Manthey EMA starts races on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife with a Porsche 911 GT3 R of the latest generation. Porsche works drivers Michael Christensen, Kévin Estre, Frédéric Makowiecki and Thomas Preining will share the cockpit of the number 911 car at the endurance classic in the "Green Hell". Prior to this, participation in the first two rounds of the Nürburgring Endurance Series and the 24-hour qualifiers with different driver line-ups is planned – all four works drivers will only compete in the 24-hour race at the same time.

With Michael Christensen, Kévin Estre and Frédéric Makowiecki, three 24-hour race winners are at the wheel of the Porsche 911 GT3 R, also known to fans as "Grello". In 2018, Frenchman Makowiecki was the first to cross the finish line of the endurance classic in the Eifel with the starting number 912 entered by Manthey. Michael Christensen (Denmark) and Kévin Estre (France) recorded the seventh overall victory for the Meuspather racing team in 2021. This makes Manthey the most successful team at the Nürburgring 24 Hours. Thomas Preining completes the driver quartet. The Austrian already started at NLS 8 in the yellow-green nine-eleven on the Nordschleife and the 12 Hours of Bathurst. He will also compete for Manthey EMA in the 2023 DTM season.

"We want to fight for our eighth overall victory this year in what is probably the most important individual race. Our driver line-up is promising and the Nordschleife is our home track. With the Porsche 911 GT3 R of the latest generation, we want to build on our successes with the predecessor model. I am also proud that we can demonstrate our skills both in endurance racing and in the DTM sprint races this season – it will be an exciting year for us," explains Nicolas Raeder, Managing Director of Manthey Racing GmbH.

The Nordschleife season begins for Manthey EMA with the first round of the Nürburgring Endurance Series on 18 March 2023. Due to the scheduling collision with the 1000-mile race at Sebring, Marco Holzer, who is supporting the drivers and teams in the Porsche Endurance Trophy Nürburgring as an advisor this year, is supporting the use in NLS 1. He shares the cockpit of the yellow-green nine-eleven with Thomas Preining. The driver pairing for NLS 2 and the 24-hour qualifiers each consists of two drivers from the 24-hour race line-up and will be announced at a later date. Participation in the third round of the Nürburgring Endurance Series is not possible for the team due to the parallel DTM pre-season test at the Red Bull Ring.

Manthey and EMA Motorsport are thus further expanding their existing partnership within the framework of the DTM for the 2023 season. This year, the team will compete in both sprint races and endurance races with the new Porsche 911 GT3 R. The Australian racing team EMA Motorsport was able to gain its first Nordschleife experience last year at the eighth round of the Nürburgring Endurance Series with the support of Manthey.

Driver comments on the 2023 Nordschleife season:

Kévin Estre, Porsche 911 GT3 R #911:
"Driving the "Grello" on the Nordschleife is always a special experience and I'm looking forward to competing with the team again this year – especially with the new GT3 R. Our driver line-up is strong, as it was last year, and Thomas joins as a new, young driver. Last season we already showed what we can do with a similar team and this year we have everything we need to achieve a good result."

Thomas Preining, Porsche 911 GT3 R #911:
"I've been observing Manthey's outings on the Nordschleife for a long time and I'm looking forward to being part of them in the new season. My hope is to be able to build on the good performances of the team in recent years. And to prove the new Porsche 911 GT3 R on the Nordschleife. I am confident and have full confidence in our driver line-up and the team. We will give everything - the goal, as always, is victory."