Ending with a win at the ELMS in Portimão

Proton Competition brought its 2026 European Le Mans Series campaign to a successful conclusion with a class victory at the 4 Hours of Portimão on 10 October. The result capped a strong final outing in Portugal for Christian and Michael Ried’s team, which also secured second and third in the LMGT3 teams’ standings.

The #75 Porsche 911 GT3 R of Richard Lietz, Tom Sargent and Matt Kurzejewski put together a faultless drive to claim the crew’s second victory of the season, adding to the triumph in the opening round at Barcelona.

Kurzejewski made an immediate impact, charging from third on the grid to take the lead in the early stages. Lietz took over for the second stint, expertly defending the advantage against a fiercely competitive LMGT3 field. Sargent then climbed aboard for the final stint, bringing the Porsche home more than 20 seconds clear of its nearest rival.

By securing maximum points on raceday at Autódromo Internacional do Algarve, the #75 crew did everything within its power to fight for the championship. However, results elsewhere ultimately went against the team, leaving Proton Competition just two points shy of the LMGT3 title.

“We knew coming to Portugal that we had to win to stand a chance in the championship, and that’s exactly what we did,” said Sargent. “It’s tough to miss out by such a small margin, but that’s racing. We started the year with a win and ended it with the same result, so that was a great way to bookend the season. Congratulations to my teammates, and the whole team for their efforts throughout 2026.”

The #77 Porsche 911 GT3 R of Martin Berry, Huub van Eijndhoven and Harry King also entered the season finale with a shot at the title. The trio delivered a determined drive, climbing from ninth on the grid to finish fifth. However, the result was not enough to overhaul their rivals in the championship standings. The #77 crew nevertheless ended the campaign on a high, recording its fifth top-5 finish in six races and finishing fourth in the LMGT3 teams’ championship.

The 4 Hours of Portimão proved more challenging for Proton Competition’s two LMP2 entries. In the #9 Oreca 07, Jonas Ried, Mike Rockenfeller and Sebastian Priaulx started the race on the fourth row but were unable to convert their qualifying pace into a similarly strong race result, crossing the finish line tenth in the LMP2 class.

The #88 Oreca 07 of Horst Felbermayr Jr., Horst Felix Felbermayr and René Binder finished in tenth position in the LMP2 Pro-Am. Minor contact with another car hampered the Austrian trio during the first half of the race, putting them on the back foot. Nevertheless, they recovered well to bring their Oreca home in tenth place.

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Copyright: Proton Competition (Paola Depalmas)