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Manthey PureRxcing triumphs at LMGT3 premiere of the FIA World Endurance Championship in Qatar

• Klaus Bachler, Alex Malykhin and Joel Sturm win in the Manthey PureRxcing 911 at the LMGT3 debut of the WEC
• Richard Lietz, Morris Schuring and Yasser Shahin finish in 15th place
• Technical problems prevent Manthey EMA drivers from better position

The two Porsche 911 GT3 Rs entered by Manthey finished the first race of the FIA World Endurance Championship in first and fifteenth place in the LMGT3 class. After ten hours, Klaus Bachler crossed the finish line in the #92 Manthey PureRxcing Porsche as the winner of the new GT class. Richard Lietz saw the chequered flag in fifteenth place in the #91 Manthey EMA entry, after technical problems in the middle of the race prevented a better result on the debut of the LMGT3 in the FIA WEC.

On Saturday morning at 11:00am local time, Yasser Shahin (#91) and Alex Malykhin (#92) started the 10-hour race at the Lusail International Circuit in Qatar, taking P2 and P13 on the grid. The two Bronze drivers put in a strong performance from the start, with Malykhin taking the lead in the newly introduced LMGT3 class after just 15 minutes, while Shahin steadily worked his way up the field. After around two hours and the first driver change, the #91 car with Morris Schuring at the wheel returned to the track in second place, which meant a double lead in the GT class for the Manthey entries.

Bachler, Malykhin and Sturm had to relinquish the lead midway through the race, but kept the #92 car within striking distance at all times. Thanks to a flawless performance by the driver trio and the pit crew, the Manthey PureRxcing Porsche regained the lead three and a half hours before the end of the race and held on until the chequered flag. After 299 race laps, final driver Klaus Bachler crossed the line first in the LMGT3 class.

Just before the halfway point of the Qatar 1812 KM race, the Manthey EMA Porsche was forced to pit due to problems with the electric throttle control. After the repair, Shahin returned to the track in eighteenth place, 13 laps down. However, Lietz, Schuring and Shahin showed good pace throughout the race, even without a podium chance. After another unscheduled pit stop due to the same problem and 284 laps completed, Richard Lietz crossed the finish line in fifteenth place.

"The first race in the GT class of the WEC was once again a special challenge for us. It feels almost unbelievable that we were able to continue our winning streak here after the DTM and the Bathurst 12 Hours. I am very proud of the entire team and our drivers. In such a strong field, our bronze drivers in particular put in an impressive performance. Unfortunately, we were unlucky with the #91, without the technical problems we would have had a good chance of a podium finish here too. But I think we showed with both cars that we are a force to be reckoned with," explained Nicolas Raeder, Managing Director of Manthey Racing GmbH.

Quotes on the Qatar 1812km:

Richard Lietz, Porsche 911 GT3 R #91: "The race result was not ideal for us. But you have to look at the overall package and consider the whole week, including the Prologue. Working with Yasser, Morris and the whole team was a lot of fun. We are taking a lot from our time here and I am very confident for the next races. This race we simply had technical problems, but we have to put that behind us and move on."

Morris Schuring, Porsche 911 GT3 R #91: "Our start went really well and Yasser did a great first stint. Then I got into the car in P4 and was able to move up to P2, so we were in the double lead. Unfortunately, we then had a technical problem that cost us 13 laps. That was the end of the race for us, otherwise a podium finish would have been possible. Nevertheless, I'm very happy for the 92 crew that they won the race."

Yasser Shahin, Porsche 911 GT3 R #91: "We had a fantastic start to the race and were in P2 after four hours despite starting from the back of the field. I really enjoyed my time at the wheel today. Unfortunately, an electrical problem forced us to pit, which cost us 25 minutes. Nevertheless, we learned a lot today and I'm looking forward to the next race at Imola.”