The #92 Manthey PureRxcing Porsche 911 secured the first-ever LMGT3 class win at the Qatar 1812 km, the season-opener for the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship.
For the first time this year, 18 cars from the new LMGT3 category sought for the win at a new venue for the WEC, the Losail International Circuit in Qatar.
The #92 crew of Alex Malykhin, Joel Sturm and Klaus Bachler took victory after almost 10 hours of racing.
It was thoroughly hard-fought with a plethora of action, fighting and drama in the class to determine a winner amidst nine manufacturers.
However, achieving a Porsche win to match their Hypercar victory required just as much patience and strong form whilst working on sufficient tyre management across such a prominent race distance.
After qualifying the car on pole position, Tom van Rompuy retained his lead in the #81 TF Sport Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R during a frantic race start ahead of the #92 Manthey PureRxcing Porsche 911 with Alex Malykhin, ahead of the #777 D’station Aston Martin Vantage AMR of Clement Mateu which gained one position from starting fourth.
For the #88 Proton Ford Mustang of Ryan Hardwick, issues familiar from the 24 Hours of Daytona hit as the rear boot/deck lifted, and so they were forced to pit early to attend to the issue.
The intensity of LMGT3 being able to stay close together during the opening hour created exciting fights, especially for the lead.
Malykhin surged into the lead when Hypercars were lapping the LMGT3s, enabling for Van Rompuy to fall back into the hands of the #92 and the #777.
Over the following hours, the #92 built on a dominant lead, although this did not mark the end of the lead fight yet – instead reemerging during the final hours.
An enjoyable midfield battle involved the Iron Dames’ bronze driver Sarah Bovy in sixth fending off the #81 with last year’s LMP2 champion Rui Andrade driving, followed by the Akoddis ASP Lexus RC F #87 of Esteban Masson in P8.
Michelle Gatting took to the wheel of the #85 Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2, and was passed by Simon Mann of the #55 AF Corse with a move on outside, then by the #31 WRT driver Sean Gelael.
In an unfortunate turn of circumstances for the pole-sitter #81, their aim for victory turned down primarily in not being able to match the likes of Manthey on consistent pace, but after Andrade suffered a brief spin at Turn 1.
It then stopped to a halt after the pit entry due to a gearbox issue, though not in what is referred to as the ‘fast lane’ and so not in the way of other competitors.
After entering the garage, it succumbed to its issues as the second retirement of the race.
Another talking point was the WEC debut of MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi in the #46 WRT BMW M4, who completed two strong outings in the car.
In addition to the efforts of his teammates Maxime Martin and especially Ahmed Al Harthy during the beginning of the race, Rossi asserted smooth and strong pace to maintain the #46’s contention for a top-five finish and a points haulage, with consideration of the near-10 hour race duration.
More specifically, Rossi carried out a move for P4 on the #91 Manthey EMA Porsche driver of Yasser Shahin, having begun his stint in P8.
Daniel Mancinelli of the #27 Heart of Racing AMR managed to chase down Malykhin on double-stinted tyres, and take the lead off the Manthey driver after the #92 dominated at the front with a 20-second gap over P2.
Upon the sixth hour, the #27 was still involved in the battle for the win, albeit now with the #54 AF Corse Ferrari driver of Thomas Flohr.
Eventually, Heart of Racing’s Alex Riberas performed a late yet well-executed move on the inside of the final corner before the start-finish straight.
Later on with Riberas driving the leading #27 Aston Martin, he spun around at Turn 1, which gave opportunity for Porsche regular Klaus Bachler to narrow the gap in the #92 Porsche and reclaim the lead as the #27 pitted for Mancinelli to drive again.
The battle for P4 was thrilling to follow, as it featured #31 WRT BMW driver Sean Gelael being chased on the tail by D’station Racing’s #777 Aston Martin driver, Erwan Bastard.
After an intense fight with the pair nose to tail, the #777 driver made a calculated move in which he braked late into final turn, and established a strong corner exit thus bringing the momentum on the start-finish to pass Gelael.
Meanwhile the #78 of Kelvin van der Linde became the third retirement of the race after they suffered from an engine issue.
The fight to the end may not have been as intense in comparison to the Hypercar category, but it certainly showcased the tense and thrilling racing which the new LMGT3 class can bring for the rest of the season.
Alex Malykhin, Joel Sturm and Klaus Bachler were victorious in the #92, ahead of the #27 crew of Ian James, Daniel Mancinelli and Alex Riberas, and the #777 third-placed finishers Clement Mateu, Erwan Bastard and Marco Sorensen.
Fourth place was taken by the #46 WRT drivers Ahmad Al Harthy, Valentino Rossi and Maxime Martin, followed in fifth position by Thomas Flohr, Francesco Castellacci, and Davide Rigon.
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