Ryan Hardwick has confirmed his choice of a Proton Competition Porsche 911 RSR berth for the 2023 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The choice comes courtesy of an automatic invitation as winner of the Bob Akin Award that goes to the top-finishing Bronze-rated driver in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GT Daytona (GTD) class this past season and comes after the Writ=ght Motorsports driver tested the Porsche at Portimao in October and then a TF Sport Aston Martin in Bahrain last month.
“The timing couldn’t be better,” Hardwick said this week. “I’m obviously really excited and honored to be able to take place in what will be the 100th year anniversary of the race. I’m super excited to race in this particular year and also with it being the final year of the GTE category getting to race in one of those special cars. It’s been a goal of mine really since I joined GTD.”
Hardwick could have raced at Le Mans two years earlier, after he won the Akin award in 2020. But looking at a 2021 Le Mans race facing strict pandemic restrictions limiting attendance and traditional activities, Hardwick listened to former Wright Motorsports teammate and longtime Porsche factory driver Patrick Long, who advised waiting for another opportunity when conditions were back to normal and he was able to have the full experience.
The second opportunity arrived when Hardwick and Jan Heylen finished second in this year’s GTD championship sharing the No. 16 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R. Hardwick easily claimed Akin honors, finishing as the top Bronze driver in seven of 11 events.
“Everything I do in racing, I try to do my best to align myself with a great team and great teammates,” he said. “I think everyone agrees racing is a team sport and usually the best team wins. Sometimes it’s not who has the best driver, sometimes it’s not who has the fastest car, it’s usually who has the best team – especially in long-distance 24-hour races.
“Our Wright Motorsports team has proven that fact in big endurance races like the Sebring 12 Hours and last year’s 24 Hours of Daytona, and I view Proton as one of, if not the best team in GTE. (Team principal) Chris Ried, I really look up to him a lot as a Bronze driver. He’s accomplished a lot of what I would like to be able to accomplish one day, and so I really look up a lot to Chris. Really excited to have the opportunity to run with him and run with his team.”
