When Manthey expanded its program to North America, the transition appeared to deliver the typical dominance associated with the team at first glance.
The German squad swept to victory in its second race at the Twelve Hours of Sebring in GTD Pro, followed up with another class win for its GTD entry during its five-race Endurance Cup campaign.
However, competing at the top level of American sports car racing proved to be a far steeper learning curve than expected for the Meuspath-based team.
"It was definitely challenging. We learned a lot, in some areas perhaps even more than we had originally hoped," Nicki Raeder, Managing Director at Manthey, told Motorsport.com.
"There were numerous aspects where I wouldn't say we underestimated them, but it was more demanding than we believed."
The team, which is majority-owned by Porsche, has established a reputation for winning immediately in any championship it enters, be it WEC, IGTC, or DTM. Yet the IMSA debut campaign provided an operational environment with distinct tactical challenges not seen by the squad before.
"What impressed me most personally was how intense an IMSA race is over the entire distance," Raeder said. "You often hear that everything is decided in the final hour anyway and that you just need to be on the lead lap until then."
"But especially in a ten-hour race like Petit Le Mans, it was very exhausting. The pressure was constantly on, and then you have rules like the wave-by procedures where we had discussions every time about whether passing was allowed or not."
"You have to be 110 percent focused all the time. You get no rest, even though everything is pointing toward that final hour. If you fool yourself into feeling safe for nine hours, you won't be in a position to strike when it counts."
"It was a gamble: either you pit and finish seventh, or you stay out and hope it works out. In the end, we were short by just 250 milliliters of fuel, so we finished seventh anyway," Raeder said.
"From the outside, something like that always looks a bit foolish, but it wasn't a calculation error. That is simply the risk you take when you push things to the limit."
#911 Manthey Porsche 911: Klaus Bachler, Thomas Preining, Mathieu Jaminet
The fuel shortage capped off a mixed second half of the season following Grello's Sebring triumph. A crash at Watkins Glen and a drive-through penalty for exceeding power parameters during the final hour at Road America hampered their championship bid, leaving them fifth in the final Endurance Cup standings.
Adding to the competitive dynamic was the battle with AO Racing's popular "Rexy" Porsche, the undisputed fan favorite in GTD Pro. Manthey fielded its iconic green-and-yellow "Grello" liveried car using its regular European core staff rather than hiring specialized IMSA crew members, a strategic choice Raeder fully stands behind.
"We mainly employ permanent staff [rather than freelancers]. Our strategy is to have a fixed crew that learns together, rather than having to rebuild the team next year. We want that knowledge to stay within Manthey so the company grows, and we can build on that foundation," he said.
Surprising reception by American public
#911 Manthey Porsche 911: Thomas Preining, Klaus Bachler, Ayhancan Guven, Ricardo Feller
"It was one of our goals to increase awareness of Manthey in the US, and I think that worked well. The fans really enjoy the sporting comparison between Rexy and Grello. They are really the only two cars with such distinct personalities," Raeder said.
The reception in the paddock caught the team off guard in a positive way. "We were pleasantly surprised by how well-known we already were," a team spokesperson told Motorsport.com.
"Many people came up to us in the paddock saying they had been Grello fans for a long time and were thrilled we were there. We expected to start from a lower baseline of awareness, so being welcomed so warmly was a great feeling."
Looking ahead, Manthey is working on continuing its IMSA involvement, though full-season entries or expanding to two cars per class remain off the table for the immediate future.
"We would be delighted if we can make it happen," Raeder said regarding a return. "If we do it, it will be a combination similar to what we have now."
"We would trust ourselves with such a project and would love to try it," Raeder said when asked about LMDh or prototype possibilities. "Right now there is nothing concrete, but the appeal is definitely there."
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