P4 for the #91 Manthey DK Engineering Porsche in the WEC Season Opener: 6 Hours of Imola

Despite Qatar's postponement, the first round of the FIA World Endurance Championship came around soon enough. The 6 Hours of Imola demonstrated that endurance racing continues to define how contemporary motor racing should look and feel, as the sport remains hugely appealing to both purists and newcomers alike.

Porsche's decision to retire the 963 Hypercar from the WEC after the 2025 season places renewed significance on the works-owned Manthey LMGT3 squad, now the most senior Porsche representatives in the championship. The team enters 2026 with a refreshed driver line up: four of the six drivers across the two Manthey 911 GT3-Rs are new additions, including DK Engineering’s James Cottingham.

The week prior to the race had seen Imola doused with intermittent wet weather, meaning practice, whilst valuable in the wet, was likely to differ from Sunday's race. The #91 crew of Cottingham, Güven and Boguslavskiy delivered strongly in qualifying, progressing to Hyperpole and securing P8 on the LMGT3 grid.

James Cottingham would start the race and helm the Porsche for the first two hours. This would fulfil his mandatory 1h 45 as a bronze-rated driver and allow platinum-rated teammate Ayhancan Güven valuable race time towards the end to bring the car home. One of the many merits of the 911 GT3-R is the reassurance it provides for its drivers and wider team, meaning performance is often consistent over a long period, ideal for endurance competition. Following Boguslavskiy's mid-race stint, which saw increasing pressure from the competition and, in some cases, the need for defensive manoeuvres, Güven took over to see out the remainder of the 6 hours.

Drawing on experience from two consecutive championship winning seasons, Manthey once again demonstrated its trademark composure and strategic clarity. Combined with strong individual performances from all six drivers across both cars, the team secured an impressive 3rd for the #92 and 4th for the #91, a valuable points haul and a confident start to their 2026 WEC campaign. Overall victory went to Toyota, worth noting for the gravitas of the achievement that ensued. Victory in Imola meant 50 WEC races won from 100 starts for Toyota, a remarkable statistic.

Round 2, the TotalEnergies 6 Hours of Spa, will be held on 9th May.