The Racing to End Alzheimer’s Porsche Cayman Saw a Strong Run Thwarted By Fuel Mileage During Saturday’s Michelin Pilot Challenge Contest
DANVILLE, Virginia (August 28, 2022) – Hardpoint scored a top 10 finish in Sunday’s IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GT Daytona (GTD) race at VIRginia International Raceway, the home track of Hardpoint. Rob Ferriol and Katherine Legge co-drove the No. 99 GridRival Porsche 911 GT3 R for the two-hour, 40-minute race, one day after an unfortunate fuel mileage race robbed the No. 22 Racing to End Alzheimer’s Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport of a strong finish for Nick Galante and Sean McAlister.
Hardpoint Post Race News and Notes
Hardpoint’s 10th place finish on Sunday was the return of the GridRival Porsche to WeatherTech competition for the first time since Watkins Glen. The race came at Hardpoint’s home, with the team headquarters located on-site at VIR.
As the home race, Hardpoint hosted friends, family, current and potential partners, both at the track and at the team shop. During the team’s Saturday night open house, Ferriol – the owner and President as well as a driver – noted that he’d never seen so much Hardpoint apparel from fans at the race track.
The mid stage of the race gave those fans plenty to cheer for. After Ferriol opened the race 13th on the grid, he handed the car to Legge in 11th with one hour, 40 minutes to go. Hardpoint was among the first teams to make their initial pit stop, and when the full course caution came out shortly after that stop, Legge cycled to second place in the GTD class and overall, ahead of the GTD Pro field.
Despite being on older tires and battling a loose race car, Legge held up the field for as long as possible. On the team’s final pit stop with 57 minutes to go, the over-the-wall crew made a roll bar adjustment to add balance to the car. The tweak worked, as Legge turned her quickest lap of the race after the stop on fresh tires.
Unfortunately, the team needed one more caution period for the fuel strategy to come to fruition. When it didn’t, Legge was relegated to the final 10th place position.
Nick Galante started Saturday’s two-hour Michelin Pilot Challenge race in the Racing to End Alzheimer’s No. 22 Porsche Cayman 10th on the grid. Galante quickly moved to eighth on the opening lap, battling there during his stint.
Galante handed the car over to Sean McAlister with a little more than 40 minutes remaining. A great stop by the Hardpoint crew paired with a fortuitous strategy call by the engineers left McAlister on track during a full course yellow just one lap later, which elevated him to third for the restart.
McAlister was 14th with 10 minutes remaining when the Cayman slowed to a stop with a fuel pick-up issue, leaving him on course and bringing out a full course caution for the field. McAlister was able to refire the Cayman and bring it back to pit lane for service but had fallen a lap down to the eventual 16th-place finish.
Both racing came with ambient temperatures in the upper 90s, making conditions even more challenging for the rear and mid-engine Porsches. Adding to the difficulty, McAlister was ill for most of the weekend, including the race.
The 22 team still had the privilege of carrying more than 110 names of loved ones and family members from across the country who have or are currently suffering from Alzheimer’s. Each of the names represents a $250 donation, matched dollar for dollar by Legistics, Inc., with 100 percent of the proceeds going to the charity.
The Racing to End Alzheimer’s program drew a crowd during the pre-race fan walk, performing a pit stop demonstration in front of the home fans on pit lane. In addition to the up-close view of a live pit stop, complete with driver change, fans walked away with Racing to End Alzheimer’s hats, t-shirts, wristbands and can koozies.
Both the No. 99 GridRival Porsche 911 GT3 R and the No. 22 Racing to End Alzheimer’s Porsche Cayman will conclude the IMSA season at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, September 28 through October 1. The Motul Petit Le Mans is the final Michelin Endurance Cup race of the season for the WeatherTech Championship.
Hardpoint Quote Board
Rob Ferriol, Driver and Team Owner, No. 99 Porsche 911 GT3 R: “It was a really good weekend. We got a lot of love from the fans here at VIR, the corner workers, the grid marshals, everybody. We felt like we were at a back yard barbecue marking the end of the summer. You can always have a better race, but we finished in the top 10 with the No. 99 GridRival Porsche 911 GT3 R, the car came home in one piece, and we’ve got our eyes forward to Road Atlanta.”
Sean McAlister, Driver, No. 22 Porsche Cayman: “It was a very tough stint, an hour and 20 in the car when I’m not feeling good. The pros are very good, obviously, and have pinpoint accuracy every lap. I felt really solid the first lap out, and I just started falling off the pace a little bit. I was losing it in two areas, mainly. I needed to focus exits a little bit more, but I felt like I was one of the fastest out there around me. But this series is tough, they are very good drivers, and hats off to them. It was a very hot stint.”
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.
