Ried Undecided on WEC Future Amidst LMGT3 Switch

Christian Ried, the FIA World Endurance Championship’s longest-tenured driver, is undecided about continuing in the series after the GTE-Am era comes to an end this weekend.

Ried holds the distinction of being the only driver to have competed in every WEC round to date since its inception in 2012, with this weekend’s 8 Hours of Bahrain set to be the 85th consecutive race appearance for the Bronze-rated driver.

Each of those starts came at the wheel of Porsche machinery in the GTE-Am class, netting him 13 class victories. However, Ried’s streak of races could come to an end after this weekend’s season finale.

Although Ried’s Proton Competition outfit is likely to retain a presence on the grid through a two-car Ford Mustang GT3 program as WEC switches from the GTE ruleset to LMGT3 next year, the owner/driver’s own presence on the grid remains in question.

“Not decided yet, but it’s not a secret that I’m not really a friend of GT3s,” Ried told Sportscar365.

“We actually have a lot of options in the team and so right now we just see what is best for the team and for me.

“I still love driving and I had so much fun in Portimao, even with the funny conditions. Now we have to see the weekend and then we make a decision.”

Should Ried decide not to continue driving in 2024, he would join Ben Keating as another driver to opt out of the LMGT3 formula.

Keating, the last GTE-Am champion in WEC history after clinching the title at Monza, will instead embark on an IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship LMP2 program with United Autosports.

Similarly to Keating, who previously aired some frustrations about the idea of GT3 racing in WEC, Ried pointed to the presence of ABS in the LMGT3 class as something he dislikes.

“The last time I drove a race car with ABS was 2009, 2010 in a Porsche Cup car,” he explained.

“I have no idea how it works, but I just don’t like the idea [of having] ABS in a race car. Everybody can brake late and turn in.

“For sure it’s a safety issue if you go to [the] clubsport [level]. It makes it more easy, but here we don’t have this kind of drivers. We have really professional drivers in Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum.

“So everybody can run a car without ABS. If kids of 10 years old starting in karting have no ABS, if they go in Formula 4 they have no ABS. So why should it be in a GT car on this level?”

Ried: No Regrets About Missing Out on GTE-Am World Title

Despite over a dozen race victories and a significant number of class podiums, Ried never won the GTE-Am world title across his 11 seasons in the category. He came closest in both 2017 and the 2018-19 ‘Super Season’, finishing runner-up in the standings on both occasions.

However, the German says he holds no regrets missing out on world championship success in the outgoing class.

“Not really, no,” Ried said. “In the end, we do this because we love to do it.

“It’s a big fun and in the end it’s always the weekend which counts, and if you go home after a weekend and you step on top of the podium, for sure it’s great, but you come to the next one and it starts from zero again.”

When asked what prompted him to remain active in the class for as long as he has, Ried replied: “I think actually it’s a lot of fun and I don’t have anything better to do. 

“It’s great to see all these people here and over the years [you build] a good relationship not just in the team, also with other teams and other people.

“It’s always great to arrive on the paddock on whether it’s Tuesday or Wednesday, spending some great time with them and going back home after the weekend.”