• Ninth place for the Manthey Porsche in the GTD PRO class (#911) and 16th place for Manthey 1st Phorm in the GTD class (#912)
• Despite strong starting positions and performance, both cars were set back by penalties during the race

Plymouth. Manthey ends a promising weekend at Road America in ninth (GTD PRO, #911) and 16th place (GTD, #912) following a chaotic six-hour race. The team’s debut on the 6.515-kilometre circuit in the US state of Wisconsin got off to a good start: Both cars finished among the top positions in the timed practice sessions, demonstrating the potential of the Porsche 911 GT3 R. This was also reflected in their starting positions: fifth for starting number 911 and 14th for the 912 – the second-fastest Bronze time in the GTD qualifying session.

In a race characterised from the outset by accidents and the resulting full course yellow and safety car periods, the Grello Porsche initially held its own in the leading group and even took the lead in the GTD PRO class after around an hour. Despite being ordered by race control to make an unscheduled pit stop to rectify low tyre pressure, Klaus Bachler (Austria) and Thomas Preining (Austria) managed to regain the lead thanks to the right strategy. In the final third of the race, however, the car lost positions once again due to a drive-through penalty imposed for blocking another competitor. After Preining had fought his way back into the top five with around an hour of the race remaining and was battling for a possible podium finish, a second drive-through penalty followed due to a power overshoot by the 911 resulting from contact during a duel. Combined with the damage sustained as a result, this put the car out of contention for a comeback, meaning the 911 ultimately finished the race in ninth place in the back of the GTD PRO field.

The Manthey 1st Phorm crew were also unable to capitalise on their strong starting position as the race progressed: after Riccardo Pera (Italy) took over the car from Ryan Hardwick (USA), he initially benefited from the pit stop strategy chosen by his engineers and managed to make up several places. However, a drive-through penalty for driving standards dropped the 912 back to 17th place at the halfway point of the race. Nevertheless, Pera and Morris Schuring (Netherlands) picked up from there and worked their way back up the field. Schuring had already moved up to eighth place and into the points when a second penalty was imposed for contact. As the race finished under the safety car, this drive through could not be served. Instead, a substitute penalty in the form of an eight-place grid penalty was imposed, meaning that Manthey 1st Phorm was ultimately classified in 16th place in the GTD class.

“Road America wasn’t the race we’d hoped for,” acknowledges Patrick Arkenau, Director Racing at Manthey Racing GmbH. “The pace of both cars was very good; we were able to establish ourselves in a promising position right from the start and even take the lead with the 911. However, various penalties made our race increasingly difficult. The technical penalties were undoubtedly correct and justifiable. With regard to some decisions concerning driving standards, we are currently still finding it difficult to fully understand the race control’s line of reasoning, particularly as we ourselves were involved in similar situations that were not penalised. We will carefully review the incident and seek dialogue to develop a better understanding of it. Ultimately, this cost us the chance of a better result with both cars. On a positive note, the strong performance of our team and our drivers stands out. We are now focusing on the finale at Road Atlanta with the clear aim of ending our IMSA debut season with both cars in contention for victory.”

This leaves Manthey with just one race remaining in the Michelin Endurance Cup: the season finale at the Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta from 30 September to 3 October promises to be an exciting end to the season with eight hours of racing.

Quotes on the Motul SportsCar Endurance Grand Prix 2026:

Klaus Bachler, Manthey Porsche 911 GT3 R #911: “This was not the outcome we were hoping for in this race. We had a fantastic car and the pace to fight for the win. An initial blocking penalty set us back early on, but we were able to work our way back through the field. The second drive-through penalty for a power overshoot shortly before the end ultimately took us out of contention. Now it’s important to analyse everything carefully and understand what happened. Above all, it’s disappointing for the team, because we certainly had everything we needed to fight for victory today, but in the end we weren’t able to make the most of that opportunity.”

Thomas Preining, Manthey Porsche 911 GT3 R #911: “It was a frustrating afternoon for us. We had a fast car, and the team did everything right with the strategy and pit stops. However, a number of penalties and other setbacks throughout the race ultimately cost us a lot of ground. In IMSA, things can change very quickly, especially when a caution period or Safety Car comes at the wrong time, so not everything was entirely in our control. That said, this wasn’t our best performance either, and there are definitely areas where we need to improve. Now we look ahead, because the season finale already offers us the next opportunity.”

Ryan Hardwick, Manthey 1st Phorm Porsche 911 GT3 R #912: “After a really positive weekend, it was a very disappointing end to the race. We were working our way forward and getting ourselves into the fight for the top five, but two separate penalties put us to the back of the field on both occasions and made our race extremely difficult. In this series, it can sometimes be challenging to understand where the line is between hard racing, giving competitors enough space and receiving a penalty. Despite that, both of my teammates did an amazing job, while I personally struggled a bit more with the conditions today. Coming off the win at Watkins Glen, it’s obviously disappointing to finish towards the back. We’ll take the time to analyse everything, understand where we can improve and come back stronger for the final race of the season at Petit Le Mans.”

Riccardo Pera, Manthey 1st Phorm Porsche 911 GT3 R #912: “It was a very unlucky race for us, and in the end we were unable to achieve the result we were hoping for. We a good package all weekend, and the team did an amazing job as always. Unfortunately, a number of penalties and the chaotic nature of the race made things very difficult for us, and ultimately it just wasn’t our day. It’s disappointing, but we’ll take the positives, learn from it and bounce back at Road Atlanta in October, I’m sure.”

Morris Schuring, Manthey 1st Phorm Porsche 911 GT3 R #912: “All in all, it’s a disappointing end to what was otherwise a really positive week. It was my first time at Road America and also the team’s first time here, and I think we executed everything very well heading into the race. Even during the race, despite a few challenges, we managed to stay focused and keep them under control. Unfortunately, a combination of incidents and penalties made things very difficult for us and left us with fewer points than we had hoped for. It’s a shame because I feel we had much more potential and deserved a stronger result. Sometimes that’s just racing, and we have to accept it. We’ll take the positives, learn from the weekend and look forward to the next event.”