Manthey’s Porsche Secures Pole Position for 2025 Nürburgring 24 Hours
Nürburgring, Germany – Manthey Racing’s #911 ‘Grello’ Porsche 911 GT3 R 992 will lead the grid for the 2025 Nürburgring 24 Hours, marking Porsche’s first pole position in this prestigious event in seven years. Factory driver Kevin Estre recorded a stunning lap of 8:12.741, finishing 1.1 seconds ahead of the competition during a condensed Top Qualifying session.
Estre showcased dominant performance, posting four sector bests in a single-lap run following delays from barrier repairs due to Laurens Vanthoor’s earlier incident. "Driving alone on the Nordschleife in the ‘Grello’ with fresh tires is unbelievable. I’m really looking forward to the weekend," Estre commented. He confirmed that teammate Thomas Preining will take over driving duties for the race.
The second grid position went to Thomas Neubauer in the #45 Kondo Racing Ferrari, clocking in at 8:13.909. Completing the top three was Maro Engel in the #14 GetSpeed Mercedes with a lap time of 8:14.233. The #33 Falken Porsche and the #27 Red Bull Team ABT Lamborghini rounded out the top five, though Bortolotti is currently under investigation for a potential red flag violation.
The grid was rounded out by the #1 Scherer Sport PHX Audi, #28 ABT Lamborghini, #35 Walkenhorst Aston Martin, #48 Black Falken Porsche, and #17 GetSpeed AMG. Notably, only 15 of the 17 entries completed their laps; the #16 Scherer Sport PHX Porsche sustained irreparable damage from its crash and has been withdrawn from the event.
Scherer confirmed that Vanthoor was cleared from medical check-ups post-incident. Additionally, the #11 Schnitzelalm Mercedes failed to set a time after an issue halted Jay Mo Hartling at Pflanzgarten.
The race is set to commence tomorrow afternoon, and teams are prepared for a challenging 24-hour endurance event on the legendary Nordschleife.
