What Motorsport-Whole.com first reported a month in the past has now been formally confirmed: Porsche’s prime squad, Manthey, is shedding Kai Storling – the title-winning race engineer who guided Thomas Preining to the 2023 DTM championship and with whom the Austrian has fashioned an inseparable duo ever since. Following his title win, Preining famously described their every day communication as being “like a married couple” when speaking in regards to the 31-year-old.
“It’s actually not a dream situation, however it’s regular within the skilled world for folks to go away their jobs and do one thing new,” Preining commented to ran.de concerning the departure of Storling, who made his last look for Manthey on the DTM spherical in Zandvoort every week in the past. “After all, I might have most popular to proceed as we have been, however in the end, I respect his resolution.”
Moreover, a “good substitute for the remainder of the season” has been discovered, guaranteeing issues proceed “easily and seamlessly,” in line with Preining. However who precisely is changing the engineer who led the car dynamics division at Manthey and was additionally a key a part of the “Grello” outings on the Nurburgring 24 Hours?
Established staff determine takes over as Preining’s race engineer
As Manthey confirmed upon inquiry by Motorsport-Whole.com, Patrick Arkenau will function Preining’s DTM race engineer efficient instantly. That is none aside from the staff’s Head of Racing, who has been setting the technical path for years and – in line with the competitors – is taken into account among the finest engineers within the DTM paddock.
Race Operations Supervisor Arkenau and Preining will work much more carefully collectively sooner or later
Picture: Gruppe C Pictures
Moreover, Arkenau can be appearing because the Workforce Principal for the DTM program this yr, that means he holds a number of key positions concurrently. This additionally explains why Manthey did not make the change earlier than the season opener at Spielberg: Arkenau is already completely built-in and may take over instantly from Storling, who’s leaving the corporate after seven and a half years – reportedly for personal causes.
Storling strikes to Manthey’s former arch-rivals
The German squad from Meuspath had been conscious of the upcoming change for a while. However what’s subsequent for Storling? The engineer, who was a everlasting fixture at Manthey and performed a big position in victories on the 24 Hours of Nurburgring and Spa, a Bathurst 12 Hour triumph, and a GT class win at Le Mans, is transferring to Munich together with his spouse.
SSR Efficiency and Manthey have been as soon as archrivals not solely on the observe
Picture: Speedpictures
Staying with the Nurburgring-based Porsche staff would have been tough as a result of geographic distance. Sarcastically, Storling will work for Manthey’s former arch-rival, the very staff he and Preining fought towards for the 2023 DTM title: SSR Efficiency.
New management position at SSR Efficiency
The Munich-based firm introduced on the finish of Could that Storling would tackle a management position, serving as “Operations Supervisor” answerable for day-to-day operations as of June 1, 2026.
For context: SSR Efficiency withdrew utterly from lively racing on the finish of 2024 after profitable the DTM title with Lamborghini and Mirko Bortolotti. Since then, the corporate has centered on optimizing luxurious automobiles and internet hosting observe days. Nevertheless, a comeback as a racing staff in its personal proper can’t be dominated out.
“We’re very pleased that Kai is becoming a member of our sports activities automotive facility in Freimann. He brings a wealth of expertise from his involvement in world motorsport and is a graduate mechanical engineer specializing in automotive know-how. He’ll tackle administration duties throughout all areas by which the corporate is positioned,” stated SSR boss Stefan Schlund, welcoming the brand new addition from Meuspath.
Storling: “I’m stress-resistant and maintain a cool head”
Particularly since SSR Efficiency intends to “act as a improvement service supplier” sooner or later, Schlund introduced. “We provide our prospects companies for car improvement of every kind. Whether or not software program or {hardware}, from powertrain purposes to the design of dampers and axle kinematics – Kai Storling will help us together with his experience.”
Automobile dynamics knowledgeable Storling himself is “enthusiastic about my new job” after ten years in motorsport. “At SSR Efficiency, I need to dedicate myself to new fields of exercise and am pleased if somebody advantages from my expertise.”
Concerning his personal strengths, he famous with a smile: “I can say that I’m stress-resistant and maintain a cool head in difficult conditions. That actually does not damage when coping with fast-paced processes.”
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