Andrew Davis Landed the No. 30 GridRival/Team Hardpoint Audi R8 LMS GT3 Second in Friday Morning’s Session
SEBRING, Florida (November 13, 2020) – Team Hardpoint will start Saturday’s Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring on the front row after Andrew Davis qualified the No. 30 GridRival/Team Hardpoint Audi R8 LMS GT3 second in Friday’s 15-minute qualifying session.
Davis turned a lap of 2:01.546 (110.772 mph) on his sixth trip around the 17-turn, 3.74-mile circuit. This is Davis’ second appearance with Team Hardpoint, joining the team previously at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta for the Petit LeMans endurance race.
“These guys have been working hard, working together, working as a unit to get better,” Davis said. “It’s nice to see that positive attitude and a willingness to improve the car and improve the team. Everybody’s on the same page. I think that came together in qualifying where the Audi R8 LMS GT3 was running great, I was able to push it. We did a good job with the strategy on when to go out, to wait on the tires to come up to pressure, and then just hit it when everything was right.
“You can say it’s a 12-hour race and it doesn’t matter where you start, but in reality, not only is it a great morale boost but you can start to control the event. Ideally when you’re up front, it’s easier. You’re in less of a mess. You’re the first one to get to the corners, you have less traffic, you can work your way through. It’s just step one of a 12-hour plan. Hopefully that plays well into our strategy and will open it up a little bit so we can hit the ground running. I’m really proud of the team, really appreciative of the opportunity from Team Hardpoint, Rob Ferriol and Audi Sport customer racing, and glad I could make the most of it in qualifying.”
The starting position is the highest to date for Team Hardpoint in IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GT Daytona (GTD) competition and comes just before the longest race the team has competed in thus far. The team took possession of the Audi R8 GT3 LMS just before the season resumed in July following the extended COVID-19 break, and originally planned to contest only the sprint races before extending their season to include Petit LeMans and this weekend’s 12 hours of Sebring, the season finale.
“This is four months of effort combined into one qualifying session,” Rob Ferriol, Team Hardpoint principal and co-driver, said. “We still have 12 hours more to go, so I don’t want to read too much into it. But I’m super stoked for the team and for Andrew. For us to come into this series in the middle of the season, two weeks before a race, without any testing, and over the next four months finish the season with a car on the front row – I don’t know what else you can ask for.”
In addition to Ferriol and Davis, Audi Sport customer racing driver Pierre Kaffer will complete the formidable lineup for the race.
The Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring gets the green flag on Saturday morning at 10:10 a.m. EST. The opening five hours of the race will air live on NBCSN before moving to NBC at 3 p.m. EST. The broadcast will move back to NBCSN at 6 p.m. EST for the run to the checkered flag.
Noteworthy: The front-row qualifying position comes as the No. 30 GridRival/Team Hardpoint Audi R8 LMS GT3 continues to carry the banner for Audi Tire Center on the side of the car. With the partnership, customers will receive $100 off instantly with the purchase of four eligible Audi Original tires through November 15, 2020. This exclusive offer is valid on AO tires from Michelin, Continental, Dunlop, Goodyear, and Pirelli. These tires may be purchased at a local Audi Dealer or online for installation at the Audi dealer. More information on the offer can be found at www.auditirecenter.com.
About Hardpoint Motorsports:
Hardpoint Motorsports was founded by Rob Ferriol in 2018 with the vision of combining his experience as a successful entrepreneur with his passion for racing. The Hardpoint brand brings together three distinct entities into one motorsport ecosystem. Team Hardpoint is the brand’s racing arm, providing its partners and customers opportunities to compete, brand, and promote in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GT Daytona class and the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge. Hardpoint Outfitters helps other teams and drivers extract more value from their motorsport investment by bundling branding, activation, and digital marketing services into customized turnkey packages, including design, apparel, hospitality, and social media management. The Hardpoint Paddock Foundation is the newest element of the ecosystem, created as a charitable foundation to support out of work paddock workers through the COVID-19 shutdown. As the shutdown comes to an end, the 501(c)3 Foundation is expected to grow into a more sustained model of providing vocational and educational support services to the professional sports car paddock community. More information on all of the Hardpoint Motorsports enterprises can be found at www.hardpoint.com or through its strong social media presence on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
