Hardpoint announced its Daytona 24H line up, which includes racing star Katherine Legge; the Brit will in fact remain with the team for the 2022 IMSA season alongside driver/owner Rob Ferriol in the #99 Porsche 911 GT3 R.
Katherine Legge will remain in IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship in 2022, as Hardpoint confirmed its drivers line up on Monday.
At the wheel of the #99 GridRival Porsche 911 GT3 R will be driver/owner Rob Ferriol and Katherine Legge once again, and they will be joined by Stefan Wilson and Nick Boulle for the upcoming 24 Hours of Daytona.
Hardpoint was founded in 2018 by racing driver and entrepreneur Rob Ferriol and the team entered its first full IMSA championship in 2021. After Daytona, Hardpoint became a two-car operation and ran a fully-female crew at Sebring: Katherine Legge raced alongside two-time IMSA champion Christina Nielsen and Bia Figueiredo, who returned to racing after giving birth to her first child. Unfortunately, sponsor-related challenges meant that the team returned to a single-car for the remainder of the IMSA season, which was contested by Legge and Ferriol in the GTD class.
Legge secured nine Top-10 finishes in 2021, with a fifth place at Sebring as the highlight of the season. In the second half of the year, though, the drivers of the #88 Porsche were particularly consistent and Legge completed the season in eighth place, just ahead of Ferriol – who earned IMSA’s Bob Akin Award in 2021 for the championship’s top Bronze-rated driver.
“I feel honored to be back at Hardpoint for a second season." – said Katherine Legge.
"We had some promising races last year where we made decent progress and I think we can really carry that momentum and the lessons learned into 2022."
"As a team we have gone from strength to strength and I’m proud to be part of an effort with so much heart. We have made some off-season changes that I believe will enable us to capitalize on the strengths of the team, and Rob and I are determined and motivated to get that elusive podium soon."
10 years after Justin Wilson's victory at the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona, his brother Stefan will make his debut at the historic race. Wilson, a three-time Indy 500 starter, will also join Legge and Ferriol at the three other Michelin Endurance Cup races – which include Sebring, Watkins Glen and Road Atlanta.
2017 IMSA Prototype Challenge champion Nick Buolle will make his first start for Hardpoint, but is no Daytona rookie: he was runner up in 2016 and 2020 and will make his sixth appearance at the Rolex 24.
The line-up of the #99 crew is therefore very promising and Katherine Legge, at her ninth start at the Rolex 24 and one of the most high-profile drivers on the grid, will certainly be an important asset for the team throughout the season.
"I have finished second at the Rolex before but still dream of that top step", she continued. "We are very fortunate that Porsche and GridRival are on this journey with us and will strive to give them the results they deserve."
"We also welcome Stef and Nick to the fold, they both bring a different perspective and unique set of skills and I’m looking forward to working with both of them moving forward.”
Legge, Ferriol, Bamber and Nielsen were tenth in the GTD class in 2021, as they conquered a Top-10 at Hardpoint's first start in a 24-hour race.
“We’re a much smarter team than we were a year ago approaching Daytona for the first time in the Porsche 911 GT3 R, and now have the benefit of a full season under our belt, as well as a few new tools in the kit bag." – commented Rob Ferriol.
The team also welcomes onboard several new partners: "As a team owner, I’m really stoked to see how the team has evolved over the off-season, and couldn’t be prouder to have GridRival back with us again this year, but also the litany of partners joining us at Daytona: Cusick Motorsports, Gnarly Jerky, LOHLA Sport, Neptune Systems, and de Boulle Diamond and Jewelry", Ferriol concluded.
On-track action officially resumes on Friday 21st January, with the Roar Before the 24 collective test. Practice and qualifying sessions will set the stage for a 100-minute qualifying race on Sunday, which decides the starting order for the 24-hour race on Saturday 29th.
