In the second race weekend of the 2024/2025 Asian Le Mans Series (ALMS), Manthey again demonstrated strong performance with their two Porsche 911 GT3 R. After a nearly one-hour race interruption in Saturday’s race, Ryan Hardwick (USA), Richard Lietz (Austria), and Riccardo Pera (Italy) secured their second ALMS podium finish, coming second in the starting number 92. Meanwhile, the sister car, after an unplanned pit stop late in the race, had to relinquish the lead and finished fifth. In the second race on the 5.39-kilometer Dubai Autodrome, marked by numerous safety car periods, cars 10 and 92 finished fourth and fifth. With overall positions of second (#92) and fourth (#10) in the GT standings, both crews are within reach of championship victory ahead of the season finale in Abu Dhabi.
Podium finish for Manthey EMA in the shortened Saturday race at Dubai Autodrome
Antares Au (Hong Kong) and Ryan Hardwick started the first of two four-hour races at the Dubai Autodrome from ninth and 18th positions. Hardwick made up seven positions in the early stages and Au also impressed on the desert circuit. The two bronze drivers were already sixth (#10) and seventh (#92) when the safety car came out just under an hour into the race. The two Porsche 911 GT3 R came into the pit lane for a short refueling stop under the safety car and were in tenth (#10) and twelfth (#92) position when the red flag was waved for a necessary repair to the track barrier. With the race restarted at one hour and 55 minutes, Au and Hardwick handed over the wheel to Joel Sturm (Germany) and Riccardo Pera.
The silver drivers did everything they could to work their way forward in the field: Sturm took the lead in the number 10 car after three hours of racing and defended his position until the final mandatory driver change, while Pera handed over the blue Manthey EMA Porsche in fifth place after 60 laps. With Bachler and Lietz in the cockpit, Manthey looked to be on course for a double podium in the final 45 minutes of the race. However, shortly after Richard Lietz (Austria) had overtaken the third-placed, an unscheduled pit stop forced the leading sister car back to the pits with three laps to go. This was due to refueling problems at the last regular pit stop as a result of the car’s parking position. As a result, the crew of car number 92 took second place, their second podium finish of the season, while the Manthey Porsche number 10 finished fifth.
Top five finish at the second round in Dubai dominated by safety car periods
While the starting number 10 took up Sunday’s race from sixth place, Ryan Hardwick in the number 92 car had to fight his way up from the back of the grid after qualifying in 26th position. The American again rose to the challenge and after the first two laps of the race, when a Virtual Safety Car (VSC) was called due to debris on the track, he was already ten places ahead in 16th. As the race progressed, the GT field was repeatedly reshuffled due to several safety car periods and different pit stop strategies adopted by the teams. At the halfway point, just before Au and Hardwick pitted for the first driver change of the race, the two Porsche were eleventh (#10) and ninth (#92).
Despite a ten-second VSC penalty for the number 92 and another 25 minutes behind the safety car, Sturm and Pera were able to hand over the cars in fourth (#10) and fifth (#92) place after about an hour of driving thanks to a strong performance and tactically well-timed pit stops. Klaus Bachler and Richard Lietz battled fiercely with their GT rivals in the final hour of the endurance race and took the checkered flag in the same positions as their teammates had handed over to them. This meant that the number 10 car improved by one position in the final result, while the number 92 car climbed an impressive 21 places from its starting position.
With these results in Dubai, both crews improved their position in the championship. Ryan Hardwick, Richard Lietz, and Riccardo Pera are now second in the team and driver standings (45 points), 15 points behind the championship leader. Just two points behind their team-mates and level with the third-placed team, Antares Au, Klaus Bachler, and Joel Sturm are fourth in both classifications (43 points). The championship will be decided in Abu Dhabi, where a total of 50 points are up for grabs in the last two races. The season finale of the Asian Le Mans Series awaits the teams at the legendary Yas Marina Circuit next weekend (15-16 February).
Quotes on the ALMS in Dubai:
Antares Au, Porsche 911 GT3 R #10: “It was a tough week in Dubai, but we made the best of it. Our team and car were really strong on Saturday, and leading the field up to the final minutes. Sadly, a fueling problem robbed us of a victory there. Sunday got tougher for us, as track conditions changed, and we struggled a bit with our car, resulting in us finishing one step off the podium. It’s disappointing to not realize our potential this last week, but I am optimistic that the team has what it takes to maximize the situation in Abu Dhabi next week.”
Klaus Bachler, Porsche 911 GT3 R #10: “The second weekend of the ALMS season in Dubai is over. We had two great races: in the first race we could have won if we hadn’t had a problem with the fuel injection at the pit stop, in the end we finished fifth. In the second race we fought back strongly as well. It was a cool race with fierce battles all the way to the finish and we just missed out on a podium finish in fourth. We scored a lot of points for the championship and are in a strong position. We are expecting a tough fight for the title in Abu Dhabi and will do everything we can to win the GT championship together with Manthey.”
Joel Sturm, Porsche 911 GT3 R #10: “Dubai was a mixed experience for us. Fourth place in Sunday’s race was the best possible result in my opinion. Of course, it was a shame that we had to make an extra pit stop while leading the third ALMS race after things didn’t go quite as planned at the last regular pit stop. It is always bitter to give up a win so close to the end. Nevertheless, we still have every chance in Abu Dhabi and will be on the attack again to hopefully decide the championship in our favor.”
Ryan Hardwick, Porsche 911 GT3 R #92: “What an amazing weekend of racing here in Dubai! After a very disappointing qualifying session where I made some mistakes, our team had to start both races towards the back. To be able to fight through the field to finish second in race one and fifth in race two shows how strong our team is. My teammates Riccardo and Richie showed some brilliant driving, our Manthey engineers set up a fantastic car for us to drive and our crew was lightning fast at pit stops. I couldn’t be prouder of our team. Ready to take the fight for the championship to Abu Dhabi.”
Richard Lietz, Porsche 911 GT3 R #92: “It was a good weekend for us here in Dubai. We scored a lot of points in both races, had some exciting duels and, as always, a great car from Manthey. We are now second in the championship, raising expectations for next week’s final two races. With important lessons learned, the focus is now on the upcoming finale and the WEC season opener.”
Riccardo Pera, Porsche 911 GT3 R #92: “It was a very good weekend for us, securing a podium and a strong top five finish. Considering we started from the back of the grid, we did an incredible job and showed strong pace throughout the weekend. The battle for the championship is tight, so the final two rounds in Abu Dhabi will be crucial. Huge credit to Ryan and Richie for their drive and to Manthey for a great strategy once again.”
Patrick Arkenau, Division Manager Racing, Manthey Racing GmbH: “The second race weekend of the ALMS 2024/2025 is over – with some ups and downs for us. All in all, we can be happy with the results: we got back on the podium with the 92 and finished in the top five in both races. However, in the first race we lost what we thought was a sure victory for the number 10 car due to a technical problem at the last pit stop, where an imperfect parking position meant that the fuel hose was a little too short, the fuel coupling jammed and ultimately the fuel flow was reduced. Despite trying to conserve as much fuel as possible, the car had to return to the pits and relinquish the lead. The very chaotic race on Sunday, with many yellow, VSC, and safety car periods, made it difficult for us to maximize our advantages over the race distance. Nevertheless, and despite the strategic disadvantage we had compared to other teams due to the VSC phases, the 92 was able to fight its way up from last place to fifth directly behind the sister car in a strong chase. This was only possible thanks to the clean and very good performances of all our drivers. We will do everything we can to take our first ALMS win and still have a say in the championship at the last two races in Abu Dhabi.”
Above content © 2025 Manthey Racing GmbH, reviewed and edited by Rex McAfee
