• Third podium of the season for The Bend Manthey (#92) with third place at Interlagos
• Manthey DK Engineering’s car number 91 rounds off the result with fourth place
• At the halfway point of the season, with four of eight races completed, Richard Lietz, Yasser Shahin and Riccardo Pera are second in the LMGT3 standings; James Cottingham, Timur Boguslavskiy and Ayhancan Güven occupy tenth place
   

São Paulo. Manthey celebrates another 3-4 finish in São Paulo, repeating its season-opening result from Imola. The Bend Manthey crew secured third place and their third podium of the season, while Manthey DK Engineering completed the strong team result in fourth. Starting from seventh (#92) and eleventh (#91) on the grid, the Bronze drivers of both Porsche 911 GT3 Rs initially lost positions during the opening stages of the race at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace. However, aided by different strategic approaches, both cars quickly began working their way back through the field. A very early first pit stop after just 24 laps made the #91 the first LMGT3 car to stop, giving James Cottingham a tyre advantage and allowing him to move into the top five in less than 90 minutes of racing. At the same time, the strategy left the car at a disadvantage later in the race against competitors who fitted fresh tyres much later. Meanwhile, the The Bend Manthey car opted for single stints for its Silver- and Platinum-rated drivers. As a result, Richard Lietz was able to hand the car back to Riccardo Pera in third place for the first time after just over two and a half hours of racing. Despite their differing approaches, both Porsche entries entered the final hour in close proximity following their final pit stops, running sixth (#92) and eighth (#91). The race had remained largely green throughout and consequently developed into a hectic contest, a trend that continued over the final 60 minutes. Richard Lietz and Ayhancan Güven launched impressive recovery drives through the field, pulling off a number of decisive overtakes. Ultimately, both Porsche 911 GT3 R emerged victorious from a three-car battle involving the number 88 Ford, moved into third and fourth positions and successfully held those places to the chequered flag. For The Bend Manthey, the result marked a third podium finish and a third P3 result of the 2026 season, while Manthey DK Engineering completed this with a fourth place for the second time this year. Both driver crews scored valuable championship points: Lietz, Pera and Shahin climbed three positions and now sit second in the LMGT3 standings at the halfway point of the season (49 points). Cottingham, Boguslavskiy and Güven are tenth with 30 points.

Patrick Arkenau, Director Racing at Manthey Racing GmbH, reflects on the weekend in Brazil: “After a very disappointing 24 Hours of Le Mans, it was important for us to return to form in São Paulo. Finishing third and fourth allowed us to do exactly that, even though our goal had naturally been to put both cars on the podium. Over the course of the race, we once again played to one of our key strengths and worked our way forwards from already solid midfield starting positions. Overall, we had a largely trouble-free race and again also benefited from a little bit of luck. We lost some time when the number 92 had to be repositioned during a pit stop, but that was effectively balanced out by a well-timed Full Course Yellow during the previous stop. What stood out most, however, was the performance of all our drivers. You can clearly see how those who are still new to the team and the Porsche 911 GT3 R continue to develop and improve from race to race. Although we are already at the halfway point of the season, São Paulo was only the fourth round, so there is still a lot to play for. With all the cars ahead of us in the championship finishing behind us this weekend, we were able to make up valuable ground. Now we want to carry that momentum into Austin.”

“Racing in São Paulo is always something special. Interlagos has a unique atmosphere and a very distinctive character. The circuit tells so many stories, and you can feel the significance of this place for motorsport as soon as you enter the paddock”, adds Nicolas Raeder, Managing Director of Manthey Racing GmbH. “That is why we always look forward to coming back here. We can be very satisfied with finishing third and fourth. Both cars completed strong and error-free races and worked their way forwards over the six hours. For the #92 crew, the podium also means that we are firmly back in the championship fight in second place. At the same time, nothing is lost for the #91 crew either. Our goal is to build on this result and have both cars on the podium during the second half of the season.”

The FIA World Endurance Championship continues with the Lone Star Le Mans at the Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas, on the first weekend of September. Before then, Manthey will contest two further DTM rounds (Oschersleben, 24–26 July 2026, and Nürburgring, 14–16 August 2026) as well as the fourth round of the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup at Road America (30 July–2 August 2026).

Quotes on the Six Hours of São Paulo 2026:

James Cottingham, Manthey DK Engineering Porsche 911 GT3 R #91: “It was a really tight race with green-flag running almost all the way through, which is quite surprising year after year on such a short and narrow circuit. Starting from a difficult qualifying position, we demonstrated very good average pace throughout the race and gradually worked our way forwards. The team made some very smart strategy calls, particularly with the short opening stint, which helped put us in a strong position. Finishing P4 and coming so close to the podium is something we can be pleased with. Of course, I’m also delighted for our sister car to secure another podium finish. Overall, it was a strong result for the team, and we’re looking forward to carrying this momentum into COTA.”

Timur Boguslavskiy, Manthey DK Engineering Porsche 911 GT3 R #91: “It was my first time racing in Brazil, and it turned out to be a very positive weekend. I felt comfortable in the car from the beginning and was able to show strong pace during my stint. Finishing third and fourth as a team is a fantastic result and a great reward for everyone’s hard work. We probably didn’t have the outright pace of some of our competitors, but through a bold strategy, strong performances from all three drivers and excellent execution by the team, we were able to make the most of our package. In the end, we came away with a great result and some very valuable championship points.”

Ayhancan Güven, Manthey DK Engineering Porsche 911 GT3 R #91: “Finishing P4 in São Paulo after starting from P11 is a really strong result. Throughout the race, we steadily worked our way forwards and stayed in contention, so to cross the line in fourth place, directly behind our sister car, is very satisfying. After the disappointment of Le Mans, it was great to be back fighting at the front and in the battle for the podium again – only missing out by half a second. The entire team and both of my team-mates did an outstanding job all weekend. There are a lot of positives to take away from this race, and hopefully we can carry this momentum into Austin and fight for our first podium there.”

Yasser Shahin, The Bend Manthey Porsche 911 GT3 R #92: “We are absolutely thrilled to come away from São Paulo with a podium finish. We came here determined to fight for a result like this, and it feels fantastic to come away with third place after such a close and hard-fought race. The whole team did an outstanding job, and this podium is a great reward for all the effort that went into this weekend. This was the definition of working for it.”

Riccardo Pera, The Bend Manthey Porsche 911 GT3 R #92: “I’m incredibly happy with this P3. It’s our third podium of the season, which is something we can all be very proud of. It also marks my first podium in Brazil, making this result even more special. A huge thank you to the team – the car was fantastic throughout the race. We had a lot of great battles on track, and I really enjoyed being behind the wheel. Yasser and Richie both did an amazing job, and together with a strong strategy and flawless execution from the team, we were able to make this result possible. Now our focus is on carrying this momentum into COTA.”

Richard Lietz, The Bend Manthey Porsche 911 GT3 R #92: “It was an exciting race – perhaps even a little more exciting than I would have liked. At the same time, it shows just how competitive the LMGT3 field has become. Despite the changing conditions, we managed to get the maximum out of our package. The cooler temperatures towards the end of the race certainly didn’t make things any easier, and defending our position was far from straightforward. That makes this third-place finish even more satisfying, as it allowed us to secure a top result and score valuable points for the championship. All three drivers did a fantastic job, and overall it was a challenging but very positive weekend for us.”

WEC Race Calendar 2026:
19 April 2026 I 6 Hours of Imola
9 May 2026 I TotalEnergies 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps
13-14 June 2026 I 24 Hours of Le Mans
12 July 2026 I Rolex 6 Hours of São Paulo
6 September 2026 I Lone Star Le Mans
27 September 2026 I 6 Hours of Fuji
24 October 2026 I Qatar 1812Km
7 November 2026 I Bapco Energies 8 Hours of Bahrain