24h Le Mans
Everyone was eagerly awaiting the first outing of Proton Competition’s new Ford Mustang GT3s in the LMGT3 class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. This début performance was rewarded with a podium finish plus fourth place in its class.
The Ford Mustang GT3 made a successful first impression by securing a podium position at this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans. The Proton Competition #88 car driven by Giorgio Roda, Mikkel Pedersen and Dennis Olsen finished third in the LMGT3 class, behind the winning Manthey EMA #91 Porsche and the Team WRT #31 BMW. “After the first few laps, it became clear to me that we had an excellent package,” explains Dennis Olsen. “This gave me plenty of confidence and the motivation to take risks, despite the difficult conditions and heavy rain. I had a great last stint and I was proud to be on the podium with Bill Ford himself.”
In fact, Proton Competition narrowly missed out on a double podium finish as the #44 car with John Hartshorne, Ben Tuck and Christopher Mies finished fourth. “Our Mustang GT3 was fantastic to drive,” said Christopher Mies. “It’s incredible the progress we’ve made over the last few months. I can only hope that this development continues.”
This was John Hartshorne’s final appearance in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, after previous entries with a TF Sport Aston Martin Vantage AMR (2021), a Jetalliance Lotus Evora (2011) and a Racesport Peninsula TVR Tuscan (2005).
The #77 driven by Ryan Hardwick, Ben Barker and Zacharie Robichon also displayed great potential, largely thanks to Barker’s standout qualifying performance. At one point, the British driver held provisional LMGT3 class pole with the Mustang. However, after this promising start, a series of mishaps relegated them to P17.
Michael Ried, team owner and technical director of Proton Competition, praised the endurance and talent of his drivers and team: "Le Mans once again lived up to its reputation as the toughest car race in the world. The repeated rain caused extremely difficult conditions on track and made the choice of tyres something of a lottery.”
Fans at the 24 Hours of Le Mans were thrilled to see the Ford Mustang GT3s line up on the grid. And they are all looking forward to hearing the roar of the naturally aspirated 5.4-litre V8 again at the next 24 Hours of Le Mans. Especially after such a promising début.
