With a difficult season opener behind him, Mark Kvamme hopes to put the familiar purple and yellow Alzheimer’s colors back in Victory Lane
LOS ANGELES (1 May 2023) – With a tough start to the 2024 Porsche Carrera Cup North America season behind them, Mark Kvamme and the Racing to End Alzheimer’s/MDK Motorsports team looks to start fresh in this weekend’s doubleheader – part of the Formula One Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix.
Kvamme and the No. 43 Racing to End Alzheimer’s Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car had a rough ride in the doubleheader season opener at Sebring International Raceway in March, caught up in multiple incidents that left the two-time Masters class champion ninth in points – though with his MDK Motorsports squad leading the team championship.
Having scored victories in both races at Miami last year, Kvamme knows this is a good place to jumpstart his title defense.
“Miami treated us well last year and we’re hoping for more of the same this year,” said Kvamme. “We scored the race one pole and took both wins, in very hot and humid conditions, and there’s certainly no reason to expect this year’s conditions to be any different. As we saw at Sebring, this is going to be another highly competitive season, and I’m ready to get back into the mix – and to help highlight our Alzheimer’s program by putting the purple and yellow colors back out front.”
But for the Racing to End Alzheimer’s team, the on-track action is only half the story. The team’s mission is to increase awareness of this terrible disease while giving families a way to honor their loved ones in a very tangible way – and raising funds for research and treatment. For a $250 donation, a loved one’s name is placed on the car as it races across the United States (https://www.r2endalz.org), with 100% of the donations matched, and shared between the team’s two beneficiaries. The No. 43 Porsche currently carries 122 names – with plenty of room for more.
For Racing to End Alzheimer’s founder Phil Frengs, whose wife Mimi was diagnosed with the disease in 2013, the race weekends offer the chance to speak with race fans from all over the country – and at Formula One events, all over the world. Frengs can’t count the number of conversations he has each race weekend, seemingly every family having been touched by dementia or Alzheimer’s.
“I always refer to myself as the hugger in chief,” said Frengs. “The car’s livery is very identifiable, and so many people stop and want to talk. It doesn’t take long for people to start telling me their stories, about how they’ve been affected by this disease, and I’m glad to give them someone to talk to, someone who understands. And we love being a part of the Miami Grand Prix, it is such a huge event. Because the Porsche Carrera Cup North America paddock is open to fans, we meet people from all over Florida – and really, all over the U.S. and the world – so it’s a great opportunity for us to reach a large audience. Just look for the bright purple tent!”
The Porsche Carrera Cup North America series will contest two races at the Miami Grand Prix. Race one takes the green flag Saturday at 5:50 p.m. ET, with race two Sunday at 10:30 a.m. ET. The races will be broadcast live in the U.S., on IMSA.tv, the NBC Peacock streaming app and PorscheCarreraCup.us.
About Racing to End Alzheimer’s
In 2013, Phil Frengs’ wife Mimi was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s Disease. Their experience with the disease led Frengs to a seminal moment: his company, Legistics, had long sponsored a team in IMSA sports car racing and he realized an opportunity to raise money and awareness for the fight against the disease. In 2017, he formed Racing to End Alzheimer’s, giving fans the opportunity to honor loved ones by putting their names on the race car via donation – with Legistics matching each giftfd. 100% of those donations go to the two organizations the team supports:
The Nantz National Alzheimer’s Center at Houston Methodist Hospital is exploring cutting edge strategies in therapy, care and research to find a cure for these dementias. NNAC was founded by longtime CBS Sports broadcaster Jim Nantz and his family in honor of his father, Jim, Jr., who passed away after a 13-year battle with Alzheimer’s.
The UCLA Alzheimer’s and Dementia Care Program is a nationally-recognized grant-funded program designed to help patients and their families with the complex medical, behavioral and social needs associated with Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia.
