Ayhancan Güven secured his second DTM victory of the season on Saturday at Zandvoort, delivering a flawless performance and perfectly timed strategy in challenging wet conditions. With another points finish on Sunday, the former Porsche Junior advanced to third place in the overall drivers’ standings after six of 16 races.
His Manthey EMA teammate Thomas Preining also celebrated a podium result on Sunday, finishing third. At the wheel of the customer team’s third Porsche 911 GT3 R, DTM newcomer Morris Schuring achieved the best result in his DTM debut season with fifth place on Saturday.
Shortly before Saturday’s race, the rain ceased over the Zandvoort Circuit. Still, most of the 24-car DTM field opted for rain tyres – including the three Porsche 911 GT3 R cars fielded by Porsche’s customer team Manthey. Starting from fifth, Ayhancan Güven quickly charged to third after the start. On the rapidly drying Grand Prix circuit through the Dutch dunes, the former Porsche Junior defended his position until the performance pit stop window opened. Among the first to switch to slicks, the 27-year-old gained ground thanks to a shorter pit stop than the leaders. The decisive move came on lap 22: Having started on slicks, Lamborghini driver Nicki Thiim rejoined the track in the lead after a late stop – but on cold tyres the Dane had no answer to the charging No. 91 Porsche.
A podium finish also seemed in sight for Manthey Junior Team driver Morris Schuring at his home race. Being fourth, the 20-year-old DTM rookie hoped to launch a late attack following a safety car period but ultimately crossed the line in sixth – his best DTM result to date. A post-race penalty handed to a rival promoted him one place.
Güven’s teammate at Manthey EMA, Thomas Preining, was also looking strong at mid-distance. But on lap 21, the Austrian factory driver suffered a puncture during a duel with a rival – forcing the 2023 DTM champion to retire his yellow No. 91 Porsche 911 GT3 R.
Thomas Preining claims third podium step on Sunday
Sunday brought more favourable weather to Zandvoort. Under cloudy skies and with strong winds, air temperatures hovered around 13 degrees Celsius. Thomas Preining gained one spot off the line to move into fourth. Shortly after his first pit stop, the Austrian moved into third place and held it to the flag. Morris Schuring finished eleventh on Sunday as the second-best Porsche driver. With around twelve minutes left on the clock, Ayhancan Güven was shunted off the track, dashing his hopes of another top-ten result. He crossed the line just behind Schuring in twelfth, still securing points.
Quotes after the race
Ayhancan Güven (Manthey EMA, Porsche 911 GT3 R #90): ‟Saturday brought extremely challenging conditions where it was easy to make mistakes with tyre choice, strategy, and of course, driving. But we got everything right in the key moments. I gained two positions straight away at the start. Our strategy was spot-on, and we switched to slicks at exactly the right time. I nailed both the in- and out-lap around the pit stop. I also managed to make the decisive move on Nicki Thiim just before a no-overtaking zone – a perfect day.”
Thomas Preining (Manthey EMA, Porsche 911 GT3 R #91): ‟I got off to a really strong start on Sunday. After my first stop, I passed Jack Aitken in the Ferrari. The move around the outside of the corner may have looked spectacular – but to be honest, it was fairly straightforward, as he had just come out of the pits on cold tyres and didn’t stand a chance. Our strategy worked brilliantly again, and my crew did a perfect job with the tyre change. That allowed us to get the absolute most out of the day.”
Morris Schuring (Manthey Junior Team, Porsche 911 GT3 R #92): \”I would’ve liked to break into the top ten again on Sunday. Still, I’m happy to have scored more points – if someone had told me about these results before the weekend, I would’ve gladly taken them. My fifth-place finish on Saturday clearly shows the progress we’re making. Of course, there are still areas where I need to improve.”
Result race 5:
1. Ayhancan Güven (TUR), Manthey EMA, Porsche 911 GT3 R #90, 34 laps
2. Nicki Thiim (DNK), Abt Sportsline, Lamborghini #2, +0.323 seconds
3. Maximilian Paul (DEU), Paul Motorsport, Lamborghini #71, +4.182 seconds
5. Morris Schuring (NLD), Manthey Junior Team, Porsche 911 GT3 R #92, +6.755 seconds
DNF Thomas Preining (AUT), Manthey EMA, Porsche 911 GT3 R #91, 21 laps
Result race 6:
1. René Rast (DEU), Schubert Motorsport, BMW #33, 35 laps
2. Marco Wittmann (DEU), Schubert Motorsport, BMW #11, +6.155 seconds
3. Thomas Preining (AUT), Manthey EMA, Porsche 911 GT3 R #91, +6.160 seconds
11. Morris Schuring (NLD), Manthey Junior Team, Porsche 911 GT3 R #92, +37.338 seconds
12. Ayhancan Güven (TUR), Manthey EMA, Porsche 911 GT3 R #90, +37.810 seconds
Drivers’ standings after 6 of 16 races:
1. Lucas Auer (Team Landgraf, Mercedes-AMG), 91 points
2. René Rast (Schubert Motorsport, BMW), 75 points
3. Ayhancan Güven (Manthey EMA, Porsche), 73 points
9. Thomas Preining (Manthey EMA, Porsche), 57 points
14. Morris Schuring (Manthey Junior Team, Porsche), 21 points
Teams’ standings after 6 of 16 races:
1. Manthey (Porsche), 145 points
2. Winward Racing (Mercedes-AMG), 139 points
3. Schubert Motorsport (BMW), 139 points
Manufacturers’ standings:
1. Mercedes-AMG, 182 points
2. Porsche, 152 points
3. BMW, 142 points
Full results at: https://www.dtm.com/en/results
