Proton Competition Bio
Proton Competition is a German auto racing team founded in 1996 by Gerold Ried and currently owned and managed by his son Christian Ried. Based in Ummendorf, Baden-Württemberg, Proton Competition has established itself in international endurance GT racing with long associations to Porsche machinery and a distinctive light blue livery adopted in 2006. The team competes across the FIA World Endurance Championship, the European Le Mans Series and the IMSA SportsCar Championship and maintains a record of class championships and Le Mans appearances.
Early Life and Background
Proton Competition began as a private entrant in the BPR Global GT Series and early FIA GT seasons after Gerold Ried founded the team in 1996. Initial campaigns used Porsche 911 GT2 machinery and featured a mixture of family partnerships and customer drivers. The team progressed through national and international GT events during its first decade while establishing a workshop and operational base in Ummendorf, Baden-Württemberg.
The team identity evolved both on and off track. Competitive results were intermittent through the late 1990s and early 2000s, but Proton invested in GT3 and GT2 Porsche models and built a reputation for preparing customer Porsche race cars. The change to a light blue livery in 2006 marked a visible shift in branding that endures on Proton Competition cars today.
Path to MotorSports
Proton Competition’s path in motorsports moved from regional GT entries to established endurance series by steadily expanding program scale and technical competence. The team campaigned in series such as the BPR Global GT Series, the FIA GT Championship and the Le Mans Series before committing to full-season endurance programs. Development focused on Porsche GT machinery and on endurance race preparation suitable for long-distance events and multi-driver lineups.
Opportunities to partner with experienced drivers and customer teams helped Proton refine race operations and pit execution. The team’s early endurance entries and selective international appearances built the foundation for broader Le Mans Series participation from 2007 and set the stage for later championship campaigns at Le Mans and in European endurance series.
Proton Competition Career
Early Career (1996–2006)
In its first decade Proton Competition campaigned a variety of Porsche GT cars and entered international events with small, focused programs. The team competed in the BPR Global GT Series and the FIA GT Championship and made regional appearances at endurance classics like the Daytona 24 Hours and national GT rounds. Results were modest in the earliest seasons while the organization built technical depth and racecraft for longer endurance formats.
The mid-2000s brought incremental progress. By 2004 Proton finished fourth in the Le Mans Series Teams Championship and improved to second in 2005. In 2006 the team adopted the light blue colour scheme that became part of its identity and reflected a step toward a full-time endurance presence in Europe.
Le Mans Series Breakthrough (2007–2010)
Proton Competition progressed to a full Le Mans Series program in 2007, fielding multiple Porsche 911 GT3-RSR cars in GT2 class competition. The No. 77 entry emerged quickly as the team’s front-runner, securing multiple race wins and high championship placings through 2007 and 2008. The 2009 season marked a defining breakthrough when the pairing of Marc Lieb and Richard Lietz delivered strong results and propelled Proton to title contention.
The 2009 campaign produced three race wins for the leading car and secured the Teams Championship by a narrow margin, while Marc Lieb and Richard Lietz captured the Drivers Championship in GT2. Proton carried momentum into 2010, retaining the championship-winning line-up. The team again won the Le Mans Series Teams Championship and achieved global recognition by winning the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup GT2 classification that year.
Proton Competition’s performance culminated at the 2010 24 Hours of Le Mans when its GT2 entry driven by Marc Lieb, Richard Lietz and Wolf Henzler took class victory. That Le Mans class win reinforced Proton’s status as a leading GT endurance team and underlined the effectiveness of its Porsche race preparation and multi-driver strategy in major endurance events.
Christian Ried Era (2011–Present)
Christian Ried, son of founder Gerold Ried, leads Proton Competition as owner and general manager and has overseen the team’s extended presence in top-level endurance racing. From 2011 onward the team competed across GTE Pro and GTE Am classes in the FIA World Endurance Championship and continued targeted entries at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Proton has partnered with customer and privateer programs, operated under co-branded banners such as Dempsey/Proton Racing, and supported customer programmes including Porsche 911 preparations for specialised initiatives.
Across the 2010s and into the 2020s Proton secured further European Le Mans Series success, winning ELMS GTE class titles in 2018, 2020 and 2023. The team expanded its program scope to include entries in the IMSA SportsCar Championship and other GT categories while maintaining core expertise with Porsche GT cars and endurance race logistics.
Notable collaborations include the 2015 Dempsey/Proton Racing partnership at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, where the merged entry qualified fifth and finished second in the LM GTE-Am class with drivers Marco Seefried, Patrick Long and Patrick Dempsey. Such alliances illustrate Proton Competition’s operational flexibility and ability to support international customer-driver lineups at high-profile endurance events.
Driving Style and Strengths
Proton Competition’s strengths lie in endurance race preparation, consistent Porsche GT engineering and skilled pit execution for multi-driver stints. The team demonstrates strong setup work for long-distance events, experienced coordination of driver rotations and a proven ability to extract reliability and pace from Porsche 911 GT machinery in GTE classes. Operational continuity under Christian Ried has reinforced the team’s tactical approach to endurance strategy and vehicle maintenance.
Notable Events and Milestones
Key milestones include multiple Le Mans Series Teams Championships in 2009 and 2010, the 2010 Intercontinental Le Mans Cup GT2 title, the 2010 24 Hours of Le Mans GT2 class victory, and ELMS GTE class championships in 2018, 2020 and 2023. The team’s mid-2000s rebrand to a light blue livery and successful customer partnerships such as the Dempsey/Proton entry at Le Mans also stand out as defining moments.
Proton Competition Career Wins
Proton Competition’s verified successes span class wins, series titles and podiums across GT2 and GTE competition. The team earned multiple race victories in the Le Mans Series that led to Teams Championships in 2009 and 2010 and followed with global and European endurance class triumphs including the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup GT2 classification in 2010 and ELMS GTE class victories in 2018, 2020 and 2023.
Le Mans Series and ELMS Highlights
The team’s breakout seasons of 2009 and 2010 produced multiple race wins and consecutive Le Mans Series Teams Championships, while the driver pairing of Marc Lieb and Richard Lietz secured the Drivers Championship in those seasons. Proton’s class victory at the 2010 24 Hours of Le Mans remains a career-defining achievement, and the ELMS GTE titles in 2018, 2020 and 2023 confirm continued competitiveness in European endurance racing.
Other Wins & Perfromances
Beyond headline championships, Proton Competition has recorded strong finishes and class podiums at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, regional endurance rounds and selective FIA GT events. The team’s collaborative entries, customer programmes and endurance expertise have yielded consistent top-level performances across decades of GT racing.
Proton Competition Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
The team was founded by Gerold Ried in 1996 and is now owned and run by his son Christian Ried, who serves as general manager. The Ried family continuity is a notable part of Proton Competition’s identity, combining founding experience with modern endurance racing management and technical direction.
Personal Life
Proton Competition operates from its base in Ummendorf, Baden-Württemberg. Public reporting on the team emphasises its professional racing activities, ownership structure under Christian Ried and long-term relationships with Porsche and endurance racing partners rather than personal private details of team personnel.
Season Performance
Proton Competition continues to contest major endurance series with a focus on GT classes and customer programmes. The team’s recent ELMS GTE class title in 2023, involvement in FIA World Endurance Championship entries and IMSA SportsCar Championship programmes underscore an active international presence. Proton’s ongoing work with Porsche customer cars and participation in marquee endurance events remain central to its competitive agenda.