– As Motorsport-Total.com reported a month ago, it is now officially confirmed: Porsche’s top team Manthey is losing Kai Störling, the race engineer who guided Thomas Preining to the DTM title in 2023 and with whom the Austrian has since formed an inseparable duo. They communicate daily “like a married couple,” Preining said about the 31-year-old after his title win.
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“Certainly, it is not a dream scenario, but it is normal in the professional world that people leave their jobs and do something new,” Preining commented on ran.de about Störling’s departure, who had his last Manthey assignment a week ago at the DTM in Zandvoort. “Of course, I would prefer if we continued like this, but in the end, I respect his decision.”
Furthermore, they have “a good replacement for the rest of the season, so everything runs smoothly and seamlessly,” Preining announced. But who replaces the engineer who led the vehicle dynamics area at Manthey and also contributed to the “Grello” deployment at the 24h Nürburgring?
Manthey key figure now also Preining’s race engineer
As Manthey confirmed upon inquiry by Motorsport-Total.com, Patrick Arkenau will immediately act as DTM race engineer for Preining. He is none other than the team’s race director, who has been technically setting the direction for years and—according to competitors—is considered one of the best engineers in the DTM paddock.
Additionally, Arkenau is also acting as team principal of the DTM campaign this year, holding numerous roles simultaneously (see team profile 2026). This also explains why Manthey did not make the change before the season opener in Spielberg: Arkenau is perfectly integrated and can take over directly from Störling, who is leaving the company after seven and a half years—reportedly for personal reasons.
Störling switches precisely to Manthey’s former arch-rival
The Meuspath team has known for some time that this would happen. But what happens next with Störling? The engineer, who was permanently employed at Manthey and was involved not only in the DTM title but also in wins at the 24-hour races at Nürburgring and Spa-Francorchamps, as well as triumphs at the 12-hour race in Bathurst and a GT class win at Le Mans, is moving with his wife to Munich.
That would not have been very favorable for staying with the Nürburgring-based Porsche team due to the geographical distance. Störling will in future work precisely for Manthey’s former arch-rival, against whom he and Preining fought for the DTM title in 2023: SSR Performance.
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New leadership role at SSR Performance
Because the Munich-based company announced at the end of May that Störling will take on a leadership role and from June 1, 2026, will be responsible as “Operations Manager” for the operational day-to-day business.
For context: SSR Performance completely withdrew from racing operations at the end of 2024 after the DTM title with Lamborghini and Mirko Bortolotti and has since focused on optimizing luxury vehicles and organizing track days. A comeback as its own racing team is not considered excluded. (SPONSORED LINK: Secure tickets now for the 2026 DTM season!)
“We are very happy that Kai is strengthening our sports car location in Freimann. He brings a lot of experience from his involvement in worldwide motorsport and is a trained mechanical engineer specializing in vehicle technology. With us, he takes on management tasks in all areas where the company is positioned,” SSR boss Stefan Schlund is very pleased about the new addition from Meuspath.
Störling: “I am stress-resistant and keep a cool head”
Especially since SSR Performance will in the future “also act as a development service provider,” he announces. “We offer our customers services for vehicle development of all kinds. Whether software or hardware, from powertrain applications to the design of dampers and axle kinematics—Kai Störling will support us with his expertise.”
Photo series: From driver to team principal: Olaf Manthey’s career at a glance
Vehicle dynamics expert Störling himself is “excited about my new task after ten years in motorsport. At SSR Performance, I want to dedicate myself to new fields of activity and look forward to someone benefiting from my experience.”
About himself, he can say “that I am stress-resistant and keep a cool head in challenging situations. That can sometimes be helpful in connection with fast processes,” he explains with a smile.
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