• Chaotic rain-affected race in Austin marked by an early red flag and numerous yellow and safety car phases
• Seventh place for the championship-leading driver trio of Ryan Hardwick, Riccardo Pera and Richard Lietz (#92)
• The Iron Dames Porsche (#85) was forced to retire from the race two laps before the chequered flag, due to engine overheating caused by a clogged radiator

Austin, Texas. Manthey finishes a roller-coaster six-hour race at the Circuit of the Americas in seventh place with start number 92. The sister car, which was also in the top 10 for the majority of the race distance with Rahel Frey (Switzerland), Michelle Gatting (Denmark) and Célia Martin (France) at the wheel, had to be retired shortly before the chequered flag due to a blocked radiator. In the championship for LMGT3 teams and drivers, this means Manthey 1st Phorm extends its lead, while the Iron Dames rank 16th after their premature retirement.

In unusual wet conditions for the Austin circuit, the Manthey 1st Phorm and Iron Dames cars started the Lone Star Le Mans race from 13th and 17th place, respectively, behind the safety car. The lead car, which had been deployed due to the rain, led the mixed-up field, comprising cars with different pit stop strategies, until the race director interrupted the race after one hour due to issues surrounding the replacement of the safety car. After resuming 40 minutes later under safety car conditions, Rahel Frey and Ryan Hardwick (USA) gained positions from seventh and 16th place. Silver drivers Pera (Italy) and Frey, who took over after 31 and 32 laps respectively, delivered strong stints as conditions partly improved. Both also benefited from a well-timed pit stop strategy under the Virtual Safety Car (VSC).

Both cars had therefore already ranked at the front of the field before the final driver change, two hours before the end of the race. For Richard Lietz and Michelle Gatting, who took over in third and fifth respectively, the choice of tyres during their stints in drying conditions ultimately played a decisive role in the battle for positions. While Manthey 1st Phorm's nine-eleven opted for the safer strategy of completing the race on rain tyres to secure the championship lead, the Iron Dames Porsche switched to slicks during its final pit stop. These decisions proved particularly significant in the final ten minutes on the 5.513-kilometre Circuit of the Americas. On the drying track, the cars on slicks overtook the Austrian driver Richard Lietz, who had been in second place until then, ultimately forcing him to finish the race in seventh. The Iron Dames sister car had the right tyres but unfortunately experienced problems with a dirt- and sand-clogged radiator. Due to engine overheating, the car was forced to retire from the race two laps early for safety reasons.

In the LMGT3 team and driver standings, this means that Manthey 1st Phorm – with the rival teams not scoring any points – has extended its championship lead by a further six points (95 points, 19-point lead) since the last race in São Paulo. The Iron Dames remain on 19 points and in 16th place.

“It was an extremely challenging race, with weather conditions that nobody had anticipated. The numerous safety car phases made it interesting from a strategic point of view, as we constantly had to weigh up energy and track advantages. We made some good decisions and were able to benefit from them. We deliberately opted for rain tyres on car number 92 towards the end so as not to jeopardise our chances in the championship. Under normal circumstances, we might have made a different decision, but this was the right choice, and we are heading to Fuji with a bigger lead. It's a great shame about the result for the Iron Dames because they performed strongly throughout the week and the race. Unfortunately, the radiator became clogged in the wet and dirty conditions, causing the car to overheat and forcing us to retire – that certainly cost us what would otherwise have been a very good result. Nevertheless, we have once again demonstrated the competitiveness of our two cars. I hope we can prove this again at Fuji," summarises Nicolas Raeder, Managing Director of Manthey Racing GmbH.

The Six Hours of Fuji on 28 September marks the penultimate round of the 2025 World Endurance Championship (WEC) season. It is also the last regular points-scoring round before the eight-hour season finale in Bahrain in November.

Quotes on Lone Star Le Mans: 

Rahel Frey, Porsche 911 GT3 R #85: “We got off to a very good start at the beginning of the weekend and quickly got used to the track. The car performed well from the outset – thank you to the team for that. Qualifying didn't quite go to plan, and then the rain arrived unexpectedly for the race. Usually, that would work in our favour, but today it was a bit more difficult. We then took a bit of a gamble with our choice of tyres and air pressure. Unfortunately, it didn't pay off, and we had to retire from the race due to radiator problems. It's disappointing, of course, because we've been on an upward trajectory since Le Mans and had the potential to achieve a good result. Now we have to make it happen at Fuji.“

Michelle Gatting, Porsche 911 GT3 R #85: “Unfortunately, it was a DNF here in Austin, which is a real shame because in the end we could have fought for a better result. We took the risk to go on slicks – I think it was the right call – and we could have fought back to P7 or P6. But we had to retire the car due to an engine issue. Now we need to analyse where we can improve, because we were still lacking some pace in places. Hopefully we’ll come back stronger in Fuji.“ 

Célia Martin, Porsche 911 GT3 R #85: “DNF for us at the 6 Hours of COTA. We had a strong start and a very good strategy with Manthey despite the rain, the safety car phases and even the red flag. For a long time, we were fighting inside the top five. Towards the end, though, we had cooling issues caused by the dirt on the track and couldn’t keep the engine temperature under control. That’s why it was really painful to retire just a few minutes before the finish. But that’s racing, and now our focus is on the next one.”

Ryan Hardwick, Porsche 911 GT3 R #92: “Wow, what a race. Very tough conditions out there for almost the entire time. I’m really proud of our team and my teammates – just great driving from them all day. We fought our way through the rain and were racing for the top spot, but in the end had to make a conservative tire choice that ultimately decided the race. Still, we finished ahead of our championship rivals and extended our lead in the standings, which was the main goal. While the result wasn’t quite what we had hoped for, we’re moving forward with the biggest championship lead we’ve had all season – and now we’re looking forward to Fuji.”

Richard Lietz, Porsche 911 GT3 R #92: “It was an eventful race, with a long red flag period and many safety cars. Considering how challenging the conditions were today, it’s positive that so many drivers made it through unscathed. Towards the end, we chose the safe option with rain tyres, following Ferrari, our main championship rivals. It may not have been the fastest choice in terms of the race result, but it allowed us to not only defend our lead but even extend it.”

Riccardo Pera, Porsche 911 GT3 R #92: “We finished P7 in the end – it was a crazy race with constant rain. At times we were running at the front, but in the last hour we made the safer tire choice and dropped back. Still, it’s a good result for us, the car was great to drive, and we managed to extend our championship lead over the Ferrari number 21. Overall, a positive weekend.”

Patrick Arkenau, Director Racing, Manthey Racing GmbH: “It was an exciting race that turned into a real thriller after a slow start. The weather conditions in Austin surprised us: very warm, but also very rainy. In the race, it was mainly about being on track at the right time with the right tyre pressures. We deliberately made few tyre changes in the first stints and only put on new rain tyres towards the final hours. For car 85, we chose a more aggressive strategy that ultimately would have been the right call – Michelle managed the tyres very well and delivered a strong performance. Unfortunately, the cars radiator became blocked, so we had to monitor the engine temperature closely in the final laps. We hoped to make it to the finish but had to retire shortly before the end for safety reasons. For car 92, with the championship in mind, we went with the safe strategy, stayed on rain tyres, and were able to secure the maximum points possible under these conditions and extend our lead. All our drivers did an excellent job under extremely difficult conditions, stayed error-free, and always pushed to the limit. That is something to be proud of, and now we are looking forward positively to Fuji.”

Results Lone Star Le Mans:
1. Leung/Gelael/Sato (GBR/INA/JPN), McLaren #95
2. Al Harthy/Rossi/van der Linde (OMA/ITA/RSA), BMW #46
3. Flohr/Castellacci/Rigon (CHE/ITA/ITA), Ferrari #54

7. Hardwick/Pera/Lietz (USA/ITA/AUT), Porsche 911 GT3 R #92
DNF Martin/Frey/Gatting (FRA/CHE/DNK), Porsche 911 GT3 R #85