Bachler: Preparation paved the way for near ‘perfect’ season

Bachler together with team-mates Joel Sturm and Aliaksandr Malykhin tied up the laurels with a round to spare courtesy of a second place-finish in last month’s 6 Hours of Fuji – their sixth podium from seven starts in 2024, including two victories. Indeed, the only occasion on which they have failed to reach the rostrum to-date was the 24 Hours of Le Mans, which they led for a long time prior to falling victim to gearbox gremlins.

Still, the #92 crew’s consistently strong results elsewhere enabled them to seal the deal with the runner-up spoils in Japan. That was a race in which they had not expected to do so well from down in 14^th on the grid, but an error-free effort and savvy strategy hauled them into the reckoning, enabling them to take advantage of a late safety car intervention to ascend the podium once again.

“Fuji was definitely tricky, starting so far down, and it was a long race,” acknowledged Bachler. “We knew it would be a challenge, but our focus was on being strong on tyre wear, and during the first Full Course Yellow, we made a really good strategy call to stay out, which lifted us up the order. We had a very consistent car, but we didn’t have mega pace and we would never have been able to pass so many other cars on the track.

“There’s one more race to go with a lot of points on offer, so I’m really happy that we have managed [to win the championship] already because you never know what is around the corner – just a tiny issue can knock you out of contention, like happened to us at Le Mans...”

Only once before has the crown been clinched with a round to spare – by Corvette Racing in 2023 – with the result marking Porsche’s first GT title since the 2018/19 ‘Super Season’. Bachler is unequivocal regarding the secret behind Manthey PureRxcing’s success this year.

“We were really well-prepared coming into the season,” asserted the 33-year-old Austrian. “We raced together in a different championship last year and then won the Asian Le Mans Series over the winter, and that experience paid off, as it meant we already knew each other, what each other wants and where each other’s skills are. You need to be a strong and supportive team, and we definitely have been. The combination with Manthey Pure Rxcing and a very reliable car has been just perfect.”

Young stablemate Sturm echoes Bachler’s words, explaining that the trio swiftly clicked and that each brings different attributes to the team – the first Lithuanian outfit to prevail in FIA WEC competition.

“You never expect [this kind of performance], but after Qatar, we saw we might have the potential to really do something amazing this year,” reflected the 22-year-old German, describing the achievement – as a newcomer to the series in 2024 – as ‘the greatest of my career to-date’. “In every race, we have been up there and we haven’t made any mistakes. Of course, we had some bad luck at Le Mans, and without that, we could maybe have wrapped the championship up even earlier, but that’s part of racing.

“This is the second year we’ve been competing together, and our relationship has become quite tight. We get along well. I think it’s also really important, especially in a world championship, to not have competition inside the team. Everyone plays their part, and I think we have done it really well. Now, we can go and enjoy Bahrain!”