– Stuttgart-based sports car manufacturer is the most heavily represented brand
– Factory drivers Estre, Güven and Preining will start from the fourth row
– A record crowd of over 260,000 spectators is expected
Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG is represented this weekend by 60 customer cars at the 24-hour race on the Nürburgring Nordschleife. The field comprises around 160 racing cars. Following the final qualifying session, Manthey’s number 911 will start the race from eighth position as the highest-placed 911 GT3 R. A total of 13 Porsche are battling for overall victory in the highly competitive SP9 class.
Porsche is celebrating 75 years of motorsport history with a strong line-up of customer teams at the endurance classic in the Eifel. The 24-hour race in the ‘Green Hell’ gets underway on Saturday at 3 pm local time. Racing cars from the Stuttgart-based sports car manufacturer are competing in a total of eleven different classes. The range of vehicles extends from the Porsche Cayman S in the production car category to the latest-generation 911 GT3 R. Changeable weather conditions characterised the various practice sessions yesterday and today.
In the first Top Qualifying segment, four 911 GT3 R made it through to the next round of the top 20: alongside Black Falcon’s No. 48, Dinamic GT’s No. 54 and the Lionspeed 911 with start number 24, Manthey’s ‘Grello’ also qualified. Frenchman Kévin Estre handed the green-and-yellow Porsche over to his Turkish factory team-mate Ayhancan Güven, who advanced to the individual time trial for the top twelve with the third-fastest lap. Thomas Preining from Austria – like Güven a DTM champion and former Porsche Junior – then secured a place on the fourth row of the grid.
« The overall picture after qualifying is clear: we’re a little way off our rivals, » said Maximilian Müller, GT Race Support at Porsche Motorsport. « We had a Porsche in Top Qualifying 3, not least because Ayhancan managed to put in a very strong lap. Following the crash of a competitor, Manthey went all-in and sent the ‘Grello’ out for a final flying lap with as little fuel on board as possible. That’s how we made it into the final Top Qualifying segment. Overall, all the drivers did a good job; we had no incidents and no cars in the crash barrier. Now we’re focusing on our own work and prepare thoroughly for the race. We expect things to be very chaotic – especially in the early stages. »
Further information and links
2026 Nürburgring 24 Hours: The full entry list
The challenger in detail: The upgraded Porsche 911 GT3 R
Keep track of the action at all times: Live streams and live timing
75 years of Porsche Motorsport: The history of #Raceborn
Driver quote after Top Qualifying
Thomas Preining (Porsche 911 GT3 R #911): « We’re still lacking a bit of pace, especially in the sectors where engine power really counts. Overall, the Porsche handled well and I felt comfortable in it. Conditions were tricky, with parts of the track damp and oily. We’re hoping for changeable conditions for the race. »
Result Qualifying
1. Engstler/Bortolotti/Niederhauser (DEU/ITA/CHE), Lamborghini #84, 8.11,123 Minuten
2. Mapelli/Catsburg/Yelloly (ITA/NLD/GBR), Lamborghini #130, 8.11,468 Minuten
3. Haase/Sims/Green (DEU/GBR/GBR), Audi #16, 8.11,984 Minuten
8. Estre/Güven/Preining (FRA/TUR/AUT), Porsche 911 GT3 R, Manthey #911, 8.13,939 Minuten
17. Bachler/Heinemann/S. Müller/Schuring (AUT/DEU/DEU/NLD), Porsche 911 GT3 R, Falken Motorsports #44, 8.15,689 Minuten
20. Arrow/Assenheimer/T. Müller/Pereira (GBR/DEU/DEU/LUX), Porsche 911 GT3 R, Black Falcon #48, 8.18,088 Minuten
21. Buus/Christensen/Sturm/Hartog (DNK/DNK/DEU/NLD), Porsche 911 GT3 R, Dinamic GT #54, 8.18,580 Minuten
24. Heinrich/Vanthoor/Feller (DEU/BEL/CHE), Porsche 911 GT3 R, Lionspeed GP #24, 8.30,917 Minuten
27. Andlauer/Boccolacci/Menzel/Picariello (FRA/FRA/DEU/BEL), Porsche 911 GT3 R, Dunlop Motorsport #17, 8.19,941 Minuten
28. Beretta/Ghiretti/Sturm/Hartog (ITA/FRA/DEU/NLD), Porsche 911 GT3 R, Dinamic GT #55, 8.20,158 Minuten
29. Kaya/Kiefer/Piana/Stursberg (TUR/DEU/ITA/DEU), Porsche 911 GT3 R, Black Falcon #5, 8.20,519 Minuten
30. Goroyan/Kivtka/Berthon/Fontana (ARM/KGZ/FRA/CHE), Porsche 911 GT3 R, Car Collection #4, 8.22.065 Minuten
33. Rump/Bünnagel/Brundle (EST/DEU/GBR), Porsche 911 GT3 R, Mühlner Motorsport #123, 8.24,299 Minuten
36. Tilley/Hill/Kolb/Hofer (GBR/GBR/DEU/AUT), Porsche 911 GT3 R, Lionspeed GP #18, 8.27,886 Minuten
37. Kim/Bruins/Cho/Seefried (KOR/NLD/KOR/DEU), Porsche 911 GT3 R, Hankook Competition #30, 8.28,453 Minuten
42. Li/Fjordbach/Ye/King (CHN/DNK/CHN/GBR), Porsche 911 GT3 R, High Class Racing #86, 8.35,904 Minuten
Holgeer Eckhardt,