Manthey Set to Partner With EMA for Nürburgring 24 Program

Seven-time Nürburgring 24 winner Manthey Racing is set to partner with Australian team EMA Motorsport for its GT3 program at the Nordschleife this year.

Manthey, the most successful team at the N24, has already linked up with EMA for sporadic GT3 outings with Porsche machinery including last year’s 24 Hours of Spa, the penultimate round of the NLS season and last weekend’s Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour.

Manthey Racing managing director Nicolas Raeder told Sportscar365 that his team’s intention is to continue with the partnership building up to the N24 event on May 18-21.

When asked about Manthey’s status in the GT3 ranks at the Nürburgring this year, Raeder said: “This is relatively sure. Hopefully the same combination like now [at Bathurst], together with EMA.

“In the end, you have to get together everything and this is only possible with strong partners.

“There are a lot of things you need to do a proper season on the Nürburgring and be properly prepared for the 24 hours. That’s the reason why we want to do it with partners.

“Here we have a perfect partnership with EMA. I think at the Nürburgring we will do it [in] the same way like [at Bathurst].”

The Bathurst entry with a single Porsche 911 GT3 R included three EMA staff working alongside Manthey mechanics and engineers. Porsche factory drivers Matt Campbell, Mathieu Jaminet and Thomas Preining finished second in a thrilling conclusion.

EMA races in Porsche Carrera Cup Australia but has also ventured into GT3 racing overseas.

The team previously competed as 59 Racing, finishing second overall in the 2020 Bathurst 12H with McLaren. It then entered the first round of that year’s Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS Endurance Cup season with support from British team GT Motorsport, however the COVID-19 pandemic impacted its plans.

Raeder suggested that some of EMA Motorsport’s Australian crew could be integrated into the N24 program.

“We have to see how it works,” he said. “It’s a long way [away] but it’s a good idea to integrate them and do it more together.

“EMA has their own program in Australia and for sure it’s a help for everybody.”

Manthey hopes to enter other major GT3 races this year following the end of its factory GTE-Pro program with Porsche in the FIA World Endurance Championship.

However, those outings haven’t been confirmed, while EMA Motorsport is also yet to announce its GT3 program for the coming season.

“We did WEC [for] the last 10 years,” Raeder said. “Now we look at what we can do in the future. We have to do races and [if it’s] only at the Nürburgring it’s not enough.

“Hopefully you can see something more from us, but we have to be careful where we drive and what we drive.

“But races like Bathurst and Spa… there is nothing fixed because of the new car we have to wait, but hopefully in the next weeks we can say more.”