• 13th place and a points finish for the The Bend Manthey (#92) Porsche following an early repair stop due to a damaged steering rod
• The Manthey DK Engineering (#91) sister car, which had been running at the front, was forced to retire after an incident on Sunday morning
• Manthey now sits in positions five (#92) and eleven (#91) in the team and drivers’ standings

Le Mans. Manthey looks back on an unfortunate race weekend at the 2026 24 Hours of Le Mans with both Porsche 911 GT3 R entries, which were running in a special livery celebrating 75 years of Porsche Motorsport and 30 years of Manthey. While the Manthey DK Engineering Porsche (#91) was forced to retire from the endurance classic after 18 hours due to a technical issue that led to an incident, the The Bend Manthey entry (#92), having been set back early in the race following repairs just 90 minutes after the start, crossed the finish line in 13th place and within the points on the Circuit de la Sarthe.

Starting from ninth on the grid, James Cottingham held his own against numerous Silver and Gold-rated drivers in the opening hours before handing over the 91 car to Porsche works driver Ayhancan Güven while running in eighth position. Güven then fought his way to the front of the LMGT3 field and took the class lead at around 19:00 local time. However, a puncture caused by debris on track during Timur Boguslavskiy’s stint dropped the car back down the order. From 17th place at the halfway mark, the trio launched another recovery drive, bringing the car back up to fourth position by around 9:30 on Sunday morning. Approximately 30 minutes later, however, Güven lost control of the car in the Mulsanne section due to a technical issue and made heavy contact with the barriers. While the Porsche works driver remained unharmed, the race for the 91 came to an immediate end on lap 247.

The Bend Manthey car number 92, meanwhile, suffered an early setback shortly after the start: starting driver Yasser Shahin brought the car into the pits just over an hour into the race due to a broken steering rod. Repairs took around 15 minutes, and the car returned to the track three laps down in 23rd position. Despite strong performances from Shahin, Riccardo Pera and Richard Lietz, the deficit could not be fully recovered. However, thanks to the consistently strong pace of the driver line-up, as well as retirements and issues for competitors, the Porsche 911 GT3 R managed to recover to 13th place and secure valuable championship points.

In the LMGT3 standings of the FIA WEC, the The Bend Manthey trio of Shahin, Pera and Lietz, who arrived in France as championship leaders, now sits in fifth place with 34 points. The Manthey DK Engineering crew remains on 18 points and is now ranked 11th in the standings.

Patrick Arkenau, Director Racing at Manthey, summarised the race as follows: “The 24 Hours of Le Mans did not unfold the way we had hoped after two consecutive LMGT3 wins. It was a very challenging race with a number of issues—some beyond our control, while others now need to be analysed in detail so we can draw the right conclusions for the future. Car number 92 had an early issue with the steering rod, which required a repair costing around 15 minutes and approximately three laps. We were able to recover somewhat and at least secured important championship points. Our 91, meanwhile, was running in a strong position and on course for a podium result. It is therefore particularly frustrating that a technical issue ultimately led to a loss of control while Ayhancan was at the wheel, resulting in contact with the barriers. The positive aspect is that Ayhancan was unharmed. Despite the result, I am very proud of the team’s performance. The entire crew stayed united and continued to deliver under difficult circumstances until the very end—that is not something to be taken for granted and shows the strength of our team.”

Nicolas Raeder, Managing Director of Manthey Racing GmbH, added: “After Nürburgring, Le Mans marks the second major setback for us in a short period of time. That is part of motorsport. Celebrating success together is one thing, but overcoming setbacks as a team is another. In the end, that is what makes the difference—being able to draw strength from these moments. It is important that we now analyse which factors at Le Mans were within our control. Sometimes you simply have bad luck, but it is equally important to identify what could have been done better. These are defining moments that help a team grow, even if they are difficult, as long as you handle them in the right way.”

Following two demanding weeks in Le Mans, Manthey now moves straight on to the next challenges: rounds five and six of the DTM season at Lausitzring (June 19–21, 2026), followed immediately by the next IMSA endurance race at Watkins Glen (June 25–28, 2026). The next round of the FIA WEC takes place on July 13 in São Paulo.

Quotes on the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2026:

James Cottingham, Manthey DK Engineering Porsche 911 GT3 R #91: “Le Mans is an extremely tough race. The pace today we would have sustain, especially considering that we had a very green race and dry weather during all days we’ve been here, puts the car on a tremendous strain and we had to drive the car to ten tenths for the entire time we’ve been here. Unfortunately we were not able to finish the race. But we’ve definitely showed that we were the strongest car out there pacewise. I think the data following the event will show that. For me on a personal note it is just disappointing, that, being here for the third time, I was again not able to finish Le Mans and it always happened in Sunday morning. But I am still grateful for the weekend and for having been able to seen our car run in the front for some time.”

Timur Boguslavskiy, Manthey DK Engineering Porsche 911 GT3 R #91: “This is a technical sport and we did our best and this is not the fault from the drivers or the team. In the early stages of the race, Ayhancan was great, he was flying and the fastest on the track. Then I was unlucky and got a puncture from Debris. Later, after fought back, we got a technical issue and our race was over. Very unfortunate, but now we will give everything to come back stronger in the next races.“

Ayhancan Güven, Manthey DK Engineering Porsche 911 GT3 R #91: “The race ended for us on Sunday morning, when were running in the Top-5, recovering from some bad luck in the night. We were pushing forward with good pace, but then we had a issue in the car. Unfortunately for me it happened in the worst place and I went to the barrier with highspeed. Luckily I feel well, I am just sorry for the team and that we could not bring it home. But it is like this sometimes and we move forward.”

Yasser Shahin, The Bend Manthey Porsche 911 GT3 R #92: “I took the start, and we went in with every intention of running the most conservative race possible. Unfortunately, Le Mans didn’t choose us this year. Our prospects unravelled almost two hours in when a broke  suspension component. It gave us a little warning, and luckily it happened close to the pits, so we were able to get in without surrendering the whole race. But the repair put us three laps down, and despite every effort, we couldn’t claw those laps back. I came out a few hours later and completed my first quintuple stint, which was both physically demanding and hugely rewarding, with some excellent learnings in this car. In the end, despite the best efforts of the team and our incredible preparation, 2026 will not be our year at Le Mans.“

Riccardo Pera, The Bend Manthey Porsche 911 GT3 R #92: “It was definitely a more difficult race than last year. We faced several issues and dropped to the back of the field very early on. We pushed throughout the night and into the morning to recover positions, and in the end we finished P13. Considering the circumstances, that was the maximum we could achieve. This result still gives us some valuable points for the WEC championship. Our full focus now shifts to São Paulo, and before that to Watkins Glen together with Manthey.”

Richard Lietz, The Bend Manthey Porsche 911 GT3 R #92: “These kinds of races are also part of the sport, and you have to acknowledge when others do a strong job. We gave it our all, and the team worked very hard to resolve the smaller issues that came up during the race as quickly as possible and keep the car running. I think we showed the true Le Mans spirit: keep fighting, keep going and give everything until the end – and in the end we were still able to take away some points for the WEC. I enjoyed every lap. Racing at Le Mans is always something special and never something you can take for granted. The conditions were very good, and our car was very well suited to the high temperatures, which made it very competitive. Of course, the result is disappointing for us, but congratulations to the winners – a great job.”