grid.

The white V10 car 2022 had its farewell race in the early hours of the morning when the second front splitter was also too badly damaged. Shortly afterwards, the White Angel for Fly and Help team decided to retire the Dodge Viper as it was a first-generation GT3 car and there are virtually no more spare parts available worldwide.

Bernd Albrecht and his team of volunteers were already collecting donations for the Reiner Meutsch Foundation „Fly and Help“ with the Viper. So far, twelve schools have been built in emerging and developing countries since 2021.

„All of Fly and Help‘s administrative costs are covered by foundation founder Reiner Meutsch and sponsors, and over 750 schools have been built since the foundation was established in 2012,“ says motorsport driver Bernd Albrecht. „The decision to stop using the Viper was not an easy one. After some deliberation, the team jointly decided to send a new exotic car into the Green Hell and opted for this VW Beetle RSR project.“

As in previous years, naturally KW automotive GmbH will be there. The „Fly-and-Help Beetle“ also comes with a five-way adjustable KW Racing suspension, which we developed as a customised special solution for the Beetle. After all, the VW is not just any Volkswagen. The basis is an old Cup Beetle from the stock of Manfred Sattler, who also provided the Viper – in exchange, in a manner of speaking.

From 1998 to 2000, there was also a manufacturers‘ cup for the market launch of the „New Beetle“, in which the „Beetle racing cars“ all started with a 2.8-litre VR6 engine. No more than 50 cars were built at the time and jack-of-all-trades Bernd Albrecht got his hands on one of two spare Cup Beetles.

„As the Volkswagen motorsport department has not been active for some time now, everything has to be taken over by volunteers and sponsors from the world of endurance racing as well as small and medium-sized companies,“ explains Bernd Albrecht. There are now almost 70 supporters on board, from BBS Motorsport, BGS technic, Goodyear, Hella, KW, kitchen specialists, Recaro and many, many more.

With a Cup Beetle over 20 years old with a VR6 heart, there was of course no question of starting in the 24-hour race and Bernd Albrecht and his men have no interest in a pure show start. Because even though the team is competing for a good cause, there are also ambitious racing drivers behind the wheel. Without further ado, a sharp two-litre TFSI from a VW Scirocco Cup racing car was installed in the bodywork.

At the moment, it is still being decided whether to start in the SP3T or SP4T class on the Nürburgring Nordschleife; depending on the class, the TFSI should then have 348 or 378 hp. Of course, the entire Beetle is a prototype and so the spoiler pope Ralph Wagner from WS Styling was called in for the bodywork. He realised the massive „RSR wide body“ and the mighty rear wing for the VW.

This means that the 52nd edition of the endurance classic in the Green Hell will start with a unique VW Beetle RSR for a good cause. Incidentally, Bernd Albrecht will share the cockpit at the Nürburgring 24-hour race with two-time ADAC GT Masters champion Sebastian Asch, Carsten Knechtges, who won the endurance championship in 2011 and achieved 48 class victories, and Julian Reeh, who is looking forward to his 24-hour debut.

In any case, we all wish the White Angel for Fly and Help VW Beetle RSR and everyone involved every success at the endurance highlight in the Eifel.

Images Fly and Help, Sponsors, KW

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