Manthey Porsche 911 GT2 RS sets Road Atlanta record

Porsche said on May 19 that a 2019 911 GT2 RS fitted with the Manthey Kit set a new production-car lap record at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. The company said Porsche brand ambassador and former factory driver Jörg Bergmeister drove the car to a 1:22.649 lap. Porsche said that was 0.2 seconds quicker than the previous production-car record and 2.2 seconds faster than the standard GT2 RS managed at the same track on the same model of tire in 2019. Road Atlanta’s benchmark had only briefly belonged to Chevrolet’s Corvette ZR1 before Porsche reclaimed it. Porsche’s U.S. newsroom said the GT2 RS used the optional Manthey Kit and road-legal Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R N0 tires for the run. Motor1 reported the new time ended the ZR1’s stay at the top of the production-car rankings at the Georgia circuit. (newsroom.porsche.com) ### What exactly set the record? The record car was a 2019 Porsche 911 GT2 RS of the 991.2 generation, equipped with the Manthey Kit. Porsche said the package’s gains came from suspension and aerodynamic upgrades rather than a new engine tune, and Bergmeister said the changes let him carry more speed into corners and accelerate earlier. (newsroom.porsche.com) Motor1 said the lap underscored how much pace Porsche could still extract from an older-generation 911 with factory-backed track hardware. Porsche described Bergmeister as the driver for all three of its Road Atlanta benchmark runs announced this week. ### How fast was it compared with the car’s own earlier mark? The headline number was 1:22.649. (newsroom.porsche.com) Porsche said that improved by 2.2 seconds on the standard GT2 RS lap recorded at Road Atlanta in 2019 on the same type of tire, which makes the comparison unusually direct for track-record claims. (motor1.com) Hagerty reported the earlier GT2 RS Road Atlanta benchmark was 1:24.88, while the new run also edged the Corvette ZR1’s recent production-car time. Carscoops and Hagerty both reported the ZR1 benchmark at about 1:22.8, matching Porsche’s statement that the new lap was faster by 0.2 seconds. ### What is Manthey, and why does that matter here? (newsroom.porsche.com) Manthey is Porsche’s longtime performance partner for track-focused upgrades, and Porsche said Manthey Kits are sold through Manthey-certified Porsche Centers in the United States. In this case, Porsche tied the Road Atlanta result directly to the kit’s added downforce and chassis changes. (hagerty.com) Bergmeister said the GT2 RS still delivered “thrilling” power nearly a decade after its introduction, while the extra downforce and chassis work increased his confidence through the lap. Porsche used his comments to frame the package as something that helps both outright lap time and driver confidence on track. (newsroom.porsche.com) ### Was this Porsche’s only Road Atlanta benchmark this week? Porsche said no. The company also announced that a 2025 911 GT3 RS with the Manthey Kit lapped Road Atlanta in 1:23.932, which it said made it the fastest naturally aspirated production car at the track. Porsche also said a 2026 911 GT3 with the Manthey Kit ran a 1:24.639 lap, 1.8 seconds quicker than a 2022 911 GT3 benchmark from several years earlier. (newsroom.porsche.com) Those additional laps matter because Porsche presented the GT2 RS result as part of a broader Road Atlanta test session rather than a one-car record attempt. The company’s May 18 U.S. newsroom post and accompanying onboard video identify Bergmeister as the driver in all three cars. (newsroom.porsche.com) ### Where can readers see the run and what comes next? Porsche published the Road Atlanta results through its U.S. newsroom on May 18 and posted onboard footage of the GT2 RS lap to YouTube. The company said Manthey Kits for these models are available through Manthey-certified Porsche Centers in the United States. (newsroom.porsche.com) The next concrete step is public, not speculative: Porsche has already released the onboard lap video and the full set of Road Atlanta benchmark times, with Bergmeister named as the driver for each run. (newsroom.porsche.com)