Manthey DK Engineering Qualifies 9th for the 24 Hours of Le Mans

This weekend, the World Endurance Championship returns to the Circuit de la Sarthe for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. With the departure of Porsche's 963 Hypercar from the championship, the Manthey collective are the sole representatives of the Porsche brand. This weekend marks two historic anniversaries for both Manthey and Porsche; not only is the former celebrating its 30th year of operation, but Porsche are commemorating 75 years since their first Le Mans class victory. In 1951, the #46 356 SL achieved victory in the S1.1 class, the first of many a success for Porsche in the years that followed. As such, the Manthey 911s are both sporting historic liveries, a throwback that has received great praise in the build-up to the race.

After the parade, media duties, pit-stop practice and scrutineering, this week's qualifying and Hyperpole sessions took place. DK Engineering's James Cottingham delivered an entertaining display of pace and control during Wednesday evening's qualifying session, finishing third in class after being promoted from fourth and securing the car's place in Thursday's Hyperpole. Platinum-rated teammate Ayhancan Güven then took over driving duties and, as ever, impressed by setting the third-fastest time in Hyperpole 1. After the top ten cars progressed to the final session, silver-rated Timur Boguslavskiy secured ninth on the grid, where the Manthey DK Engineering Porsche will start the race on Saturday.

A ninth-place starting position places the Manthey DK Engineering Porsche firmly in the mix within the LMGT3 field. While grid position is rarely decisive in a race that lasts 24 hours, a strong qualifying performance provides a welcome boost in confidence and momentum heading into the race. Following Hyperpole, the final practice session took place under the cover of darkness.

The 94th 24 Hours of Le Mans starts at 15:00 BST / 16:00 CEST. To stream the full 24 hours uninterrupted, visit: https://plus.fiawec.com/en

Likewise, if you spot the #91 Manthey DK Engineering Porsche, be sure to tag both @manthey_racing and @dkengineering