Title defence: Manthey EMA counting on champion Thomas Preining and newcomer Ayhancan Güven
After last year’s title treble, Manthey EMA goes into the 2024 DTM season with another strong driver line-up. The Porsche team is out to repeat its success in the Team, Driver and Manufacturer competitions with champion Thomas Preining (Austria) and Turkish newcomer Ayhancan Güven. Preining will be at the wheel of the 550-hp Porsche 911 GT3 R with the start number 91, which sports the famous Grello design, while Güven will drive the bright green number 90 car in his first season with Manthey EMA.
“The 2023 DTM could not have gone better for us, and we ended the year as DTM champions. We are now the hunted in the coming season, and I hope we are able to successfully defend our title. Our whole team is motivated and ideally positioned to achieve this goal. Alongside Thomas Preining, Ayhancan Güven is another driver with DTM experience. We are looking forward to an exciting 2024 DTM season,” says Nicolas Raeder, Managing Director of Manthey Racing GmbH.
Preining is in his third DTM season this year. In 2023, the 25-year-old Porsche Works driver won a thrilling title race. With three victories and a total of eight podiums, Preining came out on top at the end of a captivating battle with Lamborghini ace Mirko Bortolotti (Italy). “I am very happy to be back in the DTM with Manthey EMA in 2024 and to be defending our title. That is obviously easier said than done, as we once again have a long and tiring season ahead of us. However, I am really looking forward to it. I can see how motivated and hungry for success every single member of the team still is. That is not something you can take for granted, and I really value it. I am confident that we will have a super season in 2024,” says Preining.
Güven lines up in his second full year in the DTM. The 26-year-old finished in the points on eight occasions last season. The Porsche driver’s best result came at the Sachsenring when he finished third to celebrate on the podium alongside his new team-mate. Güven has already made an appearance on the top step of the podium for Manthey EMA this February. Together with the team from Meuspath, he won the 12-hour race in Bathurst, Australia. “I am very much looking forward to this project and the opportunities that come with it. For a driver, it is fantastic to be part of the reigning champion team,” says Güven. “And for me as a Porsche driver, who started out in the Sports Cup in 2016, it is of special importance. To come through all these various situations and to ultimately drive in the DTM – that is a dream come true.”