Manthey is firmly back in the fight after São Paulo podium

It is not often you see a team of Manthey's stature leave La Sarthe with only four points, but that is exactly what happened following a brutal 24 Hours of Le Mans. The reigning LMGT3 champions needed a response, and they found it in spectacular fashion at the Rolex 6 Hours of São Paulo. By securing a double top-four finish at the legendary Autódromo José Carlos Pace, the Eifel-based outfit has proven they are far from finished in this title hunt.

The weekend did not begin easily, with the two Porsches lining up seventh and 11th on the grid. Early in the race, the Bronze-rated drivers Yasser Shahin and James Cottingham lost ground, but the team's tactical brilliance soon began to show. On a track as unforgiving as Interlagos, Manthey’s ability to manage the 18-strong field was, frankly, a masterclass in endurance racing.

The #92 The Bend Manthey entry, driven by Shahin, Riccardo Pera, and Richard Lietz, ultimately took third place. The move that sealed the deal was a textbook pass by Lietz on Sebastian Priaulx’s #77 Proton Competition Ford Mustang with less than a quarter-of-an-hour remaining. For Lietz, who currently sits fourth in the championship alongside his teammates, the challenge of cooler temperatures and shifting conditions made this podium feel exceptionally satisfying.

Not to be outdone, the #91 Manthey DK Engineering 911 GT3 R crew of James Cottingham, Timur Boguslavskiy, and Ayhancan Güven executed a brilliant recovery from their 11th-place start. By being the first LMGT3 car to pit for fresh rubber, they set up a charge that saw Güven pushing hard in the final laps to cross the line less than half-a-second behind the sister car. It was a remarkable fourth-place finish for the 2025 DTM champion and his squad.

Racing Director Patrick Arkenau and Managing Director Nicolas Raeder were rightfully proud of the error-free execution that allowed the team to claw back vital points against their championship rivals. With the #92 crew now firmly back in the fight and the #91 crew still very much in contention, Manthey is carrying real momentum. The season resumes at the Circuit of The Americas in Texas this September, and if this performance in Brazil is any indication, the rest of the field should be very worried indeed.