Strong start, disappointing end at Watkins Glen

Lady Luck was nowhere to be found for Proton Competition as the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship resumed at Watkins Glen International (22 June). After running well during the early stages of the race, the #5 Mustang Sampling Porsche 963 was forced into an early retirement following contact caused by another car.

The Six Hours of The Glen weekend, which forms part of the Michelin Endurance Cup, got off to a strong start for the team, with Neel Jani, Nicolás Varrone and Nicolas Pino solidly in the top 10 in Practice 2 and qualifying just a few tenths shy of the factory Porsche.

Race day brought an added layer of complexity as a sudden downpour swept across the circuit just as the green flag waved. Undeterred by the treacherous conditions and early chaos among the GTP field, Varrone kept a cool head as others lost theirs, guiding the Proton Competition GTP entry smoothly through the opening stint.

However, with the worst of the weather gone and the car running solidly in the top 10, Nicolas Pino was involved in a collision with a slower GTD car. The resulting damage proved too severe, leaving the team with no choice but to retire from the race.

“We had a strong car and showed great pace, especially through the middle sector,” said the Chilean after the race. “During my stint, there was an incident with another car – it was just one of those moments of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. There wasn’t much I could do. That’s racing sometimes. We’ll keep pushing forward and take what we can from this weekend to keep improving.”

Proton Competition’s next outing in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship will be round four of the Michelin Endurance Cup in September, when the series heads to the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway for another six-hour showdown. In the meantime, the team returns to European competition much sooner, with the next round of the European Le Mans Series taking place at Imola over the weekend of 4 to 6 July.

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Copyright: Proton Competition (José Mário Dias / Lenssen Photo)