Podium run continues in ELMS at Silverstone

Proton Competition secured yet another European Le Mans Series podium in the 4 Hours of Silverstone on 13 September. In the penultimate round of the ELMS season, the #77 Porsche 911 GT3 R of Harry King, Huub van Eijndhoven and Martin Berry claimed the crew’s third consecutive top-3 finish in the LMGT3 class.

Berry set the tone for the day, negotiating the challenging conditions and a succession of incidents during his opening stint. Starting ninth on the grid, the Australian steadily moved forward as the race unfolded while, crucially, keeping the #77 Porsche clear of the spinning cars and accidents that repeatedly interrupted the action.

Van Eijndhoven took over for the second stint and faced the worst of the weather. The Dutchman responded impressively, managing the difficult conditions and handing final-stint driver King the strongest possible platform from which to attack.

In his home race, the young Brit delivered a sparkling final stint. King closed a 16-second gap to the cars ahead before making the decisive move for third position on the final lap, securing the team’s third successive podium finish.

“It was a really positive way to finish the weekend,” King said. “We had some issues in practice, but the team worked incredibly hard to iron those out. It feels very rewarding to give them this result with a top-3 finish. Now we are third in the championship and are looking forward to the season finale in Portimão.”

Matt Kurzejewski, Richard Lietz and Tom Sargent showed strong pace during the race in their #75 Porsche 911 GT3 R, leading the LMGT3 class after the safety car restart with two hours remaining. Despite the strategy not quite paying off in the final part of the race, the trio still managed to bring the car home in sixth position, collecting valuable championship points in the process.

Proton Competition’s pair of Oreca 07 were also in good shape in the LMP2 and LMP2 Pro-Am classes but were lacking the necessary good fortune to make a charge at a top finish. The #9 car of Jonas Ried, Mike Rockenfeller and Sebastian Priaulx crossed the line eighth in class, while the #88 sister car of Horst Felbermayr Jr., Horst Felix Felbermayr and René Binder came home in twelfth.

The next round of the ELMS sees the 2026 season draw to a close with the 4 Hours of Portimão in Portugal on the weekend of 8 to 10 October. In the meantime, Christian and Michael Ried’s squad will be tackling the next round of the FIA World Endurance Championship, the 6 Hours of Fuji, on 25 to 27 September.

Free for editorial use.
Copyright: Proton Competition (Paola Depalmas)