Porsche, Manthey EMA and Thomas Preining start the head protection project

Porsche Motorsport and the Manthey EMA customer team will face the new DTM season next weekend in Oschersleben (April 26 to 28) as title holders in the manufacturers’, teams’ and drivers’ championships. Austrian works driver and reigning champion Thomas Preining will have a new teammate: Ayhancan Güven from Turkey will drive the second of the up to 416 kW (565 hp) Porsche 911 GT3 R from the Meuspath racing team at the Nürburgring. In 2024, the DTM will again include eight race weekends with two races each. “The DTM is entering its anniversary year and Porsche presents the current champion. I am proud of that,” says Thomas Laudenbach, Head of Porsche Motorsport. “The switch to the FIA ​​GT3 world class in 2022 has boosted the brand’s diversity and further improved the show for fans. Now is the time to maintain consistency. This series, which is very important for Germany but also respected internationally, improves motorsport. For Porsche, As one of the largest service providers in the field of customer racing, the DTM and its entire environment are very important.

Changed starting point – especially in relation to developer standards

Last year, six 911s from three customer teams represented the Porsche colors on the DTM starting field. In the new season, this number will be reduced to two due to the withdrawal of Timu75 Bernhard and Toksport WRT. “This of course makes it difficult for us to collect points for the manufacturers’ championship, since the two best-placed cars from the brand count in every race,” explains Sebastian Golz, project manager of the 911 GT3 R “But it would be possible to be presumptuous repeating that “We can expect great success in 2023 – the fact that we were able to win all three titles last year is an excellent result. This year our task is even bigger, because now we are in the hunt.”

Looking at the driver line-up of Thomas Preining and Ayhancan Güven, Golz sees the Manthey EMA team as well-prepared for this new role: “They all know the DTM, the tracks and the environment from the last two years. I expect a local team fight on equal terms, where both they will push each other. Thomas showed great courage last year and he always stayed calm, no matter how much pressure it was in qualifying or racing. Ayhancan is a real fighter who has great talent, especially in the fight for space and maneuver. It will be interesting to see how they both grow.”

Works Preining driver and ex-Porsche Junior Güven will compete against 18 competitors from ten teams and GT3 racing cars from six other brands. “I rate the starting field in the upcoming DTM season as very strong and I expect the competition to become even tougher as the season progresses,” says Nicolas Raeder, Managing Director of Manthey Racing GmbH. “Our hope is, of course, that we can fight for the championship again in this field and be competitive. We start with the same desire to win as last year and with the confidence that nothing will come our way.”

Looking at the history of the DTM, Nicolas Raeder emphasizes: “We are proud that we were able to contribute a small part in the traditional history of the DTM last year. We consider it a special honor to begin the 40th consecutive season as the reigning champions.

2024 DTM season

The organizing ADAC is celebrating the 40th anniversary of the DTM with many activities. The highlight of the festivities will be the Norisring race weekend on July 5 to 7: many drivers and cars from the past four decades of the racing series will be there for the official birthday celebration of the DTM. As usual, the calendar includes eight events, each with two one-hour races per weekend. Before each race, a 20-minute qualifying session is used to determine the starting grid. Pit stops and tire changes are mandatory in every race.

ADAC once again issues ratings for DTM drivers, teams and manufacturers. For the second, the two best placed cars from each brand count for each run. The distribution of points for one to 15 rows follows a tried and tested pattern: 25-20-16-13-11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1. The top three finishers in qualifying also receive points for the drivers’ championship – the fastest three, the third fastest one point.

Between the opener at Oschersleben and the traditional season finale at Hockenheim in October, the series in Germany also competes at the Norisring in Nuremberg and the Nürburgring as well as the Lausitzring and Sachsenring. There are also two foreign matches in Zandvoort in the Netherlands at the end of June and in Spielberg in Austria in September. In Germany, DTM fans can watch all races live on the free TV channel ProSieben. In addition to all qualifying sessions and races, the DTM YouTube channel also streams free practice sessions on Fridays live in German and English.

What drivers are saying about the 2024 season

Thomas Preining (Manthey EMA, Porsche 911 GT3 R #91): “It means an incredible amount to me to start the 40th anniversary season of the DTM as the reigning champion. Despite winning the title last year, our approach remained the same: We aim again to start the season well and score points regularly. I get on well with my new teammate Ayhancan Güven. We cooperate well and push each other and push the team forward.”

Ayhancan Güven (Manthey EMA, Porsche 911 GT3 R #90): “My first few months with Manthey EMA have been amazing – with a win in Bathurst, Australia and two top 3 results in the 24 hour qualifying race at the Nürburgring, we’ve finished every race together on the podium so far. Thomas and I get along really well internally and off the track. For me it’s good to be part of a championship-dominating team. At the same time, the expectations are always high. After my first DTM podium last year, I want to win the race as well.”

DTM 2024 calendar (two races each)

April 26 – 28: Oschersleben (Germany)
May 24 – 26: Lausitzring (Germany)
June 7 – 9: Zandvoort (Netherlands)
July 5 – 7: Norisring (Germany)
August 16 – 18: Nürburgring (Germany)
September 8 – 8: Sachsenring (Germany)
September 27 – 29: Spielberg (Austria)
October 18 – 20: Hockenheim (Germany)