Christian Ried
| Christian Ried | |
|---|---|
 Ried in 2023 | |
| Nationality |  German |
| Born | 24 February 1979 Schöneberg, Germany |
| Retired | 2024 |
| Debut season | 1996 |
| FIA World Endurance Championship | |
| Racing licence |  FIA Bronze |
| Former teams | Dempsey-Proton Racing KCMG |
| Starts | 85 |
| Wins | 13 |
| Previous series | |
| 2012-2023 2007-2011, 2013, 2015-2023 1999-2006 | FIA World Endurance Championship European Le Mans Series FIA GT Championship |
| Championship titles | |
| 2020, 2022 | European Le Mans Series – LMGTE class |
Christian Ried (born 24 February 1979) is a former German racing driver who last competed in the FIA World Endurance Championship.[1]
Career
[edit]Ried's father Gerold founded Proton Competition in 1996,[2] the team which Christian has spent most of his career racing for, beginning with the FIA GT Championship in 1999. As of 2021, Christian was team owner, facilitating the team's move to the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship alongside WeatherTech Racing in 2021.[3] Ried ran his first 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2006, driving in the GT2 class for Sebah Automotive Ltd.[4] He returned in 2011, driving for Proton Competition, and scored his first podium in 2014, finishing second in the GTE Am class.[5] Four years later, Ried collected his first victory at the famous race, winning the GTE Am class alongside co-drivers Matt Campbell and Julien Andlauer.[6] Two years later, Ried finished runner-up once again, this time with Riccardo Pera replacing Andlauer in the driver lineup.[7] That same year, Ried won the European Le Mans Series championship in the GTE class on countback, after ending level on points with Kessel Racing.[8]
In 2017 and 2018, Ried won the Porsche Cup, an award handed out to a non-factory driver who has most successfully piloted a Porsche over the course of the season.[9][10]
Ried is the only driver to have competed in every race of the first decade of the FIA World Endurance Championship, spanning from 2012 to 2022.[11] Following the 2023 season, after 85 consecutive races and 13 class victories in the championship, Ried announced his retirement from professional racing, electing to focus on the management of Proton Competition and his children's racing careers.[12] Ultimately, Ried returned to the championship for a one-off drive at Interlagos in 2024, replacing full-season Bronze-ranked driver Giorgio Roda. Due to Proton Competition's transition to Ford machinery in 2024, Ried's unscheduled appearance marked his first WEC start in a non-Porsche entry.[13]
Personal life
[edit]His son Jonas, is currently competing in the European Le Mans Series.[14] And his other son Lenny, is currently competing in F4 Spanish Championship for Monlau Motorsport [15]
Racing record
[edit]Racing career summary
[edit]† As Ried was a guest driver, he was ineligible to score championship points.
Complete Intercontinental Le Mans Cup results
[edit](key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | Class | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Rank | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Proton Competition | LMGTE Am | Porsche 997 GT3-RSR | Porsche 4.0L Flat-6 | SEB 2 |
SPA 4 |
LMS Ret |
IMO DSQ |
SIL 2 |
PET Ret |
ZHU 1 |
Complete FIA World Endurance Championship results
[edit](key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)
* Season still in progress.
Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results
[edit]
Complete European Le Mans Series results
[edit](key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap)
* Season still in progress.
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Christian Ried - FIA World Endurance Championship". fiawec.com. Retrieved 11 January 2021.
- ^ "History - Proton Competition". proton-competition.com (in German). Retrieved 12 January 2021.
- ^ "Porsche to Have Presence in IMSA GTLM Class, After All". autoweek.com. 6 January 2021. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
- ^ "Driver Christian Ried Career Statistics - Racing-Reference.info". racing-reference.info. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
- ^ "Porsche 911 RSR finishes 24-hour marathon at Le Mans in third". us.motorsport.com. 15 June 2014. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
- ^ "Porsche celebrates double victory at Le Mans 24-hour marathon". newsroom.porsche.com. 17 June 2018. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
- ^ "Porsche customer team Dempsey-Proton Racing on the podium at Le Mans". newsroom.porsche.com. 20 September 2020. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
- ^ "G-Drive Wins Portimao Season Finale as Class Titles Decided". sportscar365.com. 1 November 2020. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
- ^ "Ried Wins Porsche Cup". sportscar365.com. 9 December 2017. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
- ^ "Ried Wins Porsche Cup for Second Straight Year". sportscar365.com. 8 December 2018. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
- ^ "Celebrating WEC's Ever-Present – Christian Ried!". FIA World Endurance Championship. 22 December 2022. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
- ^ Goodwin, Graham (4 November 2023). "85 And Out: Christian Ried Confirms An End To His Driving Career". Dailysportscar. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
- ^ Goodwin, Graham (10 July 2024). "Christian Ried Returns To The Cockpit At Interlagos". Dailysportscar. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
- ^ "Iron Lynx-Proton ELMS LMP2 Driver Crew Set". www.dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 2024-04-02.
- ^ "Monlau Motul closes the Winter Series with its sights set on the 2024 season of the Spanish F4". monlau-motorsport.com. 11 March 2024. Retrieved 2024-08-03.
- ^ a b c "Christian Ried Results". Motorsport Stats. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
- ^ "Christian Ried". Automobile Club de l'Ouest. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
- 1979 births
- Living people
- German racing drivers
- Sports car racing team owners
- 24 Hours of Le Mans drivers
- FIA World Endurance Championship drivers
- European Le Mans Series drivers
- FIA GT Championship drivers
- American Le Mans Series drivers
- Rolex Sports Car Series drivers
- 24H Series drivers
- Asian Le Mans Series drivers
- KCMG drivers
- Nürburgring 24 Hours drivers
- People from Schöneberg
- Racing drivers from Berlin
- 24 Hours of Spa drivers
- Proton Competition drivers