Abu Dhabi. Manthey concludes the 2025/26 Asian Le Mans Series (ALMS) season at the Yas Marina Circuit with the two Porsche 911 GT3 R cars finishing third and eighth in the GT class championship standings. The 2024/25 ALMS champions, Antares Au (Hong Kong) and Klaus Bachler (Austria), together with Loek Hartog (Netherlands), secured four podium finishes in Sepang, Dubai, and Abu Dhabi, scoring a total of seventy championship points. This means that the starting number 10 finishes the season in third place in the championship, level on points with the team in second place. François Hériau (France), Riccardo Pera (Italy), and Richard Lietz (Austria) placed the car with starting number 92 in eighth place overall (38 championship points). The trio managed to finish in the top ten in three of the six four-hour races and achieved two further top-five results.

"Third and eighth place in the championship aren't quite what we had in mind for the 2025/26 ALMS season, but at the end of the day, we can still be really proud of ourselves. We managed to finish on the podium in four out of six races, making us the team with the highest podium rate of the season. After Dubai, we were in a promising position in the championship battle with car number 10 and traveled to Abu Dhabi with a chance of winning the title. Unfortunately, a few things happened in Saturday's race that were beyond our control and meant that we couldn't finish higher than seventh and ninth place. That ruined our chances in the championship. On Sunday, we were able to fight back with third place, which was a nice way to end the season. Of course, we wanted to defend our title, and we didn't succeed. Nevertheless, we were close and are even tied on points with the runner-up in the championship. In the end, only one car scored more points than us, and we are proud of that. Now we need to do our homework and come back stronger next year," explains Patrick Arkenau, Director Racing at Manthey Racing GmbH.

After a short break from racing, the team from Meuspath will be back in action in six weeks' time, on March 21, 2026, with the 12 Hours of Sebring (IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup), the next international endurance race on the calendar. Just one week later, on March 28, 2026, Manthey will kick off the new season of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) in Qatar. Details of the team's other racing commitments in 2026 will also be announced shortly.

Quotes on the Asian Le Mans Series 2025/2026:

Antares Au, Porsche 911 GT3 R #10: "It was a bittersweet kind of weekend in Abu Dhabi.  We gave it our all, but lacked the circumstances to repeat a championship win. On Saturday, errant marshaling led to our car receiving two drive-through penalties.  We received an apology from the race officials post-race for the incorrect penalties; but by then the damage was done, and we have lost crucial points to challenge the title. On the bright side, we achieved four podiums in six races, more than any other team, and were one of the most consistent performers in this year’s championship. If not for the mistake for which we received an apology on Sunday, we really could’ve fought for the title. I’m immensely proud of my co-drivers, engineers, crew and management at Manthey, that together we have conducted ourselves superbly in the face of competition and adversity."

Loek Hartog, Porsche 911 GT3 R #10: "We traveled to Abu Dhabi as championship contenders, but the first race was marred by two drive-through penalties for track limit violations. The result meant that we were no longer in contention for the championship on Sunday, which was very disappointing. We were strategically strong throughout the season, and this consistency made us the team with the most podium finishes in the GT category. Ultimately, the first result in Abu Dhabi and the retirement in the second race in Sepang cost us the overall victory. Nevertheless, it was a strong season with many positive aspects. We learned a lot, and I can only acknowledge how well the team worked throughout the season. I am proud to be part of this team, and I really hope that this was not my last event with Manthey."

Klaus Bachler, Porsche 911 GT3 R #10: "The ALMS season 2025/26 came to an end with the races in Abu Dhabi. We had a bit of bad luck in the first race and received a drive-through penalty, which cost us a better position than ninth place. That also finished our championship hopes, but we gave it our all in the last race and came back strong with third place. It was a great end to the season. Many thanks to everyone who was involved in this project. Ultimately, we were unable to defend our championship title, which was our goal. But we finished third, which is very good, and four podium finishes in six races is a very, very good team performance!"

François Hériau, Porsche 911 GT3 R #92: "Our overall result in the ALMS season does not fully reflect our potential. We had hoped to achieve at least one podium finish, and we definitely hoped for better results in Abu Dhabi. But that's how it is sometimes in motorsport; you also need a bit of luck, which we didn't always have this season. The collaboration with Riccardo, Richard, and the entire crew worked very well, which I'm happy about, and we all know that we had the potential for more."

Riccardo Pera, Porsche 911 GT3 R #92: "It wasn't an easy weekend for us in Abu Dhabi, but overall we are very happy with this ALMS season. We finished in the top ten in the overall standings, which is a good result. François drove a Porsche for the first time and did really well. Working with Richard is always great. Overall, the result isn't the best, but we proved our potential. Now I can't wait to start the new WEC season with Manthey and compete in Sebring beforehand."

Richard Lietz, Porsche 911 GT3 R #92: "The ALMS season was not easy for us. Our goal was to finish on the podium, but unfortunately we didn't manage to achieve that. We narrowly missed out twice in Sepang and Dubai. At the season finale in Abu Dhabi, our performance wasn't good enough and we also lacked luck, which is why we couldn't achieve better results than twelfth and seventh place. Eighth place overall doesn't meet our expectations, because we had the potential for a better result. Nevertheless, working with the team, François, and Riccardo was a lot of fun, and now I'm already looking forward to the start of the new WEC season in Qatar."

Final Standings - 2025/26 Asian Le Mans Series - GT class:

1. Kessel Racing #74, 94 Points
2. Team WRT #69, 70 Points
3. Manthey #10, 70 Points

8. Manthey #92, 38 Points