That is what you call a timely recovery. After a tougher campaign than their previous two title-winning runs, the Porsche powerhouse Manthey is refusing to back down in the fight for a third consecutive FIA World Endurance Championship crown. The charge back to the front was ignited just over a week ago at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, where the squad secured its maiden victory of the 2026 season and dragged itself right back into the championship hunt.
Things started looking up during qualifying in Spain when bronze-graded driver Yasser Shahin safely navigated the opening phase in sixth place amongst the 18 high-calibre LMGT3 contenders. Team-mate Riccardo Pera then took over to pilot the #92 Porsche 911 GT3 R into the Hyperpole shootout, sticking it squarely on the front row of the grid by missing out on pole position by the slender margin of just 0.122 seconds. Remarkably, it was only the second time all season the machine had qualified inside the top ten, making it comfortably their best starting slot of the entire year.
In the end, everything simply came together for us. We were able to build gaps at key moments, and as always, the team executed brilliantly both strategically and in the pits.
Shahin wasted none of that hard work when the lights went out. Facing a damp track surface, the Australian swiftly snatched the class lead from pole-sitter Antaers Au. Even after a first hour safety car intervention wiped out the buffer he had worked so hard to build, he simply re-established his advantage while his rivals duelled energetically behind him. That stellar effort earned Shahin the fan-voted Goodyear Wingfoot Award for the most impressive LMGT3 display, drawing immense praise from his crew.
Pera and Richard Lietz subsequently took over the steering wheel, expertly mastering a flurry of neutralisations and changeable conditions over six hours of racing to take the chequered flag first. Patrick Arkenau, the squad's Racing Director, noted how Shahin's early advantage allowed them to control proceedings and react perfectly to every strategic situation.
The triumph completely reshaped the standings. The result catapulted The Bend Manthey from seventh spot up to second in the FIA Endurance Trophy for LMGT3 Teams, more than halving its deficit to the top of the table from 37 points down to 18. With 26 points still in play, everything comes down to next month’s 6 Hours of Monza finale—which happens to be home turf for Pera.
“It was a great weekend for us in Barcelona – one I really enjoyed,” enthused Pera. “After a difficult run, it felt great to return to winning ways in FIA WEC. It was special to spend so much of the race at the front and to help convert the strong performances of Yasser and Richard into a victory.”
Lietz echoed that sentiment regarding the changing weather and chaotic safety car periods. “Yasser laid the foundations for this victory,” said the ultra-experienced Austrian. “In the end, everything simply came together for us. We were able to build gaps at key moments, and as always, the team executed brilliantly both strategically and in the pits.”
Notably, the Spanish victory made The Bend Manthey the seventh different LMGT3 winner from as many races in 2026, setting a new record in the production-based category and highlighting its fierce competitiveness. Now, with the championship within reach, Arkenau made their stance clear: “Everything is still possible heading into the season finale at Monza, and we will do everything we can to finish strongly.”
