Manthey Packs Power into GTD, GTD PRO Rosters for 2026 IMSA Season
The anticipation building around the 2026 IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup just hit a fever pitch. Manthey, a name synonymous with Porsche performance and victory lane celebrations across Europe, is officially crossing the pond. The Meuspath-based squad has confirmed a massive two-car assault for the upcoming season, marking a significant expansion of their footprint in North American sportscar racing.
For fans who have watched this team dominate the Nürburgring and the World Endurance Championship (WEC), this is the news we’ve been waiting for. Manthey isn’t just showing up to fill the grid. They are bringing the heavy artillery to the GTD PRO and GTD classes.
The Return of the “Grello” in GTD PRO
If you walk through any paddock in the world, few liveries command respect quite like the fluorescent yellow-green “Grello” Porsche. For 2026, American fans will see this icon fighting for the lead in the GTD PRO class. Manthey has tapped a trio of drivers who know exactly how to extract speed from the Porsche 911 GT3 R.
The No. 911 entry features Austrian aces Klaus Bachler and Thomas Preining. These two have logged countless miles with the team in DTM and WEC competition, building the kind of chemistry that is absolutely vital when the sun goes down at Daytona or Sebring. Joining them is Swiss talent Ricardo Feller. While Feller is a new face in the No. 911 for this campaign, he brings valuable IMSA experience.
Feller hasn’t been shy about his desire to return to U.S. racing since running endurance rounds back in 2019.”It has always been a big wish of mine to race in the Grello,” Bachler admitted, noting the emotional weight of the moment. “The fact that this is becoming a reality in the IMSA Endurance Series means a lot to me.”
For Preining, the goal is singular. There is no talk of a learning curve. “Everyone on the team is motivated and focused on the same goal: winning Daytona and making a strong statement in our first season in the U.S.,” he said.
A WEC Championship Reunion in GTD
In the GTD class, the No. 912 Porsche 911 GT3 R represents a homecoming of sorts. Ryan Hardwick, fresh off a dream 2025 season that saw him capture a class win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the LMGT3 World Endurance Championship, returns to IMSA competition. Hardwick is keeping the band together, partnering once again with Italian driver Riccardo Pera.
Their partnership has already proven it can withstand the pressure of the world’s biggest stages. But the addition of Morris Schuring is what has many in the garage taking notice. Schuring, the 2025 DTM Rookie of the Year, is a rising star. At just 20 years old, he has already competed at Le Mans, the Nürburgring, and Spa. Now, he gets to add Daytona to that resume.”Going to America will be a new challenge for me,” Schuring said.
“Taking on iconic events like Daytona together with Manthey gives me high expectations because I know what this team is capable of.”To ensure the No. 912 is bulletproof for the grueling 24 Hours of Daytona, the team has called in veteran Richard Lietz. Lietz, a master of endurance racing, previously won Daytona alongside Hardwick in 2022. That level of institutional knowledge provides a massive safety net for the team as they tackle the high banks in January.
Manthey Looks to Conquer the Endurance Cup
Patrick Arkenau, Director Racing at Manthey Racing GmbH, emphasized that this roster wasn’t thrown together by chance. It relies on “absolute constants.” In endurance racing, familiarity breeds speed. Knowing how your teammate likes the car set up, or how they handle traffic at 3:00 AM, is often the difference between a podium and a DNF.
Nicolas Raeder, Managing Director, views this as a new chapter. “We can rely on experienced drivers, most of whom already know our team from the DTM, WEC, and the Nürburgring,” Raeder noted. The schedule is unforgiving. It all kicks off with the ROAR Before the Rolex 24 in mid-January, followed immediately by the season opener on January 24, 2026.
Final Thoughts
From the high banks of Florida to the winding turns of Road America and the intense finale at Petit Le Mans in Atlanta, Manthey faces a gauntlet of five endurance races totaling dozens of hours of competition. But if history tells us anything, it’s that when Manthey shows up, they show up to win. The 2026 IMSA season just got a lot more interesting.
