Top-5 finish at the 6 Hours of São Paulo
Proton Competition resumed its FIA World Endurance Championship campaign with a pair of strong results in round five of the season at the 6 Hours of São Paulo (12 July). Christian and Michael Ried’s team battled hard throughout the weekend in the fiercely competitive LMGT3 class and was rewarded with a top-5 finish.
Qualifying provided an early indication of the Ford Mustang LMGT3’s potential at Autódromo José Carlos Pace. Both the #77 entry of Eric Powell, Ben Tuck and Sebastian Priaulx and the #88 car shared by Stefan Gattuso, Giammarco Levorato and Logan Sargeant progressed to the Hyperpole shootout, ultimately securing places inside the top eight on the grid.
Both Ford Mustang LMGT3 made an immediate impression when the race got underway, too. Within the opening laps, Powell and Gattuso had each carved through the field, moving into first and second positions in the LMGT3 class.
“It was a great start to the race for us, moving up to the lead from eighth on the grid,” said Sargeant. “The pace was strong, so it was all about keeping things clean and staying in the battle.”
The team maintained its strong pace throughout the six-hour contest as Tuck and Levorato took over driving duties. Tuck delivered an outstanding middle stint to keep the #77 Mustang firmly in podium contention and was recognised with the Goodyear Wingfoot Award for his speed and consistency.
“Eric did a great job in the opening stint, and I inherited the car in the lead,” said Tuck. “I tried my best to stay there across two tough stints, almost two-and-a-half hours in total, and that was a lot of fun.”
Following the final round of pit stops, both cars remained in the fight for a podium finish, with Sebastian Priaulx and Logan Sargeant taking the wheel for the closing stints. Despite a determined push to the chequered flag, fortune ultimately did not fall Proton Competition’s way. Sargeant brought the #88 Ford Mustang LMGT3 home in fifth place, while a late-race penalty dropped the #77 entry to tenth after running inside the top five for much of the event.
Proton Competition’s next outing comes at the fourth round of the European Le Mans Series, the 4 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, on 21 to 23 August. The FIA World Endurance Championship resumes after the summer break with the 6 Hours of the Circuit of the Americas on 4 to 6 September.
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Copyright: Proton Competition (Paola Depalmas)
