Manthey has won the first race of the season in the Nürburgring Endurance Series (NLS). After 29 laps, final driver Frédéric Makowiecki was the first to cross the finish line in the Porsche 911 GT3 R with starting number 911. The driver line-up for the winning vehicle at the 67th ADAC Westfalenfahrt was completed by Michael Christensen from Denmark and Laurens Vanthoor from Belgium.

Qualifying started on Saturday morning in cool but dry and sunny conditions. Frédéric Makowiecki set a lap time of 7:56.957 minutes on the 24.358-kilometre combination of Nordschleife and short version of the Grand Prix circuit. However, due to unfortunate yellow phases, the team did not get past 15th place.

At the first pit stop, starting driver Frédéric Makowiecki handed over to the Dane Michael Christensen. He was able to drive the Manthey Porsche up to P3. The second pit stop was brought forward by one lap in order to take advantage of the time lost due to yellow and code 60 phases on the Nordschleife. With this strategic move, the Manthey team was able to make up almost twenty seconds. The second half of the race provided the spectators with a gripping duel for the lead. First, Laurens Vanthoor took the wheel and in the meantime was able to move up to first place again and again. With an optimal final pit stop, the yellow-green 911 was sent into the final hour of the race in the lead. Final driver Frédéric Makowiecki successfully defended his lead to the finish.

Kévin Estre is also part of the Manthey squad for the 24-hour race. The Frenchman will compete in NLS 2 on April 09, 2022 alongside Michael Christensen and Laurens Vanthoor.

Frédéric Makowiecki, Porsche 911 GT3 R #911:
“It feels good to be back on the Grello – I missed it. Overall, we had a solid and above all faultless race and were able to make up for qualifying, in which we had some bad luck with the traffic.”

Michael Christensen, Porsche 911 GT3 R #911:
“Starting the race from 15th place is obviously not easy, but the team did a great job and brought us in at the right time. In contrast to other teams, we were able to avoid a few code 60 and yellow periods and made up a lot of places as a result.”

Laurens Vanthoor, Porsche 911 GT3 R #911:
“The race went well. We had a close battle with the Audi, but in the end we were better and won - that's good for morale and for the whole team."

Nicolas Raeder, Managing Director of Manthey-Racing GmbH:
“The race was good preparation for the 24-hour race. The car is going well, but of course we also have to see how the other cars develop. Luck is always part of the 24-hour race, but we have a great combination of drivers and a well-functioning team.”