Nick Galante and Sean McAlister had No. 22 Racing To End Alzheimer’s Porsche Cayman Squarely in Top 10 Before Late Contact With TCR Cars
LEXINGTON, Ohio (May 15, 2022) – Hardpoint’s IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge team was on pace for its best finish of the season on Saturday afternoon at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course until the team’s GS class No. 22 Racing To End Alzheimer’s Porsche 718 Cayman Clubsport GT4 RS had contact with a TCR-class car with three laps to go, ending the day just shy of the race distance and relegating the team to a 23rd-place finish.
Co-drivers Nick Galante and Sean McAlister had the Porsche firmly on pace for a top-10 finish with just over five minutes remaining in the race. McAlister, running 11th and holding off a line of three cars for position, was committed to the exit of Mid-Ohio’s keyhole turn when a pair of TCR-class cars, also battling for position, came together. McAlister had no opportunity to avoid the pair, causing damage to the front of the Porsche and forcing him to pull off course for the final three laps of the race.
No. 22 Racing To End Alzheimer’s Porsche Post-Race Notebook
Galante qualified and began the race in 11th position, the best starting position of the season for the team.
A series of early yellow flags hurt Galante’s ability to push forward on long runs, but he quickly moved into the top 10 and was able to hold the position through his hour-long stint.
Hardpoint came to pit lane under green flag conditions right at the halfway mark of the two-hour race. That was the correct call, as three cars running in the top 10 ahead of the No. 22 Porsche either ran out of fuel on track or had to make a late splash and go for fuel. McAlister had no fuel worries during his stint.
Despite stopping while the race was green, the No. 22 Porsche entered the pits in 10th place and remained in the same position after the field cycled through its stops. Hardpoint’s lone stop of the race included fuel, four Michelin tires, and a driver change.
Only one team spent less time on pit lane during the race than Hardpoint, confirming the flawless pit stop.
The next race for the No. 22 Racing To End Alzheimer’s Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport is at Watkins Glen International, June 23-26.
Hardpoint Quote Board
Nick Galante, Driver, No. 22 Porsche Cayman: “The team did great today. I never get too worked up over being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Nobody made any bad moves today, we just got caught up in another battle with TCR and that happens. Just remembering that this Hardpoint team really stepped up and we hit every mark and did everything we could do to get a great result. It was looking like we were going to do that, but I’m coming away from this as a positive direction. The Racing to End Alzheimer’s campaign is heating up for the summer and is going to be huge. It’s going to be a great summer.”
Sean McAlister, Driver, No. 22 Porsche Cayman: “It was an unfortunate end to our day. I had pressure all around, with three behind me and the two TCR cars behind me. I just had nowhere to go. The car in front of me had to correct and hit the brakes, and I had a car behind me and to my left and had nowhere to go. But we were running good and in 10th for the majority of the race. We had a good strategy going, we had pace and were in a good spot. We’re in a good spot. We’re learning the car much better, we’re quick and consistent. We just have to keep minimizing the mistakes and we’ll be good.”
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.
