Legge and Nielsen to Contest Full Season after Opening with Top 10 Finish for Team Hardpoint EBM at Daytona in January
DANVILLE, Virginia (March 8, 2021) – Katherine Legge and Christina Nielsen, with support from luxury watchmaker Richard Mille, will return to the No. 88 Team Hardpoint EBM Porsche 911 GT3 R as co-drivers for the full 2021 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GT Daytona (GTD) season.
The International Women’s Day announcement is a continuation of a program that began at the season-opening 24 Hours of Daytona. Legge and Nielsen teamed with Team Hardpoint EBM regulars and co-owners Earl Bamber and Rob Ferriol for a 10th-place finish in the endurance classic, driving the No. 88 VB Enviro Care/Richard Mille Porsche 911 GT3 as a single-car team. Bamber and Ferriol will drive the No. 99 GridRival Porsche 911 GT3 R during the 2021 season.
Both drivers are familiar with the IMSA paddock beyond the season-opener. Legge has four career IMSA WeatherTech race wins and was the GTD championship runner-up in 2018.
“I’m really excited to be joining Team Hardpoint EBM again, especially with Richard Mille as a partner,” Legge said. “I’m really proud to represent both Richard Mille and Team Hardpoint EBM and team with my friend Christina. I think we’ll be a force to be reckoned with. I’m very grateful to be given that opportunity and have to thank VB Enviro Care for helping us to get the program started at Daytona.”
Nielsen became the first woman to win a major full-season professional sports car championship in North America with a GTD title in 2016 and is a four-time race winner in the class.
“I’m looking forward to what will be a different setup with Katherine and I joining forces in our own car and being teammates to Rob and Earl,” Nielsen said. “I’m grateful to the partners we have on board, especially Richard Mille, and to Team Hardpoint EBM and Porsche. I know we’ll have everyone working as a united effort to hopefully achieve some good results.”
The No. 88 Richard Mille Porsche 911 GT3 R livery will feature Richard Mille, with additional support from the Florida Safety Council.
“We couldn’t be happier to have Katherine and Christina back under the Team Hardpoint EBM banner,” Ferriol said. “The team really gelled at Daytona and they both fit in right away with our crew. We’re looking forward to the challenge of running two cars and representing Porsche and all of our partners throughout the 2021 season, beginning at Sebring.”
Both the No. 88 Richard Mille Porsche 911 GT3 R and the No. 99 GridRival Porsche 911 GT3 R return to action for the Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring, March 17-20.
About Richard Mille:
The first watch to carry Richard Mille’s name, the RM 001 Tourbillon, launched the millennium: the year was 2001, and the model marked the beginning of a new era in watchmaking. Today, the collection points resolutely towards the future, while holding steadfast to the time-honored traditions of fine watchmaking. Richard Mille endeavored to apply the techniques and materials found in the most innovative sectors such as in the domains of F1 racing car development and the aerospace industry to watchmaking, with the goal of creating an extreme timepiece, without compromise, without gimmicks.
About Team Hardpoint EBM:
Hardpoint Motorsports was founded by Rob Ferriol in 2018 with the vision of combining his experience as a successful entrepreneur with his passion for racing. Team Hardpoint EBM is a joint venture between Team Hardpoint and Earl Bamber Motorsport formed in late 2020 to combine the resources of EBM and co-owners Earl Bamber and Will Bamber and the early success of Team Hardpoint. Headquartered at VIRginia International Raceway, the team’s 2021 plans include a full-season effort in the IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship in a Porsche 911 GT3 R and a multi-car effort in the IMSA Porsche Carrera Cup North America. More information on Team Hardpoint EBM can be found at www.hardpoint.com or through its strong social media presence on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
