The final of the European Le Mans Series, the endurance championship for Sport-Prototypes and Grand Touring cars, has once again given ProSpeed Competition the opportunity to prove itself. Right from the qualifying sessions fast driver Maxime Soulet slotted the Porsche 911 GT3-R #75 in the Top-3 of the “GTC – Grand Touring Challenge”. The young Dutch hopeful Max Van Splunteren and the Frenchman Gilles Vannelet, teamed up with the Belgian driver, confirmed the car’s pure speed during the first two thirds of the race. The GT #75 then dropped out of the Top-3, having experienced the beginning of a fire, not before the Porsche 911 GT3 had, in its present configuration, shown a strong hand in this European Endurance Championship.
One week after a podium clinched in the Japanese round of the World Endurance Championship, the Belgian ProSpeed Competition team were in action in Portugal for the final round of this European Championship. On the Estoril circuit, right from the qualifying sessions, the Porsche 911 GT3-R in the hands of the Van Splunteren Jr-Vannelet-Soulet trio was constantly playing up front.
Maxime Soulet (Driver – #75 ProSpeed Competition Porsche 911 GT3-R – GTC)
“We knew that we had a trump card up our sleeve. The chassis configuration had shown its worth during the free practice sessions, allowing it to prove its potential in the qualifying sessions. The start of the race confirmed this. Gilles Vannelet produced a perfect start, avoiding the heavy traffic amongst the more rated drivers. At the end of my stint we were still in a position to a claim a podium place. Second or third; our position varying according to the refuelling of our nearest rivals. A big thanks to the mechanics for their hard work before qualifying!”
Max Van Splunteren (Driver – #75 ProSpeed Porsche 911 GT3-R – GTC)
“I set off on my stint with fresh tyres and I thoroughly enjoyed myself at the wheel of a healthy and top performing Porsche. The strategy worked perfectly right up until the beginning of a fire, the result of a mechanical failure. As a sportsman I’m obviously rather disappointed: this hoped-for podium was a reality.”
Rudi Penders (ProSpeed Competition Team Principal)
“Gilles Vannelet, Max Van Splunteren and Maxime Soulet produced an excellent weekend. I would have loved, for them and the entire team to have been rewarded with a just result. Unfortunately the beginning of the fire put an end to that. Over and above the overall ranking, it is vital – whatever the championship – that all competitors can fight it out to claim a top-level result. In its present configuration the Porsche 911 GT3 retains that potential. We are fully convinced of this, and ProSpeed Competition takes great pleasure in proving it. Thanks to our know-how, the Porsche 911 GT3 RSR has its place on the podium in the World Championship and today we have confirmed this in the European Championship, with the ”GT3-R” version.”