Manthey’s ‘Grello’ Porsche squad reacts to big Sebring win

It didn’t take long to settle in as Manthey secured victory in the GTD Pro class at the 74th edition of the 12 Hours of Sebring with the famous “Grello,” driven by Thomas Preining, Klaus Bachler, and Ricardo Feller. They prevailed against, of all cars, the famous AO Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R , known as ‘Roxy’ when carrying the pink color scheme.

The race was decided by a bold move by Preining against King in the penultimate hour. “Thomas made a strong move to pass Roxy, took the lead, and built exactly the gap we needed strategically. He then managed it perfectly,” said Patrick Arkenau, Head of Racing at Manthey.

It was their second IMSA race and first victory in the American series on just their second attempt. The one-two finish by the two 911 Porsches capped off a successful day for Porsche, as there was also a 1-2 finish for the manufacturer in GTP, courtesy of Penske. 

The last time the manufacturer from Zuffenhausen managed to secure a 1-2 finish in two classes was in 2008. Back then, the RS Spyder (LMP2) and the 911 GT3 RSR (GT2) triumphed. Eighteen years later, this feat was repeated thanks to the successes in the GTP class and the GT classes. (Albeit with some conflict in the prototype category)

Bachler celebrated his third class victory at this traditional race, following wins in 2023 and 2025. “When you look at all these facts, it really is a memorable day,” said the Austrian. “We had tremendous car performance and very good balance—especially at the end of the race. But strategically, we were top-notch as well.”

Preining is impressed by the fierce competition in the U.S., saying: “The last two hours were just like in the DTM: full throttle and going into the battles with total determination. It’s incredible how quickly we’ve found our way to success as a new team in IMSA.”

“Competing here as a European team is a real Herculean task, and the fact that everything is going so smoothly and we’ve already won in our second race is truly remarkable.”

«Roxy» had to settle for second place this time. Nick Tandy, who drove the #77 alongside Harry King and Alessio Picariello, is pleased to have made amends after the difficult season opener in Daytona: «Our Porsche drove really well. We chose a bold strategy and were rewarded.»

The Manthey team is now heading back to home turf. The focus is once again on the DTM and the 24 Hours of the Nürburgring. The “Grello” won’t return to the U.S. until June for the 6 Hours of Watkins Glen.

Ahead of that race, Manthey Managing Director Nicki Raeder is already warning the competition to expect an even stronger “Grello,» saying: “This race has once again shown just how demanding IMSA really is. The level here is incredibly high, and the competition is very strong. For us as a new team in this championship, that means we still have a lot to learn in many areas and are developing step by step.”

“There are always situations where you realize: We’ll do that better next time. It’s precisely this learning curve that makes it so appealing. We’re taking a lot away from this weekend and look forward to proving ourselves further.”

Translated from German

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— The Motorsport.com Team