DANVILLE, Virginia (March 4, 2022) – Fresh off a top-10 finish in the Rolex 24 At Daytona in a Porsche 911 GT3 R and one year removed from a Pro-Am Championship in Porsche Carrera Cup North America, Hardpoint is adding an IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge Grand Sport (GS) Porsche to the team’s roster for the 2022 season. Nick Galante and Sean McAlister will pilot the No. 22 Racing to End Alzheimer’s Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport for the remainder of the 10 race season.
It's a return to the championship for Hardpoint, who competed there with drivers Rob Ferriol and Spencer Pumpelly for part of the 2020 season before focusing the team’s efforts on the IMSA WeatherTech Championship. In 2022, the effort will feature sportscar racing veteran Galante, a two-time series champion in 2016 and 2018 in what was then the ST class, and McAlister, who was the 2019 Hurley Haywood scholarship winner for his success in single-make Porsche championships.
In a change from Hardpoint’s traditional red, black and white team liveries, Galante and McAlister will carry the purple representing Alzheimer’s Awareness. Racing to End Alzheimer’s was started by motorsports fan and Legistics CEO Philip Frengs and gives 100 percent of donations made at and away from the track to Alzheimer’s-related causes. The organization raises awareness and helps fund cutting-edge research, treatment, and support services that will end the scourge of Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia once and for all – specifically with donations to the Nantz National Alzheimer Center at Houston Methodist Hospital and the UCLA Alzheimer’s and Dementia Care Program. This is the sixth season for the Racing to End Alzheimer’s program, and the first with Hardpoint.
Galante joins Hardpoint as an eight-time race winner in Michelin Pilot Challenge competition. A golf caddy at Pebble Beach and a driving instructor away from the race track, Galante’s 2016 title came in a Porsche Cayman.
“I am extremely excited to have this opportunity to finally drive with Team Hardpoint,” Galante said. “Watching this team build itself into a top-level team has been tough to race against over the years, and now I can relax a little bit knowing I don't have to compete against them. I can now work harder than ever to help make this team as strong as possible. I am looking forward to teaming up with Sean McAlister as a co-driver this season. He has been doing some great things in Porsche Carrera Cup, and the new 2022 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport is looking to be one of the top GT4 cars this season. I am excited to be back with the Porsche brand as we had some success the last time we were in one.”
