Mike Rockenfeller is set to partner Gianmaria Bruni at the upcoming IMSA Long Beach sprint race which has occupied Neel Jani and Julien Andlauer with the WEC 6 Hours of Imola.
Proton Competition run two sportscar programmes as a Porsche 963 customer team, with GTP in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and Hypercar in the FIA World Endurance Championship.
Both championships clash for this weekend and thus commits Proton drivers Neel Jani and Julien Andlauer towards the WEC 6 Hours of Imola on Sunday 21 April, leaving a vacant seat alongside Bruni.
Rockenfeller previously drove in a JDC Miller MotorSports-run 963 in last year’s IMSA season and will return to the GTP category as GTD Pro will not participate in Long Beach, therefore not prompting any direct clash with his duties as a Ford works driver in the GTD Pro category.
Ahead of joining Bruni in the #5, he said: “I’m really looking forward to my first race with Proton Competition.
“It’s a huge challenge for me to get everything right in Long Beach. Time is of the essence.
“My last race with the 963 was last year’s Petit Le Mans.
“Long Beach is very special and the competition is fierce, especially in our class.”
Bruni added: “The street circuit at Long Beach has always been the host of particularly interesting races.
“We only race there for 100 minutes, which is shorter than on any other circuit, so you’ve got to be prepared for all sorts of surprises.
“The last time I drove at Long Beach was in 2010, so it’s been a while.
“We didn’t reap the rewards of our strong performance in Sebring [finishing in P8]. I hope we can make up for that in Long Beach.”
The Grand Prix of Long Beach is set to take place on Saturday 20 April for the third round of the 2024 IMSA schedule.
With nine GTP rivals to compete against, Bruni and Rockenfeller will attempt to capitalise on the Porsche 963’s form whilst avoiding drama.
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