Cairoli, Dienst complete Dempsey Proton WEC GTE-Am lineup

Italian Porsche Junior driver Matteo Caroli and 2015 ADAC Formel 4 champion Marvin Dienst have signed with Dempsey-Proton Racing for the 2017 FIA World Endurance Championship season, driving the team's Porsche 911 RSR in the GTE Am class.

This news sees 20-year-old Cairoli continue to rise up the Porsche GT ladder – he finished runner-up in the 2016 Mobil 1 Porsche Supercup, after a highly successful campaign in which he scored four wins and pole positions.

"Finally I am allowed to announce where I am going to race this year!" said Caroli in an announcement today on his Facebook page. "100% excited for the upcoming season in the World Endurance Championship with Dempsey Proton-Racing. Huge thanks to the team who believed in me and Porsche for another great opportunity."

Dienst, meanwhile is still finding his feet in GT racing. The German, also 20, took part in Germany's premier GT series – ADAC GT Masters series – in 2016 driving a Porsche, after his Formel 4 title win two years ago.

The pair, who will begin the year WEC rookies, will race alongside Proton boss Christian Ried in the team's scaled-back 2017 campaign in which the German outfit is fielding just one car, backed by American actor and motorsport enthusiast Patrick Dempsey. In 2016, the Proton team competed in the WEC with three GTE entries, one in GTE Pro and two in Am.

The 2017 FIA WEC season is set to begin with the annual Prologue test, which this year is being held at Monza, Italy on April 1-2.