Proton announces LMP2 team

Proton Competition has announced their LMP2 team for the upcoming European Le Mans Series season.

Proton Competition is usually associated with GTE racing, but from 2023 onwards, they will be active in prototype racing too. It was announced a couple of months ago, that they have managed to secure one of the brand new Porsche 963 LMDh cars, which they will run in the FIA World Endurance Championship, with Gianmaria Bruni as the first announced driver.

Bruni will also be part of the LMP2 outfit in ELMS, where he will share an ORECA 07 Gibson with Giorgio Roda and Jonas Ried. Bruni raced in Formula 1 for Minardi in 2004, but moved to Ferrari in GT racing, where he swiftly before a works driver. After many years for the Italian team, he was signed by Porsche. That resulted in winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans in GTE Pro in 2022. He has raced for Proton Competition in the ELMS for the last couple of years.

Roda has previously raced for the team in both ELMS and FIA WEC in their GTE cars, but now it’s time to try out an LMP2 car. His father Gianluca Roda was a teammate for years, but now it’s time for him to stand on his own two legs.

Proton Competition #55
Photo Courtesy of IMSA / Jake Galstad

It’s also some son-of in regards to Jonas Ried. He is the son of team owner Christian Ried, and after two seasons of Formula 4 racing in Germany, Italy, Spain and UAE, he moves into prototype racing. He will be racing in the Asian Le Mans Series onboard an LMP3 car next month, before moving into LMP2 in the ELMS.

Proton Competition is making their debut in prototype racing this weekend, where he participates in the 24 hours race in Daytona, with Gianmaria Bruni, Fred Poordad, James Allen and Francesco Pizzi.

The European Le Mans Series starts on 23 April 2023 at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

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