Some producers dream of getting only one icon. Porsche has two – and they’re set to conflict on the Rolex 24 at Daytona for the primary time. Within the IMSA SportsCar Championship’s Endurance Cup, an inner rivalry at Porsche between these two common race groups is about to unfold.
In a single nook: Rexy, the lovable dinosaur. It is a character that has taken the followers’ hearts by storm.
The trouble is led by two hardcore racers: Gunnar Jeannette, long-time sports activities automobile pilot and passionate base jumper, and IT entrepreneur and self-made billionaire P.J. Hyett, founding father of AO Racing, creator of Rexy, who continues to be actively racing.
The Dinosaur-branded Porsche has develop into a legend in a really brief time, even outdoors the USA. AO Racing sells large quantities of merchandise in relation to the automobile.
#77 AO Racing Porsche 911: Nick Tandy, Harry King, Alessio Picariello
Picture by: Jake Galstad
Dino mascots are an enormous hit with followers of all ages, and there’s nobody who hasn’t someway taken this Porsche into their coronary heart. However endearing design apart, Rexy has already achieved loads in her comparatively brief life – 2026 marks the automobile’s fourth 12 months on the grid.
She secured a GTD Professional title in her first 12 months within the class following a studying 12 months in GTD. In 2025, AO Racing additionally took the LMP2 Professional-Am class victory on the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the IMSA LMP2 title with Rexy’s sister prototype referred to as Spike.
A brand new challenger approaches
#911 Manthey Porsche 911: Thomas Preining, Klaus Bachler, Ayhancan Guven, Ricardo Feller
Picture by: Jake Galstad / Lumen by way of Getty Photographs
On the opposite facet of this battle: Grello. It is a image of German precision, accuracy, and professionalism. Cast over many years on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife. A seven-time winner of the 24 Hours on the Nürburgring. Reigning DTM champion. Winner of the 12 Hours of Bathurst in 2024.
Grello is the epitome of success throughout the Porsche household and feared by all its opponents. Even within the USA, the legendary Inexperienced and Yellow is already a identified entity.
And people who do not know Grello but quickly will, as anybody competing in opposition to Grello is aware of they should carry their A-game.
Now, each of those Porsche squads go in opposition to one another for the very first time in GTD Professional. Two vehicles with utterly completely different characters, completely different groups, and completely different approaches, however each purely pushed by success.
“Sure, it’s merely implausible,” Porsche Motorsport boss Thomas Laudenbach instructed Motorsport.com. “Manthey made the choice to develop into energetic right here within the USA as properly, which we have been actually pleased about.”
Manthey additionally goals to extend consciousness of its efficiency kits for Porsche street fashions within the profitable American market.
Laudenbach doesn’t even try to deny {that a} wholesome rivalry will develop between the 2 groups: “Clearly, that’s pure. We’re speaking about buyer racing; everybody has to safe their very own funding and fights for their very own success. And each of groups have the ambition to win championships. If there have been no rivalry, I’d be questioning what was happening.”
A battle larger than Porsche vs. Porsche
#911 Manthey Porsche 911: Thomas Preining, Klaus Bachler, Ayhancan Guven, Ricardo Feller
Picture by: Brandon Badraoui
However then there’s driver Nick Tandy, who stated: “Let’s not give attention to the duel.”
Nevertheless, there’s additionally knowledgeable cooperation happening. Nick Tandy, who has already celebrated nice success in Grello and now goals to guide Rexy to victory for the primary time, sends a warning to not focus solely on the opposite Porsche.
“We’re preventing in opposition to the most effective GT groups on the earth right here. We will’t simply break it all the way down to Rexy vs. Grello”, the Endurance “large six” winner instructed Motorsport.com.
Each groups work carefully collectively beneath the umbrella of Porsche Motorsport North America. “After all, there might be competitors [between the teams], however we make certain it all the time occurs in an excellent spirit,” Laudenbach emphasised.
Reigning DTM champion Ayhancan Guven is firmly related to Grello however bought his first impression of Rexy throughout the grid photograph. “After they took the photographs on the movie day, I used to be driving Grello and Rexy was proper subsequent to me. That’s fairly distinctive”, the Turk instructed Motorsport.com.
“I’ve been racing in Grello for some time, however with Rexy, the fanbase of that automobile, and their successes, it’s a reasonably distinctive mixture. As a model, we at Porsche might be actually pleased to have these two icons. And now, we’re competing in opposition to one another.”
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