Proton enjoys 'best day of the year' at COTA

Saturday has been described as the "best day of the year" so far for long-standing privateer outfit Proton Competition. All three of its cars showed head-turning pace during FIA WEC qualifying at Circuit of The Americas, setting up what could be a historic weekend for the German team.

It began with a front row lockout from its Ford Mustangs in LMGT3. Italian Giammarco Levorato in the No. 88 and Ben Tuck in the No. 77 traded fast times in Hyperpole before Levorato took pole over his British teammate in the tricky conditions by just 18 thousandths.

"I thought we were out of Hyperpole, we were P11, I was getting changed, then I had to rush to the car, and the session had started," Levorato explained when asked about the mad dash to the shootout for the car. The No. 88 received a late promotion to the second phase of qualifying when AKKODIS ASP's No. 87 crew were handed a penalty for taking the chequered flag twice, dropping the RC F LMGT3 out of the top 10.

"It was slippery, conditions you never like because you have no reference. But the car felt really good. It means a lot to get pole here. We've had bad luck this season, so it's a good achievement."

The Mustang GT3s – on the day that Ford revealed it is developing an EVO kit for the car – looked right at home on the hard Goodyear Eagle tires in the changeable weather, delivering Ford, on home soil, its first-ever LMGT3 pole position and first pole in the WEC since Spa 2019.

"After I completed my first lap, they told me I was P2 and the sister car was P1," Tuck told RACER. "I didn't even know they'd snuck into the session! It's amazing for the brand, Proton and Multimatic. We've shown good pace in the last couple of races, but it just hasn't clicked.

"The conditions were good for us," he continued. "With the front engine, long wheelbase, it's stable. We could fire up the front tires in damp conditions more effectively than the others. In the damp on slicks, we are really good. I hope it's not fully wet, I want it like this tomorrow."

But the German team's milestone day didn't end there, as its No. 99 Porsche 963, shone in the Hypercar sessions at the hands of former GTE Am champion and Le Mans winner Nico Varrone.

The Argentinian stunned the field in Qualifying, putting the car on provisional pole, before delivering a lap good enough for fifth on the grid (following the No. 93 Peugeot's penalty) in the final run.

He told RACER he genuinely didn't believe his engineer over the radio when he heard the news of his session-topping performance in stage one of qualifying to secure a Hyperpole place.

"I didn't expect it at all," he said. "We did a quali sim in Free Practice 3, and we thought we would be where we always are, midpack or worse. It started to rain, though, while I was having lunch, and I wondered if it could go well. It did! I didn't expect such a good pace, but for sure, we did a great job as a team, and the car felt perfect.

"I found grip where others were struggling, the car felt good, and I found a rhythm working out where it was wet and where it was dry.

"It worked, even though I had no radio communication during the session. Then, after the session, I got through to them at T1, and I asked if we even made it into Hyperpole. They told me I was P1, and I was like, 'You're joking?! You're joking!?' I was super happy, over the moon.

"Then in Hyperpole, I thought I could get up to like P2, but the conditions got worse late in the session, and I lost a lap. Either way, it felt like a perfect day, really."

Fifth on the grid is the No. 99's best qualifying performance of the season. It serves as a massive boost to the team ahead of tomorrow's race and the final stretch of what's been a tough campaign racing against a vast field of factory cars.

"It's the best day of the year," Varrone exclaimed. "Everyone in the team is so happy. And I needed this after a season with no big results. We will wake up happy tomorrow and pray for rain. In these conditions, we have a good car."