Article

Manthey Racing in the Asian Le Mans Series: What 2024/25 Proved—and What 2025/26 Could Bring

Dec 05, 2025

The Series, in Plain English: Why ALMS Matters

ALMS is organized under the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) umbrella and is built around compact endurance events that still demand the big-race fundamentals: pit timing, tire life, driver management, and staying out of trouble for four straight hours. (24h-lemans.com)

Just as important: ALMS results can carry Le Mans implications. The ACO has explicitly tied ALMS outcomes to invitations, noting how the championship “renders its verdict” and awards invitations for the following year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans. (24h-lemans.com) Manthey’s own season recap of the 2024/25 finale also notes that the ALMS victory earned the team a starting place for the 2025 24 Hours of Le Mans, enabling a third car alongside its WEC entries.

The Tracks: Three Very Different Tests

Sepang International Circuit (Malaysia)

Sepang is a modern classic—5.543 km, 15 turns, and famous for wide racing lines, big braking zones, and weather that can flip a strategy upside down. ([Wikipedia][5]) It opened in 1999 and was designed by Hermann Tilke, with the venue itself emphasizing its history and major-event pedigree. ([sepangcircuit.com][6])

Dubai Autodrome (UAE)

Dubai Autodrome’s Grand Prix layout is 5.390 km with 17 turns, opened in 2004, and rewards traction and rhythm through multiple corner “complexes” rather than one signature sector.

Yas Marina Circuit (Abu Dhabi, UAE)

Yas Marina—5.281 km, 16 turns in its current layout—pairs long straights with technical sequences and high consequences for penalties, track limits, and pit-lane precision.

Manthey’s 2024/25 ALMS Season: The Debut That Turned Into a Statement

Manthey entered ALMS for the first time in 2024/25 with two Porsche 911 GT3 R (992)—and made it clear they weren’t showing up to “gain experience.”

How many Manthey cars in 2024/25?

Two entries:

#10 Manthey Racing (Porsche 911 GT3 R)
#92 Manthey EMA (Porsche 911 GT3 R)

Manthey framed the move as an expansion of an already successful endurance program, following LMGT3 success and Le Mans momentum. Managing Director Nicolas Raeder summed up the intent: Manthey believed its lineup could demonstrate endurance expertise in Asia and welcomed the strength of the field.

Early tone-setter: Sepang podiums

Manthey’s debut weekend immediately delivered hardware:

#92 scored a podium in the opener (third), and
#10 followed with a podium (second) in the second Sepang race.

The season arc: consistency into a finale crescendo

Porsche’s recap of the season shows how Manthey’s points story built methodically: podiums early, strong Middle East rounds, then a decisive Abu Dhabi finish. (porschesport.com) At the finale in Abu Dhabi, Manthey’s own report details a dramatic swing: the team achieved a 1–2 result in the first race of the weekend (with #92 first, #10 second), then #10 won the final race to secure the title.

The result: a 1–2 championship finish in GT

Manthey didn’t just win the GT championship in its debut—it effectively owned the final scoreboard:

#10 Manthey (Au/Sturm/Bachler): GT title
#92 Manthey EMA (Hardwick/Lietz/Pera): GT runners-up

And crucially, Manthey notes the ALMS win provided a path to field an additional Le Mans entry the following year.

The 2025/26 ALMS Program: Title Defense, Two Cars, Sharpened Driver Mix

Manthey’s next step is simple: defend the crown—again with two Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) entries.

How many Manthey cars in 2025/26?

Two again, confirmed by both Manthey and the ACO:

Manthey will “once again field a pair of Porsche 911 GT3 Rs.” (24h-lemans.com)

2025/26 schedule (six races, three venues)

Manthey’s published race calendar for the season:

Dec 13, 2025 – Sepang
Dec 14, 2025 – Sepang
Jan 30, 2026 – Dubai
Feb 1, 2026 – Dubai
Feb 7, 2026 – Yas Marina (Abu Dhabi)
Feb 8, 2026 – Yas Marina (Abu Dhabi)

The 2025/26 driver pairings and why they’re interesting

Manthey’s release highlights two key lineup stories:

Car #10 (returning champions + new ingredient)

Antares Au returns and emphasizes the value of consistency across six races in what he calls the “most competitive” GT field yet.
Manthey’s season-defense framing also stresses learning carried over from shared preparation, including Le Mans experience.

Car #92 (a proven Porsche ace + a new Porsche GT3 chapter for one driver)

Manthey notes that François Hériau will make his Porsche 911 GT3 R debut with Manthey at the Sepang opener.
Hériau’s own comment focuses on joining Manthey and Porsche, calling the goal clear: fight for the title as a team.

The competition level: smaller GT roster, but deeper quality

For 2025/26, the ACO notes 22 cars in the upcoming GT field, with a diverse spread of manufacturers—Ferrari, Porsche, Corvette, Mercedes-AMG, BMW, Aston Martin, McLaren—and explicitly calls out Manthey as the returning team champion with two Porsches again. (24h-lemans.com)

The Outlook: Why Manthey’s ALMS Approach Works

Manthey’s ALMS playbook isn’t mysterious—it’s just hard to execute:

Two-car synergy A two-entry team can play the long game—covering strategy variations, learning quickly, and minimizing weekends where “everything goes wrong” at once.
Porsche 911 GT3 R endurance strengths The 911 GT3 R’s platform thrives on stability, tire discipline, and consistent stint pace—exactly what four-hour races reward. Manthey has repeatedly built results around that rhythm in ALMS weekends. (manthey-racing.com)
Driver intent is aligned with championship reality Au’s emphasis on consistency, and Hériau’s “fight for the title” mindset, match the math of ALMS: you don’t win this series by one heroic race—you win it by six clean, high-scoring executions.

Bottom Line

Manthey’s 2024/25 ALMS debut became a blueprint: two cars, strong lineups, and a late-season knockout that produced a 1–2 GT championship finish. (manthey-racing.com) For 2025/26, the team returns with the same two-car commitment, a refined driver mix, and the explicit goal of defending the GT crown in a field the ACO and Manthey both frame as highly competitive. (manthey-racing.com)

If 2024/25 proved Manthey could learn ALMS quickly, 2025/26 is about something harder: proving it wasn’t beginner’s luck—it was just Manthey being Manthey.