Manthey EMA to field two Porsche 911 GT3 R in the Bathurst 12 Hour

Manthey EMA will return to the 12 Hours of Bathurst (16-18 February 2024). The team will contest the inaugural race of the Intercontinental GT Challenge at Australia's Mount Panorama Circuit with two Porsche 911 GT3 R. Car number 912, a latest-generation nine-eleven (992), will be piloted by Matt Campbell (Australia), Ayhancan Güven (Turkey) and Laurens Vanthoor (Belgium).

Harry King (Great Britain), Alessio Picariello (Belgium) and Yasser Shahin (Australia) will share the wheel of the starting number 911, which will be entered in the Pro-Am class under the banner of “The Bend Manthey EMA”. This is the second consecutive year that Manthey EMA will be competing in the twelve-hour race. In 2023, the team narrowly missed out on winning the endurance race with a second-place finish.

The 2024 racing season will begin at the Mount Panorama Circuit in the state of New South Wales for Manthey EMA. Manthey already finished in the top six in the endurance race in 2018. Last year, Manthey and EMA Motorsport competed in the legendary 12-hour race together for the first time. The Grello Porsche driven by Matt Campbell, Mathieu Jaminet and Thomas Preining crossed the finish line of the 6.213-kilometre circuit in second place, less than a second off the winning car.

With Matt Campbell and Laurens Vanthoor, two Porsche drivers with Bathurst experience are at the wheel of the number 912 Porsche. While local hero Campbell was already a member of the 2023 driver squad and recently won the 24 Hours of Daytona for Porsche, Belgian Vanthoor last competed in the 24 Hours of Spa for Manthey EMA. Former Porsche Junior Ayhancan Güven, known from the recent DTM season, will be making his debut at the Mount Panorama circuit. Another Australian driver, Yasser Shahin, will contest the 12-hour race in car number 911. Shahin has enjoyed numerous successes in the GT World Challenge Australia for EMA Motorsport, most recently with Matt Campbell in the Adelaide 500. Briton Harry King made a successful racing debut for the team in Australia at Bathurst 1000, the sixth round of the Porsche Carrera Cup Australia 2023, taking three out of three race wins. The driver trio is completed by Alessio Picariello, a professional driver who has recently enjoyed success in the FIA WEC, GT World Challenge Asia and European Le Mans Series.

The 911 will compete in the 12 Hours of Bathurst under the name "The Bend Manthey EMA". The name affix highlights the expanded partnership between Manthey, EMA Motorsport and The Bend, which has been in the making for some time. The twelve-hour endurance classic at Mount Paramount is regarded as one of the most important GT races in the southern hemisphere and therefore has a special significance for the Australian circuit The Bend Motorsport Park. As part of a cross-brand partnership, The Bend is setting new standards by proudly displaying the colours of its valued 10-year naming rights partner, Shell V-Power. This partnership represents a shared pursuit of excellence and an unwavering commitment to delivering world-class motorsport experiences. The design of the Porsche number 911 has been developed to symbolise this strong alliance.

"After a very successful start to the 2023 motorsport year for us at Bathurst, we are delighted to be back at the Mount Panorama circuit in 2024. Obviously, we have some unfinished business from last year's second place and hope to finish as high up the podium as possible this time around with the two Porsche cars we are fielding. This will be no easy task on the demanding circuit and with strong competition, but with our well-rehearsed team and strong driver pairings in both 911, we believe we have a good chance of taking our first win at Bathurst," says Nicolas Raeder, Managing Director of Manthey Racing GmbH.

The Bathurst 12 Hours will be held from 16 to 18 February. The race traditionally starts before sunrise at 5.45 am local time on 18 February.

Matt Campbell, Porsche 911 GT3 R #912: “I'm really excited to be rejoining EMA Motorsport and Manthey for the 2024 Bathurst 12 Hours. It's one of my favourite events and tracks in the world. I might be a bit biased, but I really enjoyed last year and I hope we can improve one more position on our second place finish in 2023. I'm really looking forward to it.”

Yasser Shahin, Porsche 911 GT3 R #911: “The Bathurst 12 Hours is Australia's greatest race and our number 911 car will showcase the new partnership with Shell V Power. It's probably the only race on home soil where the Bend-backed team has yet to win, so we'll be looking to change that with a strong performance and driver pairing. Harry was incredibly fast in the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup in the Porsche Carrera Cup Australia at Bathurst and Alessio is a recognised world-class driver. We are very well prepared for the race and will give it our all.”

Patrick Arkenau, Division Manager Racing, Manthey Racing GmbH: “After narrowly missing out on victory last year, we are delighted to be able to enter two cars at Bathurst this year. With car number 912, the latest generation Porsche 911 GT3 R, our clear goal is to finish one place further up the field this year after finishing second last year. But with Matt and Laurens as very experienced drivers and Ayhancan, who proved his talent in the DTM last year, we are very confident. The driver line-up for the 911.2 generation Porsche 911 GT3 R is also very strong. It's great to be competing at Bathurst together with Yasser, with whom we are also competing in the WEC this year. Harry King, who was very successful for EMA Motorsport in the Porsche Carrera Cup Australia last year, and Alessio Picariello complete the line-up with two strong drivers. The aim is to win the Pro-Am class and ideally finish in the top 5 in the overall standings. We are highly motivated: it is the first race of the year for our GT team and we are really looking forward to it.“

Alistair MacDonald, CEO, Shell V-Power Motorsport Park: “Having the privilege of featuring our valued naming rights partner, Shell V-Power, at a prestigious international event like the Bathurst 12- hour is an exceptional opportunity, especially considering the early stages of our recently established 10-year partnership. The vehicle's appearance is truly remarkable, and we eagerly anticipate witnessing its impressive performance in the hands of Yasser Shahin, Harry King and Alessio Picariello.”