Proton Huber Competition put in an impressive performance at the Michelin Le Mans Cup on the legendary Le Mans circuit.

Proton Huber Competition has had a chaotic few days. Shortly before the start of the Michelin Le Mans Cup as part of the legendary 24-hour race at Le Mans, it was announced that Iron Dames driver Vanina Ickx would be unable to compete for medical reasons, meaning that the all-female team would not be able to take to the track. This came as a shock to the team led by Christoph Huber, which is acting as the operational team. However, a new driver duo was found at short notice: experienced gentleman driver Patrick Dinkeldein and FIA WEC driver Matteo Cressoni took the wheel of the Porsche 911 GT3 R, which started under the name ‘Iron Lynx – Proton’.

The two drivers quickly proved their speed in the practice sessions. After chaotic qualifying sessions, in which no fast lap times could be set due to a number of incidents, the Porsche with start number #73 had to start the two races from ninth and fourth positions in the GT3 class.

At the start of the first race, Dinkeldein fell back to the end of the field, but the German was able to fight his way back up a few positions before the pit stop window. In the second half of the race, Matteo Cressoni put on a spectacular show. The Italian driver put on a blistering performance behind the wheel of the Porsche, moving up one place after another. In the car with start number #73, he finished the one-hour race in fifth place in the class. The experienced endurance driver also set the fastest lap in the GT3 category by a clear margin. With a lap time of 3:58.602 minutes, Cressoni is the only driver to break the 3:59 minute barrier.

At the start of the second race, Dinkeldein spun in the chaos at the start. The Porsche fell back to the end of the field. The car was so badly damaged on the underbody that it had to come into the pits for repairs. In the end, the duo finished the race in tenth place.

‘We were very pleased to be able to start at Le Mans despite the Iron Dames' last-minute withdrawal, even though the days leading up to the race were very stressful,’ said Christoph Huber. "I am very satisfied with our performance over the weekend: Matteo's performance in the first race was particularly impressive! For us, the start of the Road to Le Mans was another step towards the 24-hour race, which is at the top of my bucket list."

The Michelin Le Mans Cup is now taking a summer break. The series will resume on 23rd of August at the legendary Spa-Francorchamps circuit. The Proton Huber Competition Porsche 911 GT3 R will once again be driven by the Iron Dames on the Ardennes circuit.

Proton Huber Competition also took part in the two Porsche Sprint Challenge France races at Le Mans, which featured over 70 Porsche cars. Riley Giacomazzi drove one of the team's Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars, while Marcelo Tomasoni and Artur Ramos shared the sister car. Tomasoni was 2024 champion with the Bavarian team in the Porsche Sports Cup Suisse and has moved up to the GT World Challenge Europe this year. Riley Giacomazzi was particularly impressive, finishing seventh and sixth in his class in the two races.