Manthey to contest the 2025 FIA WEC with the Iron Dames and 1st Phorm

After a successful 2024 season, Manthey will again field two Porsche 911 GT3 R in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) in 2025. The number 85 Porsche, which will be entered together with the Iron Dames, will be driven by Michelle Gatting (Denmark), Célia Martin (France) and Rahel Frey (Switzerland). Ryan Hardwick (USA), Richard Lietz (Austria) and Riccardo Pera (Italy) will form the crew of the ‘Manthey 1st Phorm’ car with starting number 92. After their triumphs in the Endurance Trophy and the Le Mans 24 Hours in 2024, the Meuspath-based team enters the new season of the Endurance Championship with high ambitions. The season opener will once again take place in Qatar on 28 February 2025.

“After an extremely successful return to the WEC in 2024, our goal for 2025 is clear: we want to be back at the top of the championship.”, explains Nicolas Raeder, Managing Director of Manthey Racing GmbH. “With the Iron Dames and 1st Phorm we have strong partners at our side and two competitive driver line-ups. The team is highly motivated, and we are looking forward to the challenges of the new season.”

Manthey made its WEC comeback in 2024 after a one-year absence following the end of Porsche's GTE-Pro works programme. The team made a strong showing from the outset with the introduction of the LMGT3 class: the Manthey PureRxcing Porsche secured the 2024 FIA WEC Endurance Trophy and placed on the podium in seven of eight races. In addition, the Manthey EMA sister car won the 24 Hours of Le Mans and finished second in the championship. On the back of these successes, Manthey is aiming to be at the forefront again in the 2025 season.

With the Iron Dames, a household name in the world of motorsport, known for fielding the only all-female driver line-up in the WEC and beyond, will join forces with Manthey for the 2025 FIA World Endurance Championship. The Iron Dames Porsche 911 GT3 R, bearing starting number 85, will feature a new driver pairing for the upcoming season: Rahel Frey and Michelle Gatting, who have already competed together in the endurance series, will be joined by new Bronze driver Célia Martin. Frey and Gatting have already shared several successes together with the Iron Dames, including a race win in Bahrain and second place in the FIA Endurance Trophy for LMGTE AM Teams in 2023 at the wheel of a Porsche 911 RSR. In 2024, they competed in the WEC alongside Sarah Bovy in a Lamborghini and finished the season eighth in the LMGT3 championship. Martin proved her mettle in the past Michelin Le Mans Cup season for the Iron Dames and a GT4 class win at the 24 Hours of the Nürburgring amongst others. Michelle Gatting and Célia Martin both joined Manthey at the FIA WEC Rookie Test in Bahrain to familiarise themselves with the Porsche 911 GT3 R.

The Meuspath-based team's second car, also featuring a new driver line-up, will compete in the endurance series under the Manthey 1st Phorm banner. Ryan Hardwick (USA), Richard Lietz (Austria) and Riccardo Pera (Italy) will form the new crew of the nine-eleven. While Richard Lietz, the only driver remaining from the 2024 season, recently took victory in the 2024 Le Mans 24 Hours and second place in the LMGT3 classification with Manthey, Hardwick and Pera will make their debut for the team in the Asian Le Mans Series (ALMS), starting on 7 December 2024. But the American and the Italian are by no means new faces in endurance racing: both drivers have been part of the FIA WEC line-up in LM GTE AM. Last season, Ryan Hardwick raced a Ford Mustang GT3 in the WEC, while his team-mate Riccardo Pera drove a Ferrari in the European Le Mans Series (ELMS) and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Both drivers have achieved important successes with Porsche in the past: class wins at the 24 Hours of Daytona and in the ELMS for Hardwick and two podium finishes at the 24 Hours of Le Mans (LM GTE AM) for Pera are just some of the highlights.

The 2025 FIA WEC season will consist of eight races, starting with the Official Prologue on 21-22 February and the 1812-kilometre race on 28 February in Qatar. The calendar then takes the teams to Imola, Spa, Le Mans, Sao Paulo, Austin, Fuji and Bahrain

Quotes on the 2025 WEC season:

Deborah Mayer, Project Founder, Iron Dames: “It’s an honour to once again compete in the FIA World Endurance Championship, which is the gold standard in global endurance racing. Returning to Porsche and collaborating with Manthey represents a new milestone for the Iron Dames. I have full confidence in their expertise and dedication to excellence, which perfectly matches our ambition to shine at the highest level is an exciting new step for the Iron Dames. Our 2025 lineup of Michelle, Rahel, and Celia represents both continuity and innovation as well as the transmission between generations which is a value at the heart of the project. I am proud of what we have accomplished so far and confident in what lies ahead. We are committed to writing a new chapter in Iron Dames’ endurance racing history, demonstrating that women have their rightful place at the top of the sport, inspiring generations to come.”

Rahel Frey, Porsche 911 GT3 R #85: “I’m thrilled to be staying with the Iron Dames FIA WEC Team for 2025 with the renowned championship-winning team Manthey. Their enormous experience will take us to the next level and it will be great to be driving the Porsche #85 again at the highest level. We have already started working together and it feels great as the team has welcomed us with joy. I also welcome Celia as the new Bronze-graded driver in our FIA WEC driver line-up. I'm excited to see what step she can take after just one year in the Michelin Le Mans Cup. Let’s get it started!”

Michelle Gatting, Porsche 911 GT3 R #85: “I am super happy to be back in FIA WEC next year and to be competing in my seventh 24 Hours of Le Mans. Besides that, we will be back with Porsche in without doubt the most well-known and respected team in the paddock – Manthey. It is a huge step for the Iron Dames project, and I cannot wait to see what we can do all together. Going with Rahel into our seventh season together, I hope that we can achieve some great results together. With Celia now joining as our new Bronze-graded driver, I have no doubt that she will do very well. We will try to prepare her as much as possible during the winter in the Asian Le Mans Series”.

Célia Martin, Porsche 911 GT3 R #85: “When I started my journey in motorsport, I always hoped that one day I could complete in top-level GT and endurance racing.  If you had asked me for the ultimate dream, it would be this – FIA WEC, Iron Dames and to top it off with Manthey as well. It really is a dream come true. I can’t thank Iron Dames enough for this opportunity and can’t wait for the season to start.”

Ryan Hardwick, Porsche 911 GT3 R #92: “As a lifelong Porsche enthusiast, it is a dream come true for me to race for Manthey in the World Endurance Championship. Manthey has proven to be the team to beat in this championship, and I am honored to help write the next chapter in their team’s rich history. I’m also very excited about our driver lineup in the 92 car! Richard Lietz is one of the most experienced drivers in the paddock, he and I also won the Rolex 24 at Daytona together in 2022, so we know each other quite well. Riccardo Pera has a ton of experience in Porsche’s racing in the WEC and at Le Mans. I believe the three of us together make a very strong package, and together with Manthey’s knowledge and experience, we aim to compete for race wins and the world championship.”

Richard Lietz, Porsche 911 GT3 R #92: “I am very excited to be racing with Manthey in the WEC in 2025 after our successes last season. I will be racing with Ryan and Riccardo in the ALMS already in the 2024/2025 season, which will be great preparation for our joint efforts in the WEC. It's especially great to be back in a Porsche with Ryan, having won the 24 Hours of Daytona together. We will give everything to fight for the LMGT3 title and, of course, to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans. With Manthey we have a well-rehearsed and experienced team behind us and with a strong overall package we are well positioned for the 2025 season.”

Riccardo Pera, Porsche 911 GT3 R #92: “I am glad to finally get to step up to Manthey and be back in the WEC. Our line-up for 92 is great and I'm sure we'll be strong and work hard to get great results. I can't wait to meet and start working with all the team members, as well as Ryan and Richard!”