Big points and podium finish in Imola
Proton Competition came away from the 4 Hours of Imola (5 July) with a podium finish and a big haul of championship points as the European Le Mans Series season reached its halfway point. The highlight of the weekend for Christian and Michael Ried’s squad was third- and fourth-place finishes in the LMGT3 category for their pair of Porsche 911 GT3 R entries.
Martin Berry, Huub van Eijndhoven and Harry King had the most to celebrate in Emilia Romagna, securing the first podium of the season for the #77 car in the LMGT3 class. Racing together for the first time at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari, the trio kept their composure through multiple race interruptions and brought the Porsche home in third place in class.
“It was quite an eventful race,” said van Eijndhoven. “It was Martin’s first time in the Porsche, and he did a fantastic job getting up to speed so quickly. We had a couple of penalties early on but fought back well. Harry did a mega stint at the end, and with some smart strategy we were able to make it into the top 3.”
Finishing just behind the #77 machine was the sister #75 Porsche 911 GT3 R of Matt Kurzejewski, Tom Sargent and Richard Lietz. A strong opening lap from Kurzejewski catapulted the retro-liveried entry into second place, but multiple safety car periods and race interruptions over the four-hour distance made the contest increasingly complex. Despite the challenges, the trio were satisfied with fourth in class – particularly as it kept them second in the LMGT3 championship with three rounds of the season remaining.
“It was a turbulent race, as expected, with a lot of safety cars and full-course yellows,” said Lietz. “The balance was good on the car and we managed to stay out of trouble. We would have liked to have been on the podium, but the fourth-place finish stands us in good stead ahead of the remainder of the season.”
The #88 Oreca 07 of Horst Felbermayr Jr., Horst Felix Felbermayr and René Binder spent much of the race at the sharp end of the LMP2 Pro-Am field. With over half of the four-hour distance completed, Horst Felix Felbermayr held the class lead over a tightly packed group of class contenders. However, a stop-and-go penalty ultimately derailed the team’s charge, dropping the #88 car to tenth in class at the flag.
The next challenge for Proton Competition comes in just one week’s time as the FIA World Endurance Championship reconvenes for the 6 Hours of São Paulo (10 to 12 July). The Belgian Ardennes will play host to the next round in the European Le Mans Series title battle with the 4 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps on 21 to 23 August.
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Copyright: Proton Competition (Paola Depalmas)
