Guven to Make WEC Debut With Manthey

Ayhancan Guven will make his FIA World Endurance Championship debut with Manthey, having been confirmed as the first of two drivers for the team’s LMGT3 title defense alongside Richard Lietz.

The reigning DTM champion revealed on Sunday that he will not defend his championship in the German sprint series, hinting at “new and exciting challenges.”

On Monday, Manthey confirmed that Guven will become one of the team’s two Pro drivers in its WEC lineup, with defending champion Lietz also returning for his 13th season in the series.

Guven will become only the second Turkish driver in history to contest a full WEC season, after 2020 24 Hours of Le Mans class winner Salih Yoluc.

Ricardo Feller has been tipped as Guven’s replacement in DTM, with the Swiss racer expected to team up with Thomas Preining as part of a slimmed-down, two-car effort.

“We are thrilled that Richard will continue to support us in the WEC with his experience and expertise,” said Patrick Arkenau, Manthey’s director of racing.

“We have already celebrated many successes in the series with him and would naturally like to continue this. Ayhancan will celebrate his WEC debut with us.

“We would have loved to go on the mission to defend our title in the DTM with him, but now we are very much looking forward to competing in the next FIA WEC season together with him.

“Overall, we are proud to be back on the grid in 2026 with two consistently strong line-ups and we are looking forward to announcing our further great drivers in mid-December.”