LOS ANGELES (2 October, 2024) – The Racing to End Alzheimer’s w/MDK Motorsports team headed into the dual Porsche Sprint Challenge North America by Yokohama / Porsche Endurance Challenge weekend at Sonoma Raceway with high hopes in the tripleheader.
And indeed, longtime team driver Nick Galante – subbing for Mark Kvamme – drove a flawless race one behind the wheel of the purple and yellow No. 241 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car (type 992), earning a hard charger award for his drive from 18th to 11th overall. However, in race two, Galante was caught up in an incident ahead, causing damage to the Porsche that ended what was shaping up to be a promising day.
But for the Racing to End Alzheimer’s team, the on-track disappointment could not put a damper on the off-track mission: to bring awareness of this terrible disease, and to “fund the care and find the cure.” The team carries the names of 176 people on the No. 241 Porsche – each name placed there by a loved one, to honor their legacy. The team began last week with a live interview on the FOX Los Angeles evening news last Tuesday, with Emmy-winning host Marla Tellez speaking to founder Phil Frengs about his commitment to the cause.
For Galante, who lost a grandmother and an aunt to the disease, the mission is personal as well.
“To be back with Phil, to be back in that car that has my family members’ names on it, along with hundreds of names of people from all over the world, it was really special,” said Galante. “The work they do at the racetrack, talking to fans and meeting so many people who have been affected by this disease – well, it means a lot to me to be a part of this, especially at one of my favorite tracks in the world.”
Sonoma Raceway joined the ranks of the newly repaved earlier this year, receiving a full track renewal for the first time in 23 years on the 12-turn, 2.52-mile road course located at the edge of the famous Northern California wine region. With nearly 15 stories of elevation change, Sonoma offers a challenge to every competitor – including Galante, who estimates that he has driven over 4,000 laps at the track over the years.
Galante was joined on the weekend by the team’s Endurance Challenge driver, Englishman Gus Burton. The pair shared time in the car during Friday’s first practice session, with Burton setting the fifth quickest time among the 992 class as Galante ramped up the learning curve in the Porsche GT3 Cup Car. Later that afternoon, Galante put some of the lessons learned from Burton to good use, setting the eighth quickest time.
“For me, it was all about learning to trust the amount of grip that the GT3 had at high speed,” said Galante. “In that regard, it really did help to be working with Gus, who is just super, super fast. He had never been to Sonoma before and yet, on his second lap, he went way quicker than I would all weekend. He didn’t hold back in our post session talks either, taking me through rolling speed, how best to enter the corners. That was great.”
Saturday morning, Galante continued the learning curve, setting the ninth quickest time. Taking the green flag three hours later, Galante did a masterful job avoiding a first lap melee and as the race settled in, began to secure his confidence level behind the wheel of the new generation 992 Porsche, taking 12th position with 15 minutes remaining, and 11th with 10 minutes left. At the checkered flag, Galante held his position to finish eighth in class and 11th overall.
Qualifying for the Porsche Endurance Challenge took place Sunday morning, with Burton placing the No. 241 in fifth position on the starting grid. But up first for Galante was the second Sprint Challenge race of the weekend early in the afternoon, and he set about working his way forward early in the race. Then, as the field was coming back to green after a mid-race caution, cars ahead made contact, causing the row ahead of Galante to brake hard. He tried to avoid, but hit the car ahead with his right front, which caused considerable damage and ended the day for the team.
Galante and Frengs were both disappointed with the outcome but pleased with the way the weekend came together.
“What a hugely disappointing ending for the team,” said Galante. “The MDK crew did the best they could to fix the car, but it wasn’t meant to be. Big thanks to them for all the hard work this weekend, to Gus for all the GT3 education, and to Phil, for giving me the chance to get back out on track at Sonoma. I hope to be back with the team again!”
“Sonoma Raceway is always a welcome sight for me,” said Frengs. “It’s really one of our ‘home’ tracks. And it was great to have Nick back behind the wheel. We were able to visit old friends who attended and spend time with some of our mutual friends in the racing community. Nick did a great job getting up to speed in a new car and got faster every session. Gus and Nick were a formidable pair, qualifying sixth and ready for a dash to the front. It was very unfortunate that contact at end of race two wiped out that opportunity.”
Next up for Racing to End Alzheimer’s will be the six-hour Porsche Endurance Challenge finale at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, on November 22. The race will be broadcast live on the Porsche Motorsports North America YouTube page.
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 donation. 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.
Racing to End Alzheimer’s social media
Facebook: Racing to End Alzheimer’s
Instagram: @racing2endalz
