Figueiredo Joins All-Female Line-up With Legge and Nielsen in the No. 88 Richard Mille Porsche 911 GT3 R, Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Champion Estep to Co-Drive With Bamber and Ferriol in No. 99 GridRival Porsche 911 GT3 R
SEBRING, Florida (March 12, 2021) – Brazilian Bia Figueiredo and American driver Trenton Estep will join Team Hardpoint EBM for the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, March 17-19, at Sebring International Raceway. Figueiredo will team with Katherine Legge and Christina Nielsen in the No. 88 Richard Mille Porsche 911 GT3 R to complete the all-female line-up, while Estep joins Earl Bamber and Rob Ferriol in the No. 99 GridRival Porsche 911 GT3 R for the second round of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GT Daytona (GTD) season.
The Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring begins at 10:10 a.m. EDT on Saturday, March 19 and can be viewed in its entirely through TrackPass on the NBCSN app, with the opening stanza (10 a.m. EDT to noon EDT) and the run to the checkered flag (7 p.m. EDT to 10:30 p.m. EDT) shown live on NBCSN. International viewers can see the entire race at IMSA.tv.
Sebring was the site of Team Hardpoint’s best finish in their inaugural season of 2020, but much has changed since that fifth-place finish in the rescheduled race last November. Only Ferriol remains from the driver line-up and the now two-car team has coupled with Earl Bamber Motorsport to run as Team Hardpoint EBM and campaigns the pair of Porsche 911 GT3 Rs for the full season.
The race is Team Hardpoint EBM’s first as a two-car program, as the team’s four regular drivers combined for a 10th-place finish at the season opening endurance race at Daytona International Speedway.
The season-long line-ups are joined by a pair of talented racers at Sebring to fill both cars.
Estep comes to the program at home in a Porsche. Just 21 years old, Estep won the 2018 IMSA Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA championship with four wins, including the season-opener at Sebring. Estep opened the IMSA season driving at the 24 Hours of Daytona in the LMP3 class.
With the addition of Estep, the No. 99 GridRival Porsche 911 GT3 R is filled with graduates of Porsche’s single-make championship. Ferriol also got his start in the IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge USA where he finished runner-up in the 2018 and 2019 championship, while Bamber was the 2013 and 2014 Porsche Carrera Cup Asia drivers’ champion.
The No. 99 car partners with fantasy motorsports platform GridRival for Sebring. GridRival provides private and public fantasy Formula One and MotoGP leagues and is the only fantasy sports platform dedicated solely to motorsports.
“GridRival and Team Hardpoint EBM have a long relationship and we’re thrilled to continue that with the 12-hour race this week at Sebring,” GridRival CEO Ross Fruin said. “The race fans at Sebring and watching at home are the same people who play fantasy sports on the GridRival platform. With the Formula One and MotoGP seasons right around the corner, they’ll be able to compete with friends and fellow fans to see who can win the bragging rights in their group.”
Figueiredo reunites with Legge and Nielsen after sharing a ride with them at endurance events in 2019, where the trio finished eighth at Sebring. Figueiredo has most recently been racing stock cars in her native Brazil after previously making 29 IndyCar starts and winning twice in Indy Lights in her open-wheel career. Nielsen was on the podium during the race in 2015, 2016 and 2017, including a win in 2016.
The Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring gets underway on Thursday, March 18 with three practice sessions, including the famous “night practice” from 7:30 p.m. EDT to 9 p.m. EDT. Qualifying is at 11:45 a.m. EDT on Friday, March 19 to set the grid for Saturday’s 12-hour race, with the green flag at 10:10 EDT.
Rob Ferriol, No. 99 GridRival Porsche 911 GT3 R: “Sebring is a special place for me, so it’s only fitting to have our biggest event to date there as a team. My first IMSA start, first IMSA podium, and best finish in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship all came at Sebring. I just love the character of the track, the challenges it represents, and the history behind it. I recently discovered my grandfather learned to fly the Douglas DC-3 aircraft there during World War II when it was still Hendricks Airfield, bringing the connection even closer to home.
“Fielding a pair of Porsche GT3R’s for the first time, we’ll certainly have our work cut out for us. But I’m confident the team, the driver lineups, and the support from our partners at Porsche Motorsport North America will allow us to continue building on the momentum from Daytona. We have a lot of great lessons learned from last year’s race, so we’ll put our heads down, focus on executing, and see what Lady Luck has in store for us.”
Earl Bamber, No. 99 GridRival Porsche 911 GT3 R: “We’re all really excited for Sebring. We had a good performance at Daytona as a team and I think we’re ready to build from there with the time between Sebring and Daytona. It’s an awesome addition to have Trenton Estep joining us as a past champion of the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge, and alongside Rob I think it’s going to be a really strong combination with everyone coming from Porsche Cup and now in one line-up. I can’t wait to get back on track.”
Trenton Estep, No. 99 GridRival Porsche 911 GT3 R: “I’m honored to be a part of the Team Hardpoint EBM program. I have known Rob and Earl for a while now and have seen how they run things. It is definitely one of the best run programs in the paddock. This is definitely a defining moment in my career. It’s not every day you get an opportunity to run this caliber of racing, much less with a team of this standard. Hopefully their faith in me doesn’t go to waste and we can have a good showing in Sebring. The Porsche 911 GT3 R is a beast of a car and Sebring is a tough track. It will definitely be a challenge to get up to pace but I have a good support system with the guys at Team Hardpoint EBM to do just that.”
Katherine Legge, No. 88 Richard Mille Porsche 911 GT3 R: “It’s going to be great to get back in the Richard Mille Porsche 911 GT3 R with Christina. To also have Bia join us for this race is outstanding for our team, especially during Women’s History Month. Sebring is one of those races that is a bucket list race and one that you’re desperate to win. I’m really grateful that we’ve been given that opportunity. I love the 12 Hour, it’s one of those races that has eluded me and I hope we can rectify that this weekend.”
Christina Nielsen, No. 88 Richard Mille Porsche 911 GT3 R: “I’m very much looking forward to being back at Sebring. I have good memories there and I’m excited to be back. It seems like every year the saying ‘you’ve got to respect the bumps’ becomes even more true. It’s always good to be back in a unique place that is like nothing else and is an iconic American track. I’m looking forward to having Bia join us to push for the result we’re capable of.”
Bia Figueiredo, No. 88 Richard Mille Porsche 911 GT3 R: “I can’t express how excited I am to be back to race in IMSA with Katherine and Christina driving for Team Hardpoint EBM. My birthday is March 18, so being back in IMSA is the best gift for me. My 2019 experience in the series were one of the best of my career. I really enjoyed it. Sebring is a challenging track with the bumps but is really fun to drive. I can’t wait to drive the Richard Mille Porsche 911 GT3 R on this track.”
Noteworthy: In addition to the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, Team Hardpoint EBM has entered a two-car effort in Porsche Carrera Cup North America’s debut season. Riley Dickinson will drive the No. 53 Porsche Austin/Team Hardpoint EBM Porsche 911 GT3 Cup in the Pro class, with Efrin Castro driving the No. 65 Fine Fare Supermarkets/GoDominicanRepublic.com Porsche 911 GT3 Cup in Pro-Am.
About Team Hardpoint EBM:
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. Team Hardpoint EBM is a joint venture between Team Hardpoint and Earl Bamber Motorsport formed in late 2020 to combine the resources of EBM and co-owners Earl Bamber and Will Bamber and the early success of Team Hardpoint. Headquartered at VIRginia International Raceway, the team’s 2021 plans include a full-season effort in the IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship in a Porsche 911 GT3 R and a multi-car effort in the IMSA Porsche Carrera Cup North America. More information on Team Hardpoint EBM can be found at www.hardpoint.com or through its strong social media presence on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
