What Motorsport-Total.com first reported a month ago has now been officially confirmed: Porsche’s top squad, Manthey, is losing Kai Storling - the title-winning race engineer who guided Thomas Preining to the 2023 DTM championship and with whom the Austrian has formed an inseparable duo ever since. Following his title win, Preining famously described their daily communication as being "like a married couple" when talking about the 31-year-old.
"It’s certainly not a dream scenario, but it’s normal in the professional world for people to leave their jobs and do something new," Preining commented to ran.de regarding the departure of Storling, who made his final appearance for Manthey at the DTM round in Zandvoort a week ago. "Of course, I would have preferred to continue as we were, but ultimately, I respect his decision."
Furthermore, a "good replacement for the rest of the season" has been found, ensuring things continue "smoothly and seamlessly," according to Preining. But who exactly is replacing the engineer who led the vehicle dynamics department at Manthey and was also a key part of the "Grello" outings at the Nurburgring 24 Hours?
Established team figure takes over as Preining’s race engineer
As Manthey confirmed upon inquiry by Motorsport-Total.com, Patrick Arkenau will serve as Preining's DTM race engineer effective immediately. This is none other than the team’s Head of Racing, who has been setting the technical direction for years and - according to the competition - is considered one of the best engineers in the DTM paddock.
Additionally, Arkenau is also acting as the Team Principal for the DTM program this year, meaning he holds multiple key positions simultaneously. This also explains why Manthey didn't make the switch before the season opener at Spielberg: Arkenau is already perfectly integrated and can take over directly from Storling, who is leaving the company after seven and a half years - reportedly for private reasons.
Storling moves to Manthey's former arch-rivals
The German squad from Meuspath had been aware of the upcoming change for some time. But what’s next for Storling? The engineer, who was a permanent fixture at Manthey and played a significant role in victories at the 24 Hours of Nurburgring and Spa, a Bathurst 12 Hour triumph, and a GT class win at Le Mans, is moving to Munich with his wife.
Staying with the Nurburgring-based Porsche team would have been difficult due to the geographic distance. Ironically, Storling will work for Manthey’s former arch-rival, the very team he and Preining fought against for the 2023 DTM title: SSR Performance.
New leadership role at SSR Performance
The Munich-based company announced at the end of May that Storling would take on a leadership role, serving as "Operations Manager" responsible for day-to-day operations as of June 1, 2026.
For context: SSR Performance withdrew completely from active racing at the end of 2024 after winning the DTM title with Lamborghini and Mirko Bortolotti. Since then, the company has focused on optimizing luxury vehicles and hosting track days. However, a comeback as a racing team in its own right cannot be ruled out.
"We are very happy that Kai is joining our sports car facility in Freimann. He brings a wealth of experience from his involvement in global motorsport and is a graduate mechanical engineer specializing in automotive technology. He will take on management tasks across all areas in which the company is positioned," said SSR boss Stefan Schlund, welcoming the new addition from Meuspath.
Storling: "I am stress-resistant and keep a cool head"
Especially since SSR Performance intends to "act as a development service provider" in the future, Schlund announced. "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 Storling will support us with his expertise."
Vehicle dynamics expert Storling 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 am happy if someone benefits from my experience."
Regarding his own strengths, he noted with a smile: "I can say that I am stress-resistant and keep a cool head in challenging situations. That certainly doesn't hurt when dealing with fast-paced processes."
