| Drivers Rob Ferriol and Spencer Pumpelly to Pull Double Duty in WeatherTech, Michelin Pilot Challenge Championships |
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FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (June 17, 2020) – Team Hardpoint, along with co-drivers Rob Ferriol and Spencer Pumpelly, will be doubling their efforts for the remainder of the 2020 season by adding a GT Daytona (GTD) entry in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in company with the team’s IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge season already in progress. The co-drivers will compete in both championships behind the wheel of the Audi R8, running the Audi R8 LMS GT3 in the WeatherTech Championship and the Audi R8 GT4 in the GS class of Michelin Pilot Challenge.
Ferriol and Pumpelly will pilot the No. 30 Team Hardpoint/GridRival Audi R8 LMS GT3 beginning with round two of the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s revised 2020 schedule at Daytona International Speedway.
“The WeatherTech Championship has been a stretch goal of ours since we started Team Hardpoint late last year,” Ferriol said. “We initially eyed 2021 to make the jump into GTD, but as with most things in racing, timing is everything. The temporary pause in the 2020 season, while difficult, has allowed us to continue refining our team, but also put us in a position to react when the door opened to expanding our partnership with Audi. We have a lot to learn, but I’m excited to be able to move into yet another car with Spencer as co-driver, continue growing our relationship with Audi, and see our team rise to the challenge. It’s a challenge that we’ve thought a lot about and are all looking forward to.”
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Ferriol and Pumpelly have worked together since prior to Ferriol’s professional debut, with Pumpelly beginning as his driver coach before moving into a co-driving role during the 2019 IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge GS season. Pumpelly is the 2016 Pilot Challenge Street Tuner (ST) champion and multi-time winner in IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship competition, including two wins at the Rolex 24 At Daytona. Pumpelly’s last GTD-class podium came at Sebring International Raceway in 2019.
“I’m pleased to be headed back to the Weathertech Championship full time for the first time since 2016 and even more excited to be doing it with Hardpoint and Audi,” Pumpelly said. “The GTD class features some of the toughest racing anywhere but with the Hardpoint team behind us we will have great cars and all the tools at hand to get Rob acclimated to the series. I’ve watched Rob since he first entered IMSA in the GT3 Cup series and I’ve had the pleasure of watching him grow as a driver and tackle new challenges. Seeing him in the GTD class will be a natural next step in his racing career.”
The team, and Ferriol as a driver, will continue its climb up the IMSA ladder. Ferriol started in IMSA Porsche GT3 Cup before switching to the GT4 version of the Audi R8, and now commanding the ride in the GT3 edition of the same car.
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“We’re very proud to represent Audi as we take another step forward at Team Hardpoint,” Ferriol said. “Across the Hardpoint ecosystem, our goal is to bring greater value to new and existing professional racing drivers, while increasing awareness and accessibility of the sport, and that starts right here at Team Hardpoint with our racing program. What better team to partner with, than Audi Sport customer racing and their family of IMSA-ready cars across TCR, GT4, and GT3. From the Hardpoint Paddock Foundation that we started to assist crew workers during the COVID-19 economic downturn, to campaigning a brand-new car in GTD, we really have set a goal to lean in and help bring some resiliency to this sport. We plan to be involved for a long time, and we’re thankful we’re in a position to enter the WeatherTech Championship even sooner than we had originally planned.”
The team returns to action with the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship July 3-4 at Daytona International Speedway for the IMSA WeatherTech 240 At Daytona. The IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge championship resumes July 16-17 at Sebring International Raceway, which is scheduled to be the team’s first event with double duty on the same weekend.
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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.
