Porsche finally broke through in the LMGT3 category at the 6 Hours of Barcelona presented by Visit Qatar, delivering a commanding win at the penultimate round of the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship.

The #92 The Bend Manthey 911 GT3 R, driven by Yasser Shahin, Riccardo Pera and Richard Lietz, took control of the race from the opening hour and never relinquished it, holding off the Garage 59 McLaren of Antares Au, Tom Fleming and Marvin Kirchhöfer by just under five seconds at the finish. Shahin also earned the Goodyear Wingfoot "Driver of the Race" honor for his performance.

The victory marked the seventh different winning crew in as many LMGT3 races this season, a testament to how tightly matched the production-based class has been in 2026. It also ended Porsche's longest drought in the category, dating back to its last win at the 2025 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Shahin credited his comfort in wet conditions and prior testing experience at the Spanish circuit for the result. "I'm a big fan of mixed conditions and I like driving in the rain," he said, adding that the car performed well in the wet and that preparation gave the team confidence heading into the race. He also reflected on Porsche's up-and-down season, noting that despite three podiums early on, a part failure at Le Mans had derailed a promising result and likely hurt the championship bid. He praised the team's resilience, saying how a group handles adversity builds stronger bonds than success alone.

The race opened dramatically on a wet track. Pole-sitter Au led initially in the #10 McLaren, but chaos erupted at the first corner when a chain-reaction incident—triggered by Martin Berry's #61 Iron Lynx Mercedes-AMG spinning Stefano Gattuso's #88 Proton Competition Ford Mustang—collected James Cottingham's #91 Porsche and Hadrien David's #78 Akkodis ASP Lexus.

Shahin quickly asserted control up front while the two TF Sport Corvettes briefly held second and third. However, the championship-leading #33 Corvette lost ground due to a pit lane mishap and a subsequent penalty for Jonny Edgar, allowing Team WRT's BMW M4 Evo, driven by Daniel Harper, to rise to second. Harper was ultimately overtaken by Kirchhöfer, who fought through late pressure—including a puncture from contact with a Proton Mustang—to secure second place for Garage 59.

The sister TF Sport Corvette finished fourth, while the #33 car dropped to seventh after being passed by Maxime Martin on the final lap. Edgar's championship lead over the Barcelona-winning Porsche crew now stands at 18 points, with the title battle set to conclude at Monza from November 6-8.

Source: FIA WEC

See also our earlier piece: The Boxster and Cayman Reign Supreme As Mid-Engine Sales Kings, Even As Gas Power Fades Away