Factory driver Preining won twice in Porsche’s first season in the DTM last year with the single-car Team Bernhard operation, following up the Weissach marque’s first series victory at the Norisring with a charging drive at a wet Red Bull Ring, while Porsche-contracted Olsen dominated from pole for SSR Performance at Spa.
Bernhard is expected to expand to run two cars in 2023, while Toksport WRT was also revealed as a Porsche entrant for 2023 when the series now run by the ADAC – following its sale by Gerhard Berger’s ITR organisation – revealed its 13 participating teams on Wednesday.
With SSR switching to Lamborghini, announcing factory drivers Mirko Bortolotti and Franck Perera as part of its three-car roster on Thursday, Olsen has switched to Manthey as the team moves across from running Porsche’s factory effort in the World Endurance Championship’s now-defunct GTE Pro class.
It marks Manthey’s first DTM involvement since the team ran Mercedes in 2002, an involvement capped by winning the last two rounds of the 2001 season with Patrick Huisman and Bernd Maylander at Hockenheim.
Team founder Olaf Manthey also has a long history in the DTM, having finished second in the inaugural championship in 1984 and repeated the feat in 1985.
Thomas Preining, KuS Team Bernhard
Photo by: Alexander Trienitz
Manthey Racing’s tie-up with Australian outfit EMA Motorsport continues a burgeoning partnership that yielded second spot at the Bathurst 12 Hours earlier this month, with Preining part of its driver lineup. The two organisations previously collaborated on an entry to the Spa 24 Hours last year as well as in a round of the Nordschleife-based Nurburgring Endurance Series.
Preining said: “I already got to know the team last year at the eighth NLS round and especially at the 12 Hours of Bathurst: the crew is highly professional and the chemistry is right. We are all very motivated.
“I’m looking forward to the season with confidence and can’t wait for it to finally start.”
Olsen added: “I’ve already worked with the team and I know how well things work at Manthey. This is topped off by the new generation Porsche 911 GT3 R.
“For me this is exactly the right starting point to race at the highest level in the DTM.”
