At a glance
- Porsche 911 GT3 R has been undefeated at Le Mans for two years
- A strong lineup featuring factory drivers Richard Lietz and Ayhancan Güven
- Hollywood star Michael Fassbender makes guest appearance in support race
This year, 186 drivers will compete in three classes at the world’s largest endurance race. Well over 300,000 spectators are once again expected along the “Circuit des 24 Heures” on June 13/14. Twenty-five cars will line up on the grid in the LMGT3 class. After victories and championship wins in the past two years, the customer team of the Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG is among the favorites in this category. Last Sunday, the 911 GT3 R already demonstrated its potential: car No. 91 set the second-fastest GT3 lap time during the official test day.
“Following the successes of our Manthey customer team over the past two years, there can be only one goal for 2026: class victory,” says Thomas Laudenbach, Vice President Porsche Motorsport. “The LMGT3 class is very competitive. Twenty-five race cars from nine different manufacturers will be battling for every millimeter on the track. We have confidence in Manthey’s strength and the drivers’ experience. Another victory would be a fitting addition to Porsche Motorsport’s 75th anniversary and further proof of the caliber of customer racing at Porsche.”
At the wheel of car number 91, entered by Manthey DK Engineering, is works driver Ayhancan Güven from Turkey. The reigning DTM champion and former Porsche Junior will take turns with James Cottingham from Great Britain and Timor Boguslavskiy. The sister car, number 92, will compete as The Bend Manthey. Here, works driver Richard Lietz will be behind the wheel. The Austrian, one of the most successful drivers at Le Mans with six class victories, will share the Porsche 911 GT3 R with Yasser Shahin from Australia and Italian Riccardo Pera.
As the third round of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), the 24 Hours of Le Mans marks the highlight of the season. Due to the long distance, double championship points are awarded. A special feature is the 13.626-kilometer long Circuit des 24 Heures in Le Mans. The race starts on Saturday, June 13, at 4:00 p.m. (CEST).
The historic track south of the city of Le Mans, home to 150,000 residents, consists largely of public roads. Under normal conditions, hundreds of trucks and cars travel daily along the Hunaudières straight – also known as the Mulsanne Straight – on their way between Le Mans and Tours. Among the most challenging sections are the Porsche Curves: high speeds and narrow run-off areas add to the excitement there. The circuit in the French department of Sarthe is available to the teams for test drives only once per season. These took place last Sunday.
Hollywood star in a support race: Michael Fassbender returns to Le Mans
This year’s sporting program includes the Porsche Carrera Cup Brazil. In the South American one-make series, Michael Fassbender will make a guest appearance in a Porsche 911 GT3 Cup at Le Mans. The American Hollywood actor with German-Irish roots is familiar with the track: In 2022 and 2023, Fassbender competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans behind the wheel of a Porsche 911 RSR.
The Porsche history at Le Mans
Record winner Porsche: Overview of all 19 outright victories
From the 917 to the 919 Hybrid: These are the winning cars from Porsche
From track to road: Porsche innovations from motorsports
75 years of Porsche Motorsport: The history of #Raceborn
Further information about the 24 Hours of Le Mans
All sessions at a glance: The schedule
The cars and drivers: The entry list
Results from Le Mans: Alkamelsystems
Driver’s comments ahead of the race
Ayhancan Güven (Porsche 911 GT3 R #91): “Our Porsche cars look great in silver. I’m confident that we’ll be well prepared for the start. Our package is strong, and the results from the first two races of the season reflect that. I’m really looking forward to the race. Hopefully we can continue Porsche and Manthey’s winning streak at Le Mans.”
Richard Lietz (Porsche 911 GT3 R #92): “It’s great to be back at Le Mans. Our preparations have gone well so far. In the remaining practice sessions, we’ll try to set up our Porsche 911 GT3 R to be as comfortable as possible for all the drivers. The forecasts are predicting changeable weather for the race weekend. That’ll be exciting. We’re consistently doing our job and will hopefully enjoy every single lap on this special track.”
