Hardpoint’s IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge Team Continued to Show Promise While Raising Money For Racing To End Alzheimer’s
MONTEREY, California (May 1, 2022) – Hardpoint leaves WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca with a tenth-place finish in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and a 19th place finish in Saturday’s IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge race, with positives in both program’s runs. Both teams climbed into the top five positions at various points in their respective races.
The No. 99 GridRival Porsche 911 GT3 R of Rob Ferriol and Katherine Legge earned their fourth consecutive top-10 finish to open the IMSA season, earning them in a variety of circumstances – endurance races, street circuits and sprint contests.
On Saturday, the No. 22 Racing to End Alzheimer’s Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport and co-drivers Nick Galante and Sean McAlister earned a hard-luck 19th place finish, running from the rear of the field up to fifth in the opening hour before falling back to mid-pack at the checkered flag.
No. 99 GridRival Porsche 911 GT3 R Race Notebook
- The result is the fourth-consecutive top 10 finish for Hardpoint to open the season. Only three other teams in the GT Daytona class can claim that feat.
- Those finishes have come in a 24-hour classic at Daytona, the grueling 12 hours at Sebring, a temporary street circuit sprint race and, now, a sprint race on a traditional road course at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
- Ferriol began the race in 12th position but moved into the top 10 on a pit stop under yellow 40 minutes into the race. Those two positions earned by the crew included a four-tire change and full fuel.
- The team dove to pit lane later during that full-course caution period, just past the 45-minute minimum drive time required for Ferriol. Unfortunately, time spent in pit lane does not count toward the time, meaning Ferriol was just short of the minimum based on the first pit stop. He would finish the final 40-minutes of the race, with Legge taking the middle stint.
- Off sequence to some of the class competitors during her stint, Legge nonetheless climbed as high as second place on the track before handing the car back to Ferriol.
- Ferriol’s sequence of laps on fresh tires with 30 minutes remaining made him the quickest car on track for a series of five laps.
No. 22 Racing to End Alzheimer’s Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport Race Notebook
- Nick Galante may have provided the drive of the day, moving from 28th and last in the GS class all the way to fifth place. Galante picked up four positions on the opening lap and was running 17th at the full course caution just 20 minutes into the race. When several other cars pitted during that stop, Galante climbed to 8th and was running as high as fifth during his stint.
- The most impressive part of the run was that Galante was running off sequence of many of the class leaders. While running fifth, he was forced to keep a train of four cars on quicker tires behind him. Though three eventually came through, Galante put notice on the field in the stint.
- Galante started from the rear of the field despite qualifying with the 10th quickest time in the GS class due to a post-qualifying penalty that disallowed his qualifying times. IMSA rules require each team to turn in a data stick within a designated time frame, with rules stating that failure to comply “may result in qualifying times disallowed.”
- McAlister exited pit lane in 19th position following the team’s lone pit stop with just about an hour to go in the two-hour race.
- He also made up a handful of positions and was locked in a battle of his own when he spun exiting the Corkscrew. McAlister quickly rejoined, but ended the race in 19th position.
- Despite not beginning the season until round two at Sebring, the No. 22 Hardpoint entry sits 24th of 37 point scoring teams in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge GS class team championship. That tally puts them ahead of two full-season efforts and in position to continue to climb the standings beginning in two weeks at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
Hardpoint Quote Board
Rob Ferriol, Owner and Driver, No. 99 Porsche 911 GT3 R: “We made a big step this week in getting a handle on the Michelin tire and how it works with the GT3 R and the tire guidelines we have this year. The car was good in the race. It’s a double edged sword to finish lower than you had the potential to finish because of small errors that have an effect on the race. When you’re to the point where small errors are making a difference, it’s a good place to be. I personally enjoyed finishing the race for once, it was my first opportunity to finish a sprint race. Granted, it was because we were off by about five seconds in drive time but the guys gave me a good car. I was able to hold station and do a little bit of racing and finish in a top 10 spot. I can hold my head high, the team can hold their head high, and we’ll go off to the next one.”
Katherine Legge, Driver, No. 99 Porsche 911 GT3 R: “The car was good and we could have done a lot more with it. We made some unfortunate errors during the race, but we had good pace. Rob showed some good pace after the errors to finish the race. But everybody on the team keeps improving, so as long as we don’t make the same mistakes again we can learn and move on, and I know we will.”
Sean McAlister, Driver, No. 22 Porsche Cayman: “Nick handed off the car and did a hell of a job from where we started. It was hectic on the first restart with cars bombing into the brake zones, so I just tried to keep it clean and I think we ended up about the same spot at the end as when I got in. We each had a really good run, I got past a couple of cars and a late mistake cost us a couple of positions. But I was able to keep it off the wall and was working my way back but just needed some more time”
Nick Galante, Driver, No. 22 Porsche Cayman: “When you have that extra boost of friends and family at your hometown race, it helps. On paper maybe it shouldn’t, but it really does provide a home field advantage. And I was so happy to see the car filling up with all the names for Racing To End Alzheimer’s. Having that support helps, too, because I know we’re racing for something bigger. The car was great, I was so happy to see Hardpoint give me a perfect car. Sean McAlister did a great job powering through a stout field, and we’re on the verge of a great result very soon. I can’t wait to get to Mid-Ohio.”
About Hardpoint:
Hardpoint was founded by Rob Ferriol in 2018 with the vision of combining his experience as a successful entrepreneur with his passion for racing. Headquartered at VIRginia International Raceway, the team captured the 2021 Porsche Carrera Cup North America Pro-Am championship in its inaugural season and competes full-time in the IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship in the No. 99 GridRival Porsche 911 GT3 R with co-drivers Ferriol and Katherine Legge, joined by Stefan Wilson for Michelin Endurance Cup races. In 2022, Hardpoint has added the No. 22 Racing To End Alzheimer’s Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport driven by Nick Galante and Sean McAllister in IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge Grand Sport (GS). More information on Hardpoint can be found at www.hardpoint.com or through its strong social media presence on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
