Milestone reached: Proton Competition looks back on 30 years of racing

A firm fixture of GT racing for decades, March 2026 marks 30 years since Proton Competition first took to the track in competitive racing. The family-run team, founded by Gerold Ried and now led by Michael and Christian Ried, has evolved into one of the most respected names in international endurance and GT racing.

“It’s definitely something special to have been racing for 30 years,” said Christian Ried. “Milestones like this are a great time to look back and take stock of everything we have achieved. Back then it would have been hard to imagine what we would ultimately accomplish.”

Accomplishments is certainly the right word, and the numbers speak for themselves. Debuting in the 1996 BPR International Endurance GT Series, the team have since competed in over 350 races around the world and have been ever-present in the GT and prototype racing scene for three decades.

Although it lasted only three seasons, the BPR International Endurance GT Series proved to be an important blueprint for today’s hugely popular global GT championships. Its calendar featured eleven races across Europe and Asia, ranging from classic circuits such as Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps and Brands Hatch to venues further afield, including Zhuhai International Circuit in China and Suzuka in Japan.

Proton Competition campaigned a Porsche 993 GT2 in the GT2 category, with team founder Gerold Ried partnering with the likes of Peter Erl and Patrick Vuillaume over the course of the season. Vuillaume would be a familiar presence in the team’s formative period, racing for the team alongside Ried for multiple seasons. On the grid in 1996 were a number of familiar names from modern-day GT racing, too, including Konrad Motorsport, Kremer Racing and Freisinger Motorsport.

Having been unable to start the opening round of the season at Le Castellet, Proton Competition’s first official race came at the 4 Hours of Monza on 24 March 1996, where Gerold Ried and Peter Erl finished 22nd. The team showed steady improvement throughout the year, with its best result coming at the penultimate round, the 4 Hours of Nogaro, where it finished 15th in class.

Reflecting on the journey, Christian Ried adds: “We have seen regulations change, cars evolve and new generations of drivers come through our garage, but the passion within the team has always stayed the same.”