Porsche announced today that Manthey will run two Porsche 911 GT3 R’s in the LMGT3 class of the World Endurance Championship in 2024.
There was a lot of interest from different Porsche customer teams to run this program, but Porsche’s decision to go with Manthey came down to the team’s experience in the WEC and their success in the GT3 racing scene with Porsche.
They are a highly rated GT3 team with the German squad having three wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans with a one-two finish in 2013, seven wins at the Nürburgring 24 Hours, and the Production car lap record on the Nordschleife with the Porsche 911 GT2 RS MR in 2018.
Manthey is also very familiar with the Porsche 911 GT3 R as they run two in DTM, which its driver, and Porsche Works driver Thomas Preining is currently leading the Championship.
The German team also ran Porsche’s in the GTE Pro class of the World Endurance Championship until 2022 when the class was dropped from the championship.
The entry is very likely to be accepted by the WEC as the Hypercar manufacturers are guaranteed two spots for the LMGTE class, which they could give to two separate teams, which Porsche hasn’t with them going with one.
Porsche announced with this news that the team name and the drivers that will take part in the WEC will be revealed at a later date.
Vice President of Porsche Motorsport Thomas Laudenbach spoke about why Porsche chose Manthey:
“We had huge interest from potential, strong operational teams. The decision wasn’t easy. However, since the grid spots are limited, we had to make this decision. Our choice fell on Manthey for a number of reasons. Besides the fact that it is a subsidiary, several other factors speak in favour of Manthey: The team is very familiar with the Porsche 911 GT3 R from DTM races and major endurance classics, among others. Moreover, Manthey is closely acquainted with the special characteristics of the FIA WEC thanks to many years of factory racing with the Porsche 911 RSR. Last but not least, Porsche’s successful history with the team is an important factor. Together with Manthey, we’ve won the world championship and clinched three class victories at Le Mans. We’re confident that we’ll be strongly represented in the new LMGT3 class next year.”