Legge, Ferriol and Wilson Return For Hardpoint at Watkins Glen for IMSA Six Hour Along With Racing To End Alzheimer’s Pilot Challenge Porsche

The No. 99 GridRival/GNARLY Jerky Porsche 911 GT3 R and the No. 22 Racing to End Alzheimer’s Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport Both Hold High Goals for Strong  Weekend Finishes

WATKINS GLEN, New York (June 23, 2022) – Hardpoint brings a pair of Porsches to this weekend’s IMSA round at Watkins Glen International, June 23 – 26, with the No. 99 GridRival/GNARLY Jerky Porshe 911 GT3 R in the IMSA WeatherTech Championship GT Daytona (GTD)’s six-hour race, with the No. 22 Racing to End Alzheimer’s Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport running the two-hour IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge race in the Grand Sport (GS) class. 

Rob Ferriol, Katherine Legge and Stefan Wilson will race the No. 99 Porsche during Sunday’s Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen, with the green flat at 10:40 a.m. ET streaming live on Peacock, with the final three hours on USA Network on cable and satellite. Nick Galante and Sean McAllister return in the No. 22 Porsche Cayman, with Saturday’s two-hour Tioga Downs Casino Resort 120 beginning at 3:45 p.m. ET, again streaming live on Peacock. 

No. 99 GridRival/GNARLY Jerky Porsche 911 GT3 R Pre-Race News and Notes

• Hardpoint’s GTD program returns at Watkins Glen for the first time since the race at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Ferriol, Legge and Wilson return to the car for this and all endurance races on the 2022 calendar. 

• A season ago, Ferriol and Legge were joined by Andrew Davis in the Hardpoint Porsche for the six hour event. The team jumped two cars in the final pit stop and came home with a top-10 finish despite handling challenges. 

• IMSA held two races at Watkins Glen in 2021, the second a sprint race that was shortened further due to a lightning delay during the race. Hardpoint was running eighth and improving at the checkered flag of that race. 

• Hardpoint has not fallen outside the top 10 in any of their GTD races this season, completing each race. 

• Ferriol earned a podium finish at Watkins Glen in Porsche GT3 Cup competition, running third in the Gold Cup in 2019. 

• Legge’s most recent podium finish at Watkins Glen came in the GTD in 2018, where she finished second for Meyer Shank Racing. 

• Wilson makes his first appearance in the six-hour race. He and his partners at Cusick Motorsports are coming off of a 27th-place finish in the Indianapolis 500 on Memorial Day weekend. 

• The decision to take an early summer break was a strategic one for Hardpoint’s business practices. The result has already borne out results, including the recent announcement of an International GT effort for Brady Behrman in a Porsche 911, adding a semi-professional rung to Hardpoint’s Porsche ladder that includes a Porsche Carrera Cup championship in addition to the GTD and IMSA GS efforts. Hardpoint will have three cars in action this weekend, two at Watkins Glen in IMSA competition and Behrman’s IGT run at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. 

No. 22 Racing To End Alzheimer’s Porsche Cayman GT4 Pre-Race News and Notes

• The Racing to End Alzheimer’s Porsche Cayman ran most of the last race at Mid-Ohio in the top-10 before a late incident ended the day just two laps from the finish. 

• McAllister is in his first season of mixed-make racing after spending the early stages of his career in Porsche championships. He has four previous starts in the Porsche Carrera Cup and Porsche GT3 Cup, with a best finish of seventh. 

• McAllister spent time at the Porsche Experience Center LA between events, running Watkins Glen on the simulator to refresh his reflexes at the track. 

• Galante was the Watkins Glen race winner in 2016 in what was then the ST class, and the runner-up in the same program in 2018. Galante held the qualifying record in the class at the time of the reclassification. 

• Racing To End Alzheimer’s On The Road Again III program launched last week at the Porsche Experience Center LA with a kick-off dinner and hot laps for donors. The program centers on founder Philip Frengs driving a street version of the Porsche Cayman across the country to a variety of Porsche dealers, speaking to customers about the program.

• For a $250 donation, with all proceeds going to the UCLA Alzheimer’s & Dementia Care Program and the Nantz National Alzheimer Center at Houston Methodist, race fans can add the name of a loved one who has been touched by Alzheimer’s to the race car. 

Hardpoint Watkins Glen Quote Board

Rob Ferriol, Owner and Driver, No. 99 Porsche 911 GT3: "It feels great to be headed back to the track with this amazing team. For the first time since last year, we’ll be geographically split across two race venues, with three different championships taking place at Watkins Glen and Mid Ohio. I couldn’t be prouder of the efforts everyone has put in over the last two months to get a new program in place, while also charging full steam ahead for the back half of the IMSA WeatherTech and Michelin Pilot Challenge seasons. Their dedication to the team, and the sport, is what makes Hardpoint tick. Watkins Glen is by far one of my favorite tracks on the IMSA calendar. There’s nothing else quite like climbing the uphill esses and charging into the bus stop hard on the brakes. It’s fast, flowing, and full of long, high-G corners. The most important thing for us this weekend will be getting the car dialed in quickly so we can turn our focus to our endurance driver lineup after the long break."

Stefan Wilson, Driver, No. 99 Porsche 911 GT3: “I’m really looking forward to joining Hardpoint again and jumping back into the GT3 R this weekend. Watkins Glen has got to be one of my all-time favorite tracks, so I’m hoping we can start the weekend in a good place setup wise, and then work hard as a team to secure a good result for all the crew, partners, for Hardpoint and Cusick Motorsport.”

Katherine Legge, Driver, No. 99 Porsche 911 GT3: "Watkins Glen is one of my favorites on the calendar. I’ve finished on the podium here a few times, and even won here too! Not only do I love driving this iconic track, but the setting and the people are among the best on the schedule. It seems like ages since we have been in the car but the three of us are ready for the full commitment this place requires. We are hoping to show strong and continue to build the program for the future."

Sean McAllister, Driver, No. 22 Porsche Cayman GT4: “I've only been to Watkins Glen a few times but I really love the track. It's very fast and has a nice flow. Throughout the Carrera Cup series I was working on exits, exits, and more exits and at this track it is super crucial to maximize your exits. This fits me and the Porsche well. We may not be the fastest in a straight line but as long as we maximize the exits we should be the most well-balanced car on the grid which will help us through those long corners. Unfortunately, we haven't had the results yet this season but the team has done a great job minimizing the pit-stop times and Nick and I have been driving on-pace for a good result for a few races now. The key word for this weekend is consistency. We need to be clean and consistent to bring a good result this weekend, especially with the CTMP race right around the corner the weekend after.”

Nick Galante, Driver, No. 22 Porsche Cayman GT4: “I love Watkins Glen. This has been my favorite track in the country for over a decade. My first professional pole position was here back in 2017. My first professional win was here back in 2016. I just love the flow and what I think is the perfect combination of corners. I judge all other tracks using Watkins Glen as the benchmark. I think this team is ready, in many ways more than one, for some success. Every team member has been perfecting their skill up until this point and I think we are due for some results.”

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.