24h Le Mans
Manthey Racing won the LMGT3 class for the second year in a row as the Manthey 1st Phorm #92 Porsche 911 GT3 R LMGT3 followed up on the Manthey EMA #91 car’s 2024 success. Austrian Richard Lietz was driver on both occasions – this time sharing the wheel with Ryan Hardwick and Riccardo Pera.
The #92 Porsche 911 GT3 R LMGT3 entered by Manthey 1st Phorm won the LMGT3 class – the second consecutive win for the German team. Placed in the capable hands of American Ryan Hardwick, Italian Riccardo Pera and Austrian Richard Lietz, the #92 Porsche crossed the finish line 33 seconds ahead of the #21 Ferrari 296 LMGT3 of Vista AF Corse.
Qualifying in fifth position on the LMGT3 grid, the crew enjoyed a solid start to the race in a highly competitive field. The three drivers applied pressure right from the off and gradually moved through the pack, taking the class lead after 10 hours of the race. A long face-off then ensued with the Vista AF Corse #21 Ferrari until the early hours of the morning. The #92 Porsche managed to open up a decisive gap at dawn before taking the chequered flag after 24 hours of intense racing.
“I still can't believe our class win! This is definitely one of the best experiences of my entire life,” said a thrilled Ryan Hardwick. “My family, close friends and business partners were here with me. Only the best teams win at Le Mans. Manthey and Porsche gave us the best possible support. I’m surely the only person in the world to have won both the world jet-ski championship and the Le Mans 24 Hours… I think I’ll keep that record for some time!”
This win was Richard Lietz’s sixth in the GT classes at Le Mans – all with Porsche. The ever-loyal Lietz has been behind the wheel of the German brand’s machines for almost two decades and joins the ultra-select club of drivers with the most victories in the history of the GT classes at the French endurance classic.
“To win as many times, first you need to be very old!” the 41-year-old Austrian joked. “Le Mans has often been kind to me since 2007. Manthey offered me a new opportunity at a time when I was thinking of retiring. Here we are, two years later and two more wins… We have a fast car that is perfectly balanced to look after the tyres. It was a true, old-style endurance race and I love that.”
Although he had already appeared twice on the Le Mans podium, this was the first time Riccardo Pera made it to the top step. At the finish, the emotional Italian hailed the all-round performance of the crew and the team. “I’ve already a WEC win to my name but here at Le Mans, I’d never been in first place,” he said. “After a P2 and a P3, I told my teammates that we could do better this year. And we did! The car was so fast and the team was perfect. I’m speechless!”
With this latest LMGT3 triumph, Porsche increased its total number of class wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans to 112 and reinforced its status as the most successful make in the history of the race.
Our photo gallery below captures the highlights of the successful week enjoyed by the Manthey 1st Phorm #92 Porsche 911 GT3 R LMGT3 at the 93rd 24 Hours of Le Mans.
