Manthey Joins Endurance Cup with Two-Car Porsche Effort

Porsche stalwarts Manthey Racing will join the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship next year, contesting the five-round Michelin Endurance Cup schedule with a car each in GTD Pro and GTD.

The expansion into the WeatherTech Championship marks a new chapter for the GT3 powerhouse team after highly successful stints in the FIA World Endurance Championship, Nürburgring 24, DTM and other series.

It currently remains undefeated in the LMGT3 class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and leads the WEC drivers’ standings in the category heading into next month’s Bahrain season finale.

Manthey also recently completed a clean sweep of titles in DTM, winning the drivers’ and rookie crowns with Ayhancan Guven and Morris Schuring alongside the teams’ championship.

The German squad will field a pair of Porsche 911 GT3 R Evos starting at January’s Rolex 24 at Daytona, with one car in the GTD Pro class and one car in GTD.

The No. 911 Porsche, fielded in GTD Pro, will sport the renowned ‘Grello’ livery that has become a staple of the Nürburgring 24, while the No. 912 machine in GTD has Ryan Hardwick as the first named driver.

“We are very proud to be competing in the IMSA in 2026 together with Ryan, Manthey, 1st Phorm and the Grello,” said Manthey managing director Nicolas Raeder.

“Entering the American market has been a long-held dream of ours, as we have been following the series for many years, and the U.S. market is also very important for our road car products.

“Entering our two Porsche in the endurance races will also provide an excellent opportunity to engage with Porsche dealers, Manthey customers, and enthusiasts.

“Building on our experience of competing at the Nürburgring and in the DTM and WEC since 2023 and 2024 respectively, IMSA is the next logical step for us. I am looking forward to this new challenge for our team, especially the season opener in Daytona.”

Manthey has made sporadic appearances in the WeatherTech Championship in the past, competing at Daytona in 2017 and 2018 with a single car that was headlined by Matteo Cairoli and Sven Mueller.

The team will make its first appearance at the IMSA-sanctioned test at Daytona International Speedway next month.