Dempsey Proton Racing claim GTE Am title

Patrick Dempsey’s GT team takes maiden La Sarthe Victory

The #77 car of Dempsey Proton Racing took the chequered flag in first place in the GTE Am class, rounding off a double victory for Porsche. With drivers Matt Campbell, Christian Ried and Porsche junior Julien Andlauer at the wheel, the #77 customer RSR held off competition from the rival Ferrari 488 GTO of the Spirit of Race team to claim victory by just one minute and 39 seconds after 335 laps of racing. Andlauer, at 18, is the youngest class winner in Le Mans history. After the race, team owner Patrick Dempsey said: “I’m lost for words. Everyone did a fantastic job, it was a victory for the whole team. The race was incredible. We made no mistakes and our work was rewarded with this great success.” The double win for Porsche in 2018 gave the Swabian manufacturer its 106th and 107th victories at La Sarthe.

Elsewhere in the GTE Am class, Dempseyproton Racing team’s #88 sister car was sidelined with suspension damage, while the #99 car run by Proton Competition just missed out on a podium spot, finishing in fourth place. Ebimotors’ #80 finished sixth, with Team Project 1’s #56 car finishing in seventh. Total 911 columnist Ben Barker’s Gulf Racing #86 car lead the GTE Am class during the early exchanges before becoming entangled in an accident caused by another competitor.