Porsche’s hopes for a strong result in the LMGT3 class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans were hampered by mechanical issues and misfortune, leaving its best-finishing entry in 13th place at the checkered flag.
Yasser Shahin of Australia, Italy’s Riccardo Pera, and Austrian factory driver Richard Lietz piloted the No. 92 Porsche 911 GT3 R to 13th in class after overcoming an early setback. The trio entered the race leading the FIA Endurance Trophy standings for LMGT3 teams and drivers, but their chances suffered a major blow in the second hour when Shahin brought the car to the pits with a broken tie rod. The unscheduled repair cost the Manthey-operated entry three laps and dropped it to the back of the 25-car field.
Despite the setback, the team mounted an impressive recovery over the remaining 22 hours, climbing from last place to finish 13th. Their effort earned ninth-place points in the FIA Endurance Trophy standings, adding four points to their championship campaign.
Porsche’s second LMGT3 entry, the No. 91 911 GT3 R fielded by Manthey DK Engineering, appeared poised for a much stronger result. Factory driver Ayhancan Güven of Turkey, alongside Timur Boguslavskiy and Britain’s James Cottingham, spent portions of the race leading the class during the opening third of the event.
Their race began to unravel shortly before midnight when a puncture forced an unscheduled pit stop. Taking advantage of a safety car period, the team also replaced the brakes, but the additional work dropped the car into the middle of the LMGT3 field. Further repairs, including a front-end replacement during an early-morning pit stop, added to the team’s challenges.
Even so, the No. 91 crew fought back into podium contention during the second half of the race. Their hopes ended abruptly at approximately 10 a.m. Sunday when Güven crashed exiting the first Hunaudières chicane after suffering a technical failure. The reigning DTM champion escaped the accident uninjured, but the car was forced to retire.
Both Porsche entries competed in a special silver anniversary livery commemorating 75 years of Porsche motorsport. The design paid tribute to the Porsche 356 SL Coupé, which delivered the company’s first class victory at Le Mans in 1951.
“Defeats are part and parcel of motorsport,” said Nicolas Raeder, Managing Director of Manthey Racing GmbH. “After our early retirement at the Nürburgring, Le Mans hurts all the more. Celebrating together is one thing, but weathering setbacks like these as a team is much more difficult. Drawing strength from moments like these is what makes the difference in the end.”
Raeder added that the team will carefully evaluate its performance to determine what lessons can be learned from the disappointing result.
As part of the Le Mans support program, the Porsche Carrera Cup Brasil staged two races featuring a field of 35 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars. Brazilian driver Jeff Giassi won Thursday’s 45-minute race, while Pietro Fantin claimed victory in Saturday’s event. Rookie honors in both races went to Pipo Massa, son of former Formula 1 driver Felipe Massa.
Actor Michael Fassbender also competed as a guest driver. Fassbender, who raced at Le Mans in 2022 and 2023 in a Porsche 911 RSR, finished 25th in the first race and improved to 14th in the second.
Above contents © 2026 Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG reviewed and edited by Rex McAfee , @rexmcafee 🏁
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