First win in LMGT3 for The Bend Manthey in FIA WEC

WECLMGT3

Oct 19

The Bend Manthey celebrates its first victory of the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship season at the penultimate round in Spain with Yasser Shahin, Riccardo Pera and Richard Lietz.

📷 © Luc Warnotte at Circuit de Catalunya. Shahin driving The Bend Manthey #92 Porsche 911 GT3 R takes LMGT3 lead from Antares Au in, McLaren #10.

Yasser Shahin, Riccardo Pera and Richard Lietz with The Bend Manthey Porsche 911 GT3 R

The Bend Manthey claimed victory in the FIA World Endurance Championship’s LMGT3 debut race at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Following a strong qualifying performance of the team and a second-place starting position, Yasser Shahin took the lead of the LMGT3 class after around half an hour of racing with an overtaking move on the pole-sitting McLaren (#10). Together with Riccardo Pera and Richard Lietz, he controlled the race from the front despite several Safety Car periods and changing track conditions. After six hours of racing, the #92 Porsche 911 GT3 R crossed the finish line in first place, securing Manthey’s first LMGT3 class victory of the 2026 FIA WEC season. In addition, Yasser Shahin was awarded the Goodyear Wingfoot Award, presented by the fans to the most outstanding LMGT3 driver of the race.

📷 © Luc Warnotte at Circuit de Catalunya. The Bend Manthey #92 Porsche 911 GT3 R

With the victory in Barcelona, The Bend Manthey moves up to second place in the FIA Endurance Trophy for LMGT3 Teams ahead of the season finale in Monza. With 74 points, the team reduces the gap to the championship lead to 18 points and remains firmly in contention for the title.

Yasser Shahin, The Bend Manthey Porsche 911 GT3 R #92: "We had a fantastic start to the season with two podium finishes before Le Mans turned into a major disappointment. We had genuine opportunities there and strong pace, but unfortunately things didn’t work out. Even after that result and the setbacks in Austin and Fuji, nobody in this team ever stopped believing. We lose together, we learn together, and eventually we win together again, just like we did today. I’m incredibly proud to be part of this team and very happy to celebrate this victory in Barcelona, as well as receiving the Wingfoot Award. I’m proud of the entire Manthey crew and also very satisfied with my own performance this weekend. I’m already looking forward to the season finale in Monza."

📷 © Luc Warnotte at Barcelona. **The Bend Manthey** moves up to second place in the FIA Endurance Trophy for LMGT3 Teams and reduces the gap to the championship leader #33 TF Sport to 18 points.

Riccardo Pera, The Bend Manthey Porsche 911 GT3 R #92: "It was a great weekend for us in Barcelona and one that I really enjoyed. After a run of difficult races, it feels great to return to winning in FIA WEC. It was special to spend so much of the race at the front and to help convert the strong performances of Yasser and Richard into a victory. A big thank you to the entire Manthey team and to my team-mates for a successful weekend. This win means a lot to me. Our focus already shifts to Monza now, and I’m highly motivated to finish the season on a high."

Richard Lietz, The Bend Manthey Porsche 911 GT3 R #92: "It was a challenging race in Barcelona with changing weather conditions and multiple Safety Car periods. Yasser laid the foundation for this victory today. I'm delighted that he received the Wingfoot Award because he absolutely deserved it. I'm very proud of his performance. In the end, everything simply came together for us. We were able to build gaps at key moments, and as always, the team executed brilliantly both strategically and in the pits. Once again, I'm proud and grateful to be part of this team and this success." Source: Manthey Racing

Garage 59 #10 McLaren secured second

The Garage 59 #10 McLaren battled its way to second place in the six-hour FIA WEC race at Barcelona.

Antares Au lead the field away from pole position in the #10 McLaren on a damp track . Antares lost a few positions and was running P8 after 90 minutes. A drive-through penalty for a Full Course Yellow infringement then dropped the #10 further.

Enter Tom Fleming. Fresh from Saterday's Hyperpole performance, Fleming made up an incredible 12 places during his stint, charging through the field to put the #10 firmly back in podium contention. A well-timed Safety Car bunched up the leaders before Marvin Kirchhöfer took over for the final stint in P3. Kirchhöfer wasn't settling for third. He hunted down the #69 BMW and pulled off a fantastic move to claim second place, securing a brilliant podium finish for the Garage 59 #10 McLaren crew.

📷 © Luc Warnotte at Circuit de Catalunya. **Marvin Kirchhöfer** on board the **Garage 59 #10 McLaren** took over Dan Harper in the #69 BMW to claim second place.

Third podium for BMW Team WRT #69 BMW M4 GT3 EVO

The trio Harper, Thompson and McIntosh in the #69 BMW M4 GT3 EVO started from 15th on the grid with Thompson and McIntosh bringing Team WRT’s #69 into the podium positions. BMW M works driver Dan Harper brought home third place, securing the team’s third podium of the season. The trio had already finished on the podium in Imola (ITA) and São Paulo (BRA).

Dan Harper (Team WRT, #69 BMW M4 GT3 EVO): “It has been my first time here for FIA WEC. Obviously, I’ve had some experience here in GTWC, but not with Hypercars coming from behind. That was a new challenge, and, obviously, it’s not our strongest track. We had low expectations but, of course, high hopes, and, to be honest, we’ve done the perfect job. Qualifying was difficult, of course. Things just didn’t quite fall into place, so we started further back than we should have. Tony did a mega job in the first two stints under tricky conditions and got us back up to the front. Then Parker and a good strategy brought us right into the fight for the top five. I then jumped in and tried to hold on with everything I had. It was very close and very tricky, especially when it came to managing tyre pressures and energy towards the end, but I’m absolutely delighted to have secured a podium!” Source: BMW

#34 TF Sport Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R fourth

The #34 Racing Team Turkey by TF Corvette of Charlie Eastwood, Salih Yoluc and Peter Dempsey placed fourth in class and just missed its second straight podium finish.

📷 © Luc Warnotte at Circuit de Catalunya. Lit: #34 Racing Team Turkey by TF Corvette pit stop with Charlie Eastwood taking over from Peter Dempsey (right)

It finished ahead of the seventh-placed #33 Corvette of Nicky Catsburg, Ben Keating and Drivers Championship leader Jonny Edgar as both Corvettes finished in the points in back-to-back races and for the fifth time this season.

Both Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs from TF Sport will go into the FIA World Endurance Championship’s finale at Monza in November with the yellow #33 Corvette leading the Teams Championship standings by 18 points over the #92 Porsche. The red #34 Corvette stands third after Sunday and 22 points behind its sister car. Source: Corvette Racing

Fifth place for 296 LMGT3 Evo

Vista AF Corse’s #21 Ferrari 296 LMGT3 Evo, crewed by François Hériau, Simon Mann and official driver Alessio Rovera, finished fifth.

The opening two hours were run on a wet track, with Bronze-rated drivers Hériau battling in the second half of the field. The #21 Ferrari 296 LMGT3 Evo cars stayed there through the middle stages, with Mann at the wheel as the track gradually dried. After taking over the #21 car, Rovera moved back into the top 10 and steadily climbed to fifth before handing back to his Simon Mann, who took the chequered flag 32.013 seconds behind the winners.

📷 © Luc Warnotte at Circuit de Catalunya. Alessio Rovera takes over from Simon Mann (left); Vista Ferrari 296 LMGT3 Evo #21 (center); Simon Mann (right).