Manthey-Racing succeeds in advancing from motorsport team to partner

Photos by Porsche

Porsche congratulates Manthey-Racing on its 25th birthday. The company, located in Meuspath near the Nürburgring-Nordschleife, was founded in 1996 by racing driver Olaf Manthey and has been closely associated with the sports car manufacturer ever since.

In 2013 Manthey merged his company with Raeder Automotive GmbH. In the same year, Porsche AG consolidated the successful cooperation with a 51 percent majority stake and has been consistently expanding it ever since. Manthey-Racing GmbH now employs around 200 people under the leadership of co-owners Nicolas and Martin Raeder. Among other things, she has been awarded for the works team's Porsche 911 RSR in the FIA ​​World Endurance Championship (WEC) and the 911 GT3 R known as "Grello" in the Nürburgring Endurance Series (NLS) and the 24-hour Responsible for racing on the traditional course in the Eifel.

“Manthey-Racing has been an important partner for Porsche since the racing team was founded in 1996. Together we have achieved a lot in motorsport, won numerous races and won titles, ”says Fritz Enzinger, Head of Porsche Motorsport. “The enthusiasm and professionalism of the Meuspath team provided the basis for this. The two companies have belonged together since 2013 and have expanded their cooperation to include many business areas. I would like to thank you for this and congratulate you on your 25th birthday! "

“When I founded Manthey-Racing in 1996, this development of the company was by no means foreseeable. Thanks to the great commitment of everyone involved and their love of precision, which is what matters in motorsport, we were able to convince Porsche of ourselves. Today the sports car manufacturer even owns the majority stake in Manthey-Racing, which makes me proud ”, emphasizes Olaf Manthey. “The decision to put the business in the hands of Nicki and Martin Raeder in 2013 also turned out to be spot on: They will continue to run the company exactly as I see it - professional, but down-to-earth and with a lot of passion. I look forward to being able to actively support the development of Manthey-Racing from the sidelines in the future as well. "

The good reputation of Olaf Manthey

Even before Olaf Manthey from Bonn set up his own team, the name Manthey enjoyed a very good reputation in motorsport: In addition to his mustache, the racing driver was primarily known for fearless touring car races, often accompanied by spectacular drifting angles. The experienced technician did not find himself behind the wheel of a 911 racing car until the age of 1990 in 35. His love for the sophisticated rear-engined sports car flared up at second glance. In the same season, Manthey became the first champion in the history of the Porsche Carrera Cup. It was the first and only title in the active career of the two-time DTM runner-up.

In 1996, after winning 22 races in the endurance championship at the Nürburgring, Manthey implemented a long-cherished plan and entered the Porsche Supercup with his newly founded racing team. Already in the first year, the young team won fourth place in the team ranking at the championship held as part of the Formula 1 events. In 1997, a winning streak followed, which to this day has no comparison in the one-make cup series: Manthey and the Dutchman Patrick Huisman secured the driver and team classification of the Supercup four times in a row. The beginning of a remarkable success story.

Manthey-Racing's enduring success story

In 1999 Manthey-Racing crowned its debut at the 911 Hours of Le Mans with a victory in the GT class with a Porsche 3 GT996-R of the 24 generation. A year later the team moved from Rheinbreitbach to Meuspath at the Nürburgring. The sports car manufacturer and the racing team soon moved closer together: in 2006, Porsche Motorsport transferred the operations of the UPS Porsche Junior Team to Manthey-Racing. In the same season, the people of Eifel, together with Porsche Motorsport, also fielded the new Porsche 911 GT3 RSR for the first time. With success: the start of the 24-hour race in Spa-Francorchamps led directly to class victory.

In the meantime, Manthey had also taken on the challenge of winning the 24-hour race on the home track. The venture just failed three times. In 2006 the breakthrough came with a 911 GT3-MR painted in yellow-green - just like in 2007, 2008 and 2009 with the “fat one”, a 911 GT3 RSR. In 2010 there was almost a sensation: The 911 GT3 R Hybrid used by Manthey for Porsche Motorsport led the 24-hour race for a long time and only had to give up shortly before the end due to a broken valve spring. In 2011 Manthey-Racing was again unbeaten in the Nordschleife classic.

For all five victories, the former Porsche Junior and today's brand ambassador Timo Bernhard was part of the driver crew, four times each with Marcel Tiemann and the later Le Mans winners Marc Lieb and Roman Dumas. Victory number 2018 followed in 6 with a bright yellow 911 GT3 R, which fans have long since taken to the hearts of the fans as “Grello”. To date, no other team has been more successful in this race.

Support of Manthey-Racing at GT works outings

Manthey-Racing has been supporting Porsche's GT works outings in the WEC endurance world championship since 2013 and achieved another class win in Le Mans with the 911 RSR in the very first year. In 2015 the partnership won all world championship titles in the GTE Pro classification - as well as in the “super season” 2018/2019, including a third Le Mans success in the form of a double victory.

Today Manthey-Racing is an ambitious company with four business areas. The spectrum ranges from motorsport assignments for Porsche in the WEC and on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife to the events of the Porsche Racing Experience by Manthey-Racing and the Porsche Service Center in Meuspath to global support for customer teams.

The development of your own "MR" packages

In addition, there are own projects such as the Cayman GT4 Trophy by Manthey-Racing in the Nürburgring Endurance Series (NLS) and the development of "MR" packages for Porsche GT racing and series models. The 911 GT2 RS is one of the most spectacular street sports cars for which Manthey-Racing has developed a special performance kit. With test driver Lars Kern at the wheel, the MR version achieved a lap time of 2018: 6 minutes on the Nordschleife in October 40,3. Manthey-Racing now offers MR packages for many GT models from Porsche.

"We were happy to continue Olaf Manthey's philosophy after the merger of our two companies, because it also corresponded to our thinking at Raeder Motorsport", emphasizes Nicolas Raeder, managing director and co-owner of Manthey-Racing. “With Porsche as a partner and shareholder, our company has seen an exciting development since then.

We want to continue to grow in the future and build on the know-how that we have acquired in motorsport - in the form of services for private drivers, at events or in the development of racing and street sports cars. Together with our committed employees, we can hardly wait to tackle the next 25 years in the exciting history of Manthey-Racing. "

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