Ryan Hardwick has paid tribute to Manthey after clinching the FIA World Endurance Championship LMGT3 class crown in Bahrain earlier this month, describing the achievement as a ‘storybook ending’ and ‘dream come true’.
Hardwick, Richard Lietz and Riccardo Pera led the LMGT3 standings ever since prevailing in the 24 Hours of Le Mans back in June – a result that replicated Manthey’s 2024 triumph at La Sarthe – and the trio entered the eight-hour season finale in Sakhir in possession of an 11-point advantage at the top of the title table.
Their coronation, however, looked seriously under threat after qualifying around the 5.412km Bahrain International Circuit, with Hardwick able to put the #92 Manthey 1st Phorm Porsche 911 GT3 R no higher than 17th on the grid in the 18-strong field – by some margin the crew’s worst starting spot of 2025.
Refusing to get rattled by the early setback, the Tennessee native produced a superb triple-stint at the beginning of the race to climb as high as fifth, and following similarly strong efforts from both Pera and Lietz, the German car was astonishingly in the mix for the podium in the closing stages.
Only a late neutralisation scuppered a potential bid for victory, but a fourth-place finish – marking an impressive 13-position gain – nonetheless capped an extraordinary comeback at the end of a commendably consistent campaign.
More significantly, with the #92 line-up taking the chequered flag ahead of their two key rivals – the #21 VISTA AF Corse Ferrari and #81 TF Sport Corvette – Manthey was able to celebrate the successful defence of both its Drivers’ and Teams’ trophies in FIA WEC’s fiercely-disputed LMGT3 category.
“It’s hard to put into words what winning the FIA World Endurance Championship means to me and my family,” reflected Hardwick, who has now lifted the laurels in three of the sport’s greatest races – the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Rolex 24 At Daytona and 12 Hours of Sebring – and is just the third American driver to claim a GT class title in FIA WEC, after countrymen Patrick Lindsey and Ben Keating.
“Starting from the very back, we faced one of our toughest challenges all season. However, thanks to our crew’s hard work in completely transforming the car, our perfect strategy and the incredible efforts of the entire Manthey team, we fought our way through the field.
“For me personally, this is the highlight of my driving career and the crowning achievement of my life’s work. My 45-year journey to get to this moment started with racing dirt bikes with my dad at the age of six. Every lesson learned, every experience realised, every failure, every success, every crash, every win and every single decision in my life has led to this. It’s a storybook ending and a dream come true.
“Endurance racing is the ultimate team sport, and I’m blessed and tremendously proud to be part of Manthey – which I believe is one of the greatest teams in any form of automotive racing – and to share this with Richard and Riccardo. Together, we have chased milestone after milestone and we’ve achieved what others said could not be done.
“To have the opportunity to drive with these guys, to be racing in the world championship in a Porsche against Ferrari, to me, you can’t write it any better. We had great competition all year – and I wouldn’t want it any other way or to do it with any other team or co-drivers.”
“It’s been an incredible year and an outstanding performance by Manthey,” echoed Austrian veteran Lietz, who joined Marco Sørensen as one of only two drivers to have been crowned in multiple GT classes in the series following his 2015 success in LMGTE Pro. “I’m especially happy for Ryan and Riccardo – they truly deserve this title.
“We made fewer mistakes than the others, delivered great races, won the highlight at Le Mans and can be very satisfied with our performance. Securing my second championship, ten years after my first, makes it even more special.”
The outcome preserved Manthey’s 100 per cent title strike rate since LMGT3 came into being in 2024, with partner Porsche scooping back-to-back GT spoils for the first time.
“It was an intense race for us,” acknowledged the Eifel-based outfit’s Racing Director, Patrick Arkenau. “After qualifying, we were in a difficult position, but we expected to have a better chance over the longer distance and fortunately that proved to be the case. Ryan made up a lot of ground in his triple stint, and Riccardo and Richard continued that performance seamlessly.
“Without the Virtual Safety Car phase in the final hour, we would probably have made it onto the podium, but nevertheless, thanks to the right strategy, excellent performances from all the drivers and flawless work from our crew, we secured the LMGT3 Drivers’ and Teams’ championships for the second year in a row – an incredible result.”
“Winning the championship and Le Mans for the second consecutive time feels very surreal,” added Manthey Managing Director, Nicolas Raeder. “I’m very proud of how we achieved this with such composure.
“Our mission statement, ‘Closer to Perfection’, best describes what has happened here – a great deal of effort has gone into this result. It shows how close we are to the limits, how meticulously everything is planned and how well it all comes together when it matters. This is a very impressive achievement and a reward for everyone’s hard work.”
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