At the IMSA season finale, Manthey bids farewell to the familiar green and yellow of his Porsche 911 GT3 R. At the 29th Motul Petit Le Mans in Road Atlanta, the „Grello“ is equipped with a striking orange special paint finish – and combines the appearance with a donation campaign for cancer research.
When the 29th Motul Petit Le Mans takes place on October 3rd at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, fans of Manthey Porsche will first have to get used to something. The Porsche 911 GT3 R with the starting number 911 will not be competing in the familiar green-yellow „Grello“ livery at the ten-hour final of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Instead, the vehicle will be presented in orange.
Behind the unusual color scheme lies a joint initiative by Manthey and its long-standing partner Viessmann. The orange paintwork is inspired by the company’s colors and aims to draw attention to the issue of cancer.
As part of the campaign, Viessmann is providing a total of 50,000 euros The money is available for cancer research. The funds go to the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and the Austin Hatcher Foundation in the USA. Both organizations are engaged in different areas of cancer research or in supporting patients and their families.
Jaminet returns to Manthey
There is also an interesting lineup at Manthey Porsche in terms of personnel. In addition to Klaus Bachler and Thomas Preining, Mathieu Jaminet will complete the driver lineup for the starting number 911.
For the 31-year-old Frenchman, it is a return to Porsche and Manthey. Jaminet was a Porsche works driver for several years, but in the 2026 season he switched to Genesis and will compete there in the FIA World Endurance Championship with the Hypercar program. At the Petit Le Mans, he will now take on new responsibilities in the Porsche 911 GT3 R in the GTD PRO class.
Several special designs for the season finale
The orange „Grello“ is, however, not the only vehicle to compete in Road Atlanta with a special livery. The IMSA points to several other special paint schemes for the season finale.
AO Racing is launching two special designs. The Porsche 911 GT3 R with the starting number 77 returns from its regular green „Rexy“ livery to its skeletal paintwork, which was already seen at the Petit Le Mans 2025. The sister Porsche with the number 99, on the other hand, receives a new variant that was first used in the USA: Instead of the previous dragon „Spike“, the Pegasus motif „Rockie“ now takes center stage.
Ford Racing also looks far into the past. The two Mustang GT3s with the starting numbers 64 and 65 have a „Sweepstakes“ livery, which pays tribute to Ford's motorsport history and a competition from the year 2015. 1901 relates.
Conquest Racing, on the other hand, is focused on the memory of the late driver Cedric Sbirrazzuoli. The team is bringing back the livery that won the victory in the GTD class at the Petit Le Mans in 2024. This time, Albert Costa and Lorenzo Patrese, along with the team’s new addition Alec Udell, will compete in the Ferrari 296 GT3.
Wayne Taylor Racing also sets a special accent. The Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo2 with the starting number 45 receives pink elements again. With this, the team is supporting the awareness campaign for breast cancer month and the search for better treatment options for the third time in a row at the Petit Le Mans.
Ten hours of long-distance action
For Manthey, Petit Le Mans forms the conclusion of their 2026 IMSA program. The team does not compete throughout the entire season; instead, it focuses on the five long-distance classics of the year: the 24 Hours of Daytona, the 12 Hours of Sebring, the two 6-hour races at Watkins Glen and Elkhart Lake, and the ten-hour Petit Le Mans.
In Road Atlanta, the sporting season finale is not the only focus. The variety of special paint finishes also makes the race a unique showcase of the history, partners, and social initiatives of the participating teams.
The most striking color addition is probably the Porsche 911 GT3 R with the start number 911: „Grello“ remains true to its name – only this time it’s not called Green & Yellow but simply grell.