The No. 22 Racing To End Alzheimer’s Porsche Cayman Will Take on Road Racing’s Short Track During This Weekend’s IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge Race
LAKEVILLE, Connecticut (July 14, 2022) – Hardpoint’s IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge program is on the road once again, this time for round seven of the 10-race championship at Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, Connecticut. Nick Galante and Sean McAlister return to co-drive the No. 22 Racing To End Alzheimer’s Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport in the two-hour race.
The race is scheduled for Saturday, July 16 at 11:05 a.m. EDT and can be seen live on Peacock, NBC’s streaming service. It will be re-aired on USA network on Saturday, July 23 at 12:30 p.m. EDT.
Hardpoint At Lime Rock Pre-Race News and Notes
- Lime Rock is the shortest track on the IMSA calendar at 1.5 miles, with a lap time of around 54 seconds and an average speed of nearly 100 miles per hour. That quick lap places pace at a premium to stay on the lead lap of the race and in contention.
- Galante has a history at the track, including a pole position and a runner-up finish in what was then the ST class in 2018. He also has a pair of fourth-place finishes, just off the podium at Lime Rock.
- Galante is a native New Englander, hailing from Greenfield, Massachusetts. A number of friends and family are on the guest list for the race on the calendar closest to his boyhood home.
- This is McAlister’s first visit to Lime Rock Park. That marks back-to-back races at new tracks for McAlister in his rookie season in Michelin Pilot Challenge.
- Because of the lap time and the unpredictable nature of full course caution periods, pit stop speed is at a premium at Lime Rock. Hardpoint’s advantage in that arena comes in the form of tire changers Jason Jannetti and Cody Forbes, who have worked to improve throughout the season and are now amond the quickest five-lug tire changers in the championship based on time.
- Hardpoint’s No. 22 Porsche Cayman enters the weekend 20th in the team standings, despite missing the opening round at Daytona while the program was coming together.
- The Racing To End Alzheimer’s program is well on its way to its goal of 222 names of loved ones who are or have suffered from Alzheimer’s on the livery, with more than 115 names on the car at Lime Rock. Each name and hometown represents a $250 donation, matched by Legistics, Inc., that helps to fund the care and the cure for Alzheimer’s disease.
- Hardpoint will make its SRO Americas debut next weekend at Watkins Glen International, utilizing the team’s existing crew members and experience with the Porsche 911 GT3 R to provide pre-event and trackside support for a new teammate in the GT America and GT World Challenge races. This is another milestone moment for Hardpoint in 2022, following the recent addition of Brady Behrman’s International GT program.
- Earlier this week, Hardpoint announced a partnership with Denmark-based Asetek, a sim racing gear innovator, with Asetek SimSports racing products used in the Hardpoint shop and with the Hardpoint eSports team.
Hardpoint Quote Board
Nick Galante, Driver, No. 22 Porsche Cayman: “Lime Rock is fast, the laps are short, and there’s never a break. That makes it a lot of fun and at the same time very difficult. It was good to me the last time I was here in 2018. I won the pole, and my teammate and I finished second in the race. We’ll have our hands full this week but the Hardpoint guys will be ready to go if we need a green flag pit stop, which could really be the difference in this race. As always, I’m proud to represent Racing To End Alzheimer’s at the track closest to my hometown, and we hope we can add some more names to the Porsche this weekend on our way to a strong finish.”
Sean McAlister, Driver, No. 22 Porsche Cayman: “I’ve never been to Lime Rock so this will be the second new track in a row for this year. But I do know that it is our shortest lap on the schedule so being on pace and having good pit stops is very important, or it’s easy to go a lap down. This weekend I’m looking forward to flipping a new chapter to this season. It obviously hasn’t been the greatest season results-wise so I’m hoping that I can get better acquainted with the car and provide the team with a much-deserved result. Thanks again to the Hardpoint guys working their butts off to get the car repaired so that we could get back out on track this weekend at Lime Rock.”
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), as well as the No. 428 TradeCentric Porsche 911 GT3 Cup driven by Brady Behrman in International GT. More information on Hardpoint can be found at www.hardpoint.com or through its strong social media presence on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
