Manthey EMA finishes second round of the Nürburgring Endurance Series in fifth position

Fifth place for Manthey EMA at NLS 2
First lead kilometres for latest generation Grello Porsche
Last NLS race for Manthey EMA before Nürburgring 24 Hours in May

Meuspath. The No. 911 Porsche 911 GT3 R entered by Manthey EMA finished the second round of the Nürburgring Endurance Series in fifth place. Final driver Thomas Preining (Austria) took the chequered flag after 27 laps. Kévin Estre (France) completed the driver line-up for the second outing of the new 911.

Qualifying on Saturday morning started in wet track conditions. Manthey EMA sent the Porsche 911 GT3 R onto the 24.358-kilometre combination of the Nordschleife and the Grand Prix Circuit on wet tyres. With a lap time of 9:12.291, Kévin Estre placed the car with starting number 911 in tenth position.

The starting phase of the NIMEX 47. DMV 4-Hour Race was characterised by gripping duels among the 132 participants. Kévin Estre moved up to fifth position in the course of the opening lap. As the race progressed, the Manthey EMA Porsche 911 GT3 R worked its way up the field, gaining the first lead kilometres on the Nordschleife thanks to a different pit stop strategy. After 13 laps, Thomas Preining took over the wheel and returned to the track on slicks. Due to unfortunate Code 60 phases, the team dropped back and crossed the finish line in fifth place.

"We are still at the beginning of our work with the new Porsche and are therefore satisfied with the race. In qualifying we didn't find the right moment to set a good time. Our cautious tyre choice at the start also cost us time. But it was important that Kévin had time behind the wheel, and we were able to drive through the race. The car has some battle scars - now it's a matter of rebuilding it for the next races and being able to perform strongly there," describes Nicolas Raeder, Managing Director of Manthey Racing GmbH.

The next round of the Nürburgring Endurance Series will take place on 15 April 2023. However, due to the date clash with the official DTM pre-season test, Manthey EMA will not be able to participate. The next outing for the No. 911 Porsche 911 GT3 R on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife will be the 24-hour qualifiers on 22-23 April.

Driver quotes on NLS 2:

Kévin Estre, Porsche 911 GT3 R #911:
"With fifth place, the race wasn't perfect, but we didn't make any big mistakes. The tyre decision at the start wasn't ideal, but we were on the safe side and reacted well during the race. After that, we drove a clean race, but it lacked a bit of performance. It was my first race with the new GT3 R on the Nordschleife. The car is already quite good in the dry, but there's still room for improvement. We have a good starting position for the season, but we still have some work to do until everything is perfect."

Thomas Preining, Porsche 911 GT3 R #911:
"I didn't drive much in qualifying and had to adjust to the car quickly in the race. That worked well and it was great to be able to drive parts of the race in dry conditions. Towards the end we were unlucky with a Code 60 phase, otherwise, a podium finish would probably have been possible. We still have some points to work on before the 24-hour race. But I have full confidence in the team that we will have everything together in May to achieve our goal."