Podium Weekend for Hardpoint Motorsports in New York

Podium Weekend for Hardpoint Motorsports in New York

Posted by hardpoint on July 19, 2019 in

Watkins Glen, New York – July 1, 2019 – Hardpoint Motorsports scored one podium finish from Rob Ferriol in New York in the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama during the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen race weekend.

Both Ferriol and Randal Bryant showed competitive speed going into the race weekend during their two practice sessions and both qualified in the top four. Ferriol charged off the start in Race 1 and found himself in a battle for the lead by the sixth lap. Such a charge in a 45-minute race can be quite tricky on the tires and left Ferriol driving cautiously towards the end of the race but was able to finish on the Gold Cup podium for the fifth time this season.

Bryant was on pace running in 4th place by Lap 12 before his No. 15 St. Thomas Cycleboats Porsche GT3 experienced mechanical issues that dropped him back to 8th place and did not allow him to start Race 2 on Saturday.

Ferriol went into Race 2 looking for the win and was running in 3rd by the time the full course caution came out. His No. 5 GridRival Porsche GT3 was hit on the restart, which altered the handling, but Ferriol kept the fight alive into the final minutes of the race. Ferriol found himself in a reasonable amount of traffic with the Gold Cup and Platinum Cup cars on the last laps and went for a move to get into 2nd place but was off-put but a Platinum Cup competitor which caused Ferriol to spin and lose a position resulting in a 4th place finish.

Hardpoint Motorsports will rejoin the IMSA Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama at Road America, August 2 – 4, for a doubleheader weekend. The action from Watkins Glen can be viewed on NBC Sports Network on Tuesday, July 9 at 6:00 p.m. EDT.

Rob Ferriol – Driver of the No. 5 GridRival Porsche GT3

It was a tough weekend for the No. 5 GridRival Porsche GT3. We had really good pace in testing, but just struggled to get it in the window when it came time to race. Despite being a bit off pace, I’m very proud we were able to pull off the podium in Race 1, and just missed it in Race 2 after a last lap incident. The Moorespeed crew provided flawless support all weekend, so I really can’t thank them enough. We’ll learn what we can from this weekend and focus forward to Road America next month.
Randal Bryant – Driver of the No. 15 St. Thomas Cycleboats Porsche GT3

“The Watkins Glen race was bittersweet. I set my personal best lap time in qualifying and was running in 4th place in the Gold class for the first race on Friday. Unfortunately, on Lap 12, 20-minutes into the race, the car experienced a mechanical problem and prematurely caused me to retire the car for the weekend. I guess that’s racing!”

Resource By: https://hardpoint.com/podium-weekend-for-hardpoint-motorsports-in-new-york/

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Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA

Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA

Posted by hardpoint on July 16, 2019 in

Sixteen-year-old Texan Riley Dickinson got off to a quick start to his maiden Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama season.

For more information please visit : https://hardpoint.com/de-angelis-opens-2019-porsche-gt3-cup-challenge-usa-by-yokohama-season-with-flag-to-flag-win-at-barber-motorsports-park

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BARBER MOTORSPORTS PARK – FRIDAY PRACTICE NOTEBOOK

BARBER MOTORSPORTS PARK – FRIDAY PRACTICE NOTEBOOK

Posted by hardpoint on July 15, 2019 in GT3 Cup Challenge USA, Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama,

Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America Off and Running at Barber Motorsports Park

The Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America 2019 championship officially got underway Friday at Barber Motorsports Park with a pair of 40-minute practice sessions.

The morning practice was run under cool conditions but that didn’t slow down the No. 9 USRaceTronics, Lamborghini Vancouver entry of Damon Ockey and Jake Eidson in the Pro-Am class. Ockey laid down the fastest lap of the session, and the day, at 1:23.840 (98.759 mph/158.937 kph).

Leading the Pro class was Super Trofeo North America newcomer Sandy Mitchell in the No. 1 Prestige Performance/Wayne Taylor Racing, Lamborghini Paramus entry. He was second overall with a lap of 1:24.258. The Pro class defending champion, Corey Lewis, had the third fastest time at 1:25.066 and his teammate, Richy Antinucci then took the honors in the afternoon session with a best in field lap of 1:24.455.

“This afternoon we decided to roll the dice and I got to start with the new tires,” said Antinucci. “Then I handed it over to Corey and he was also fast. It was a good day for us.”

Eidson continued the No. 9’s quickness in the afternoon with a class best time of 1:25.711. Others having the fastest lap in their class in the afternoon include McKay Snow (Am) at 1:25.992 and Ashton Harrison in LB Cup at 1:28.830.

“The car is doing great,” said Eidson. “We were P1 in practice and for starting off the season, you can’t really ask for much more. The USRaceTronics team is doing a great job.”

The first two rounds of the 2019 Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America series can be streamed live on IMSA.TV in the United States and squadracorse.lamborghini.com/live-streaming around the world, starting with Race 1 on Saturday at 2:50 pm EDT and Race 2 on Sunday at 1:55 pm EDT.

The races can be seen on NBCSN on Friday, April 19 at 1 p.m. EDT.

Dickinson Gets First Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama Season Off to Fast Start

Sixteen-year-old Texan Riley Dickinson got off to a quick start to his maiden Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama season.

How quick? He was P1 in the opening practice session of the season Friday morning in challenging damp-to-dry conditions at Barber Motorsports Park, site of this weekend’s season-opening doubleheader of races. It was Dickinson’s first official session aboard the No. 53 Moorespeed Porsche 911 GT3 Cup entry.

“We’ve done a lot of preparation coming into this weekend, so on that front, we feel pretty good,” Dickinson said this morning. “The first session is not really that good of an indication on how fast everyone else is, just ‘cause of the rain that was thrown into it, but it still feels good to come out of it P1. We’ll see how the rest of the weekend goes. So far, so good.”

He wound up second quickest on the day behind Max Root, who topped the afternoon time charts at 1:27.648 in the No. 7 Wright Motorsports Porsche.

The weekend calls for two, 45-minute GT3 Cup Challenge USA races. The first is Saturday at 5:30 p.m. ET, the second is Sunday at 12:55 p.m. ET. Both will be streamed live on IMSA.tv with an NBCSN tape-delayed telecast on Friday, April 19 at 12 p.m. ET.

Root Ready for Breakthrough in Second GT3 Cup Challenge USA Season

Root, a 20-year-old Californian, embarks on his second GT3 Cup Challenge USA season aboard the No. 7 Wright Motorsports entry in the Platinum Cup class. Last year, he was the IMSA Hurley Haywood GT3 Cup Scholarship recipient and finished fourth in the season championship standings.

He had five podium results during his rookie season but has yet to visit victory lane in the series. Judging by how he performed on Friday, that breakthrough win could be coming very soon, but it’s not going to be easy.

“There’s some great drivers here in the IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge,” Root said. “I think it’s one of the best places for drivers to develop and to learn the nuances of these Cup cars, which have no traction control, no ABS and just really it’s all driver. So, it’s a great place for drivers to develop. This weekend and the whole series, we have some amazing drivers, from open-wheel guys to guys in Cup cars for five or six years, so it’s pretty impressive.

“I think for me to take it to the next level, obviously, it’s spending more time in the car, working with the engineer and really getting the peak performance out of the Porsche every single lap for the race.”

Ferriol Poised to Move Up in Gold Cup

Last year in the GT3 Cup Challenge USA Gold Cup class for Porsche 911 GT3 Cup machines built between 2014 and 2016, it was mostly the Victor Gomez IV show. The Puerto Rican driver for NGT Motorsport won 11 races and cruised to the class championship.

But Gomez was a previous Hurley Haywood Scholarship winner and had a great deal of experience in the series, whereas Rob Ferriol – who finished second in the standings – was a GT3 Cup Challenge USA rookie in 2018 and had 11 class podiums of his own. This year, Gomez has moved up to the Platinum Cup class.

Ferriol led both Gold Cup sessions Friday at Barber, posting a best lap of 1:29.477 in the afternoon session aboard the No. 5 TPC Racing entry.

“I’m looking forward to – we’ve got a big field, so we’ve got some new guys out and also fighting with some old guys,” Ferriol said. “We’ll just see what I’ve got on my second year.

“Last year was my first year in a Cup car, so I was learning the Cup car platform and I was learning, probably, 60 percent of the tracks we went to. So, now I’ve got the car in the bag, I’ve got a lot of the tracks in the bag, so this year’s it’s really just refinement, working with my coach and doing testing.”

This article was originaly published by: https://porschegt3cupusa.imsa.com/

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MOTUL PETIT LE MANS

MOTUL PETIT LE MANS

Posted by hardpoint on July 15, 2019 in

MOTUL PETIT LE MANS OCTOBER 9, 2019 TO OCTOBER 12, 2019 Braselton, GA


For more information please visit :- https://hardpoint.com/schedule/motul-petit-le-mans

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DE ANGELIS OPENS 2019 PORSCHE GT3 CUP CHALLENGE USA BY YOKOHAMA SEASON WITH FLAG-TO-FLAG WIN AT BARBER MOTORSPORTS PARK

DE ANGELIS OPENS 2019 PORSCHE GT3 CUP CHALLENGE USA BY YOKOHAMA SEASON WITH FLAG-TO-FLAG WIN AT BARBER MOTORSPORTS PARK

Posted by hardpoint on July 03, 2019 in

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Eighteen-year-old Canadian racer Roman De Angelis got his quest for the 2019 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama Platinum Cup championship off to the best possible start Saturday afternoon at Barber Motorsports Park with a flag-to-flag victory in the 45-minute, season-opening race.

Driving the Yokohama-shod No. 79 Kelly-Moss Road and Race Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, De Angelis started from the pole position and comfortably pulled away from the field throughout the race. He led every lap en route to a 17-second victory over series rookie Riley Dickinson in the No. 53 Moorespeed Porsche.

It was De Angelis’ third victory in the GT3 Cup Challenge USA Platinum Cup class for 911 race cars built between 2017 and 2019. It also was the second consecutive year that De Angelis – whose car carries a Racing for Children’s livery in support of the Children’s Hospital of Alabama – won at Barber Motorsports Park.

“I think the key to that was, one, pulling out a good gap in the beginning, which I think we executed pretty well,” De Angelis said. “After that was just really managing traffic. This is a really small circuit, not many places to pass, so getting by these slower guys as quick and as safe as possible was the key.

“I’d probably say that was one of the biggest gaps I’ve ever pulled in a race. Especially considering how competitive it was, I didn’t think we’d be that far ahead, but once again, what an amazing car by Kelly-Moss Racing. To win in our sponsor’s hometown, Children’s Hospital of Alabama, Racing for Children’s and Medical Properties Trust – all out of Alabama – what an amazing way to start the season.”

Dickinson came away from his debut race in the series with a runner-up result after prevailing in a midrace battle for second with Parker Thompson in the No. 3 JDX Racing Porsche. Thompson came home third ahead of Max Root, who finished fourth in the No. 7 Wright Motorsports machine. Jeff Kingsley made it two JDX cars in the top five with a fifth-place showing in the No. 16 Porsche.
Alan Metni, last year’s Platinum Masters champion for drivers age 45 and over, got a good start to his title defense as well in the No. 99 AM Motorsports/Kelly-Moss Porsche. Metni won the Platinum Masters class and finished sixth overall – battling for position much of the race with Kingsley and also Sean McAlister in the No. 11 JDX car.

“I’m really looking forward to racing with and learning from all of the Platinum drivers, including all the young kids,” Metni said. “It’s going to be a fun year.

“It was a great race. It was a lot of fun. The team gave me a great car. Also, I want to thank everybody who made it possible for me to get here. My wife is at home right now recovering from ankle surgery – my wife, Meryl – and I just want to thank her for supporting me and letting me get out here. I also want to give a shout out to my kids.”

Fred Kaimer came home second in the Platinum Masters class in the No. 23 NGT Motorsport Porsche, while Charlie Luck completed the class podium with a third-place class showing in the No. 45 Wright Motorsports Porsche.

Dan Hardee won the Yokohama Hard Charger Award as the Platinum Cup driver who gained the most positions from start to finish. Driving the No. 69 TPC Racing Porsche, Hardee finished 19th overall after starting 29th.

A year after NGT Motorsport driver Victor Gomez IV dominated the Gold Cup championship for 911 GT3 Cup cars built between 2014 and 2016, Sebastian Carazo carried the torch for NGT in Race 1 at Barber, scoring the victory in the No. 27 NGT Motorsport entry. It was Carazo’s first victory.
“It feels very good to start the season on a win,” Carazo said. “It’s the first win for me driving in IMSA. The championship is not won on the first race, so it’s just be consistent, finish the season and try to be on that top step every time. NGT always does a good job on getting the car set up and just having the car 100 percent the entire weekend.”

Carazo was the primary beneficiary when Gold Cup polesitter Rob Ferriol was involved in a multi-car incident heading into Turn 1 on the opening lap. The incident removed Ferriol’s No. 5 TPC Racing Porsche from the race, although every other car involved in the incident was able to continue.
Kurt Fazekas took second in Gold Cup aboard the No. 52 Kelly-Moss Road and Race entry, followed by Efrin Castro in third place driving the No. 65 ACI Motorsports Porsche.

The second 45-minute race of the GT3 Cup Challenge USA weekend doubleheader at Barber as part of the Indy Grand Prix of Alabama weekend rolls off at 11:55 a.m. CT on Sunday. The race will be streamed live on IMSA.tv.

This article was originally published by: https://porschegt3cupusa.imsa.com/

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Hardpoint Motorsports heads to Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course

Hardpoint Motorsports heads to Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course

Posted by hardpoint on July 01, 2019 in

Lexington, OH – May 1, 2019 – Hardpoint Motorsports heads to Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course as part of the Acura Sports Car Challenge at Mid-Ohio for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship with Rob Ferriol piloting the No. 5 Porsche GT3 in the GT3 Cup Gold USA class of the 2019 IMSA Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama. 

Ferriol had mixed success at last month’s season opener at Barber Motorsports Park and is looking to using that experience to dominate both races of the weekend. Practice 1 starts bright and early Friday morning with a 45-minute session starting at 8:00 a.m. EDT with Practice 2 rounding out the day at 1:40 p.m. Qualifying will take place Saturday morning from 10:35 – 10:50 a.m. with Race 1 going green later that day at 4:20 p.m. The second 45-minute race of the weekend will start at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday, May 5.  

Both races will be streamed live on IMSA.tv, with tape-delayed television coverage airing on NBCSN at 1 p.m. EDT on Monday, May 13. 


  
Rob Ferriol – Driver of the No. 5 Porsche GT3 

“My mantra headed into this weekend is “focus forward.”  The season opener at Barber was a mixed bag for me, but that was then, and this is now – we’ve wiped the slate clean and are laser-focused on rounds three and four. I managed to pull out a pair of podiums here last year, but without any prior testing, it really took all weekend to find the right setup on the car. This time around, while the No. 5 GridRival car underwent repairs from the Race 2 incident at Barber, I had an opportunity to take the No. 15 car out for a couple of days of testing and feel really good about what we learned. I think we’re coming into this weekend much smarter than we did last year. Mid-Ohio is an awesome course, but the grip level is constantly changing throughout the day, so it adds a fun and challenging variable for both me as a driver and the engineer who’s trying to strike the right balance of speed and longevity in the car. So, we’ll take what we learned, refine it a bit more in practice, and look forward to the green flag flying on Saturday!”

Resource By: https://hardpoint.com/hardpoint-motorsports-heads-to-mid-ohio-sports-car-course

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Double Podium Weekend for Hardpoint Motorsports

Double Podium Weekend for Hardpoint Motorsports

Posted by hardpoint on June 30, 2019 in

Lexington, OH – May 6, 2019 – Hardpoint Motorsports scored two second-place finishes from Rob Ferriol at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course during the Acura Sports Car Challenge at Mid-Ohio for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in the GT3 Cup Gold USA class of the 2019 IMSA Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama.

Challenging wet conditions led to several misfortunes in qualifying that resulted in the session being red flagged. Ferriol started from 2nd on the grid and managed to steer clear of the chaos that unfolded around him on the technical circuit during Race 1 and finished 2nd in the GT3 Cup Gold USA class. 
The rain let up for the second race of the weekend, but the start was eventful yet again on the cold track. Staying out of trouble in the No. 5 Gridrival Porsche GT3 was critical as the racing came down to wheel-to-wheel action with the No. 27 on the final laps of the 45-minute race. Having quicker pace kept Ferriol on the tail of the No. 27 and in the last turn on the final lap Ferriol made his way to the side of the No. 27 for a sprint to the finish. Ferriol ended up in 2nd place by only five-hundredths of a second. 

With valuable points under their belt, Hardpoint Motorsports will head to Montreal, Canada on June 7-9th in support of the 2019 Formula One Canadian Grand Prix. 

Rob Ferriol – Driver of the No. 5 Porsche GT3

“The weather proved a worthy adversary at Mid-Ohio this weekend.  As conditions worsened throughout Promoter Test and Practice, our strategy shifted from Barber redemption to simple survival. Mid-Ohio is notoriously challenging in the wet, and while we wanted to push the No. 5 Gridrival Porsche GT3 to the front of the Gold field, we also knew we had to focus on getting a pair of clean finishes to build some points momentum. I just put my head down and focused on driving a flawless race without any unforced errors. Despite more than half of the field having some sort of incident, we managed to keep the No. 5 clean and on track for a P2 finish in class and P7 overall at the checker. 

Starting second in class for Race 2, but deep in the Platinum Masters field, made for some intense racing at the start – with both the Gold and Platinum Masters leaders fighting for track position. Mid-Ohio isn’t easy to pass on, and despite having the better pace, Sebastian’s (Carazo) very disciplined and mistake-free drive made it that much harder for me to make a move for 1st. I threw one last Hail Mary in the final turn, resulting in an all-out drag race to the checker, but came up about two feet short of the win – losing by a mere five-hundredths of a second.

My hat’s off to the entire Hardpoint team for a hard-fought weekend amidst overwhelming odds, Porsche Motorsport for the unwavering support, and Yokohama for helping us keep the shiny side up. We’ll take the pair of podiums and look forward to keeping the momentum going as we turn our focus to Montreal next month!”

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Resource By:  https://hardpoint.com/double-podium-weekend-for-hardpoint-motorsports/

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