Porsche 963 and 911 GT3 R Earns Points At Imola

The Porsche customer team Manthey 1st Phorm has won the GT category at the six-hour race of the FIA World Endurance Championship in Imola. After a spirited duel against BMW, Austrian factory driver Richard Lietz and his teammates Ryan Hardwick from the USA and Italian Riccardo Pera came out on top. The two factory Porsche 963 race cars fielded by Porsche Penske Motorsport finished eighth and eleventh in the top Hypercar class. The Iron Dames squad took home their first championship points with Porsche in the LMGT3 category with eighth place.

Clouds and Safety Cars

Under cloudy skies and in temperatures around 20 degrees Celsius, the second round of the FIA World Endurance Championship WEC initially got underway in an orderly fashion – only to have two safety car deployments and multiple full course yellows add more spice to the six-hour race. Hampered by a difficult start, the Porsche Penske Motorsport factory team focused on maximizing the opportunities presented. Thanks to an alternative tire strategy, the No. 6 car even spent many laps at the head of the field.

During the final third of the race, Kévin Estre from France, Australian Matt Campbell, and Belgian Laurens Vanthoor struggled to defend their lead against some significantly faster competitors. Ultimately, the trio finished eighth, collecting six world championship points at the Italian Grand Prix circuit. The sister car, driven by Dane Michael Christensen and Frenchmen Mathieu Jaminet and Julien Andlauer crossed the finish line in eleventh place. Proton Competition’s Porsche 963 took the flag in P14.

Thomas Laudenbach, Vice President Porsche Motorsport

‟We’re not happy with eighth and eleventh,” concluded Thomas Laudenbach, Vice President Porsche Motorsport. ‟The team fought hard and did a great job. We now need to step back and take a closer look at everything. The performance differences between the various Hypercars give us pause for thought. Congratulations to the Manthey 1st Phorm team. What a stunning performance. We’re delighted about the victory of the Porsche 911 GT3 R!”

Jonathan Diuguid, Managing Director Porsche Penske Motorsport

‟A disappointing day. We didn’t have enough pace to challenge the leaders,” outlines Jonathan Diuguid, Managing Director Porsche Penske Motorsport. ‟The No. 6 crew followed a good strategy and even led the race for a while, but they couldn’t hold on to the front spot to the flag. The drivers did a faultless job and so did our team. Now we’re turning our attention to the next race in Spa and hope things go better there.”

LMGT3 class: Manthey’s Porsche 911 GT3 R wins gripping duel

The Manthey 1st Phorm customer team celebrated its first victory of the season in the LMGT3 class. At the wheel of the No. 92 Porsche 911 GT3 R, factory driver Richard Lietz beat BMW in a last-ditch dash to the flag. The driver lineup of the No. 46 car included Italian motorsport legend Valentino Rossi. In the lead-up, Manthey 1st Phorm drivers Ryan Hardwick from the USA and Riccardo Pera from Italy, had driven inspired stints to catapult the 911 into the leading pack. The Manthey squad contributed to the class victory with an excellent strategy and perfect pit stops. The Iron Dames team finished eighth with the 911 GT3 R, earning their first points in the FIA WEC LMGT3 classification.

Spa-Francorchamps hosts round three of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) on 10 May. The six-hour race in Belgium is considered crucial preparation for the following season highlight in Le Mans (14-15 June).