Manthey unveils a strong driver line-up for the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship season

After two successful years in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), Manthey will once again field two Porsche 911 GT3 R with strong line-ups in the series in 2026. As back-to-back winners of the LMGT3 Endurance Trophy and class winners of the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2024 and 2025, the team is keen to build on its successes in the coming season.

Manthey will be relying on the expertise of LMGT3-experienced drivers James Cottingham and Timur Boguslavskiy, who will be competing for the team for the first time in the cockpit of the ‘Manthey DK Engineering’ Porsche. Both bring with them two years of experience in the WEC. They will be supported by reigning DTM champion Ayhancan Güven, who will be making his WEC debut after winning the Bathurst 12 Hour and being successful on the Nordschleife with Manthey in endurance racing. Familiar faces form the line-up for ‘The Bend Manthey’: reigning LMGT3 champions and Le Mans winners Richard Lietz and Riccardo Pera will share the wheel with Yasser Shahin, who has already enjoyed success with Manthey in the 2024 WEC season. Together with Lietz, he ended Manthey's debut season in the 2024 WEC with a class victory at Le Mans and the LMGT3 runner-up title, having already won the Pro-AM classification at the Bathurst 12 Hour with Manthey in the same year.

“After two incredibly successful years in the WEC in 2024 and 2025, we are proud to remain part of the series next year. With James and DK Engineering as well as Timur, we have strong new partners joining the team. James and Timur are experienced drivers in the WEC and I am excited to see what we can achieve together. They will be joined by Ayhancan, with whom we undoubtedly want to build on the successes achieved in the last two years. The second car will be lined up by familiar faces and we are proud that Yasser will be part of the team again next year, as we have a strong connection with him. After winning not only the championship but also the 24 Hours of Le Mans twice in a row in the last two seasons, our goal is clear: to continue the momentum of these years and defend our titles," summarises Nicolas Raeder, Managing Director of Manthey Racing GmbH.

Patrick Arkenau, Director Racing at Manthey Racing GmbH, adds: "We are very confident about our two driver line-ups, which feature newcomers, returning drivers and consistency in equal measure. While James and Timur have been competing in the WEC since 2024 but are new to the team, Ayhancan will be making his series debut, but has already won championships and victories with us. I am sure that we will form a strong unit with these exciting drivers. The second line-up also promises a lot: While Richard represents absolute consistency and expertise for us, we are happy that Riccardo is entering his second season with us and very pleased that Yasser and The Bend are returning to us following a year with BMW. With him and Richard, we celebrated many highlights in 2024 in the new LMGT3 class with Manthey EMA, crowned by the victory at Le Mans. We are therefore happy to have him back in our line-up, while Ryan is taking the natural step of joining us in IMSA, thus remaining with us as a strong driver and partner. In 2026, we want to pick up with both cars where we left off in 2025 and 2024 and celebrate the next successes together."

The 2026 FIA WEC season kicks off on 22 and 23 March with the official prologue, before the first of a total of eight races takes place on 28 March with the 1,812 km race in Qatar. As in previous years, the race calendar then takes the teams to Imola, Spa, Fuji, Le Mans, São Paulo, Austin and Bahrain.   Ayhancan Güven, Manthey DK Engineering Porsche 911 GT3 R #91: “I’m really excited for the 2026 WEC season together with James and Timur. I had a successful time with Manthey in DTM and endurance racing, and as I enter the WEC for the first time, I feel confident within the team and ready to build on our past successes. I know it will be a new championship for me, but as always, we will work hard and be well prepared for the first race in Qatar. From there, we will assess our performance and improve it race by race to ensure we have a strong season. We are putting together a strong package, and with great chemistry, our goal must be to fight for the title!”

Timur Boguslavskiy, Manthey DK Engineering Porsche 911 GT3 R #91: “Teaming up with Manthey marks a significant step in my racing career as I have always hoped to liaise with a winning Team in WEC. I have experienced Manthey’s exceptional performance and professionalism during a Test in Hockenheim in 2024, and I immediately realized that it would have been my team and car one day, and my management helped me to achieve this goal. As we head into the 2026 WEC season, my third season in the championship, I now feel ready and more determined than ever to fight together with my teammates in order to give our best and to confirm the impressive track record of Manthey and Porsche in the recent years.”

James Cottingham, Manthey DK Engineering Porsche 911 GT3 R #91: “It is every racing driver’s dream to compete at Le Mans, and in the WEC, with the most successful team at La Sarthe ever! I feel extremely privileged to have been able to make this happen, and after two strong but difficult years in WEC with another manufacturer, I am very excited to take part in another year with my new team mates and with Manthey using what has been proven to be the best platform on the circuit. Nothing will be easy and we will all put our full effort into the year ahead. I cannot wait to experience the car for the first time.”

Richard Lietz, The Bend Manthey Porsche 911 GT3 R #92: "I am delighted that we will be competing for Manthey again in 2026 with a strong team in the WEC: Yasser is returning, Riccardo is staying on board, and I will also be back behind the wheel with the team I know so well. I am looking forward to achieving good results together – and hopefully having just as much fun as we did last season. At the same time, it is completely understandable that Ryan wants to focus on the American market in future – as an American driver and with 1st Phorm as his US partner, this fits perfectly with “Manthey Goes America”. I wish him every success and thank him for the 2025 season we spent together!"

Riccardo Pera, The Bend Manthey Porsche 911 GT3 R #92: “It's fantastic to be racing for Manthey again in the coming season. We have a strong line-up and I can hardly wait for the season to start in Qatar. Our goal is to build on this year's performances and achieve top results again. I'm particularly looking forward to sharing the car with Richard again, and we'll also have Yasser with us as our bronze driver. I already know him and know how fast he is – so the overall package looks really strong. I'm looking forward to an exciting season together with the whole team!"

Yasser Shahin, The Bend Manthey Porsche 911 GT3 R #92: “I'm thrilled to be heading back to Manthey for the 2026 season in the LMGT3 category of the World Endurance Championship. It's like picking up right where we left off after that amazing 2024 run together – finishing second overall and taking the win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the crown jewel of endurance racing. Manthey's track record speaks for itself, and getting behind the wheel with them again feels fantastic especially with the supremely competent Richard Lietz and Riccardo Pera as co drivers. The recent test was a total reunion vibe – familiar faces, that same winning energy, and sliding into the #92 car like no time had passed. Teaming up as The Bend Manthey, with The Bend – the world class Australian race track I co-founded – as our major sponsor, adds that extra layer of pride. This squad is incredible and I can't wait to chase more success together.”