Audi Sport customer racing Confirms GTD WeatherTech Sprint Cup Entry

source: Audi of America

  • Team Hardpoint to campaign Audi R8 LMS for IMSA Sprint Cup season
  • Double duty for team owner/driver Rob Ferriol and driver Spencer Pumpelly in GT4 and now also in GT3
  • Audi looks to capture IMSA championships in Weather Tech Sprint Cup (WTSC)and Michelin Pilot Challenge (MPC)

Team Hardpoint expands their IMSA program to include an Audi R8 LMS GT3. Maintaining their current MPC Audi R8 LMS GT4 program, the team will also keep their existing driver line-up with Rob Ferriol and Spencer Pumpelly. Audi remains in the championship hunt as the revised IMSA GTD Sprint Cup racing schedule begins on July 4, at Daytona International Speedway.

Team Hardpoint made the decision to move into the top GT customer racing category in the WeatherTech Championship. A proven winner, the Audi R8 LMS 5.2l V10 powered machine has found much success in IMSA since entering the category in 2012 winning several races and championships.

The Sprint season now begins on July 4 with the WeatherTech 240 at Daytona International Speedway and the second sprint race scheduled at Sebring International Raceway on July 18. The team has experience at both tracks and is planning to quickly acclimate to the GT3 race car.

Both Team Hardpoint drivers Ferriol and Pumpelly have had extensive experience in the Audi R8 LMS GT4 and are confident this will carry over to the new GT3 program. Ferriol started Team Hardpoint mid-season 2019 and partnered with driver coach Pumpelly in the Audi R8 LMS GT4. Pumpelly, a familiar name in the paddock, has competed in an Audi R8 LMS with Magnus Racing and Flying Lizard Motorsports. In addition to the experienced driver line-up, race engineer, John Horton, has experience with the Audi R8 LMS GT3 and GT4 race cars, which will add substantial knowledge going into the race season.

“The WeatherTech Championship has been a stretch goal of ours since we started Team Hardpoint late last year. We initially eyed 2021 to make the jump into GTD, but as with most things in racing, timing is everything,” said Team Principal Rob Ferriol. “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.”

The Audi Sport customer racing U.S. program was established in 2012 to provide engineering, parts and marketing support to all customers. The program continues to grow and includes championship opportunities in three categories – GTD, GS, and TCR classes. By design, the Audi racing program offers a unique ladder system that offers a portfolio of race cars from professional sportscar classes to club level competition.

“We couldn’t be happier to support Team Hardpoint as they extend their Audi Sport customer racing portfolio from GT4 to the GTD category,” said Tristan Herbert, Audi Sport customer racing manager. “This is exactly the kind of multi-platform partnership we strive to obtain in motorsports.”

Follow the action and Audi Sport customer racing updates at:
Instagram: @ascrusa
Facebook: @AudiSportcustomerracing

Visit www.ascrusa.com  to see all  Audi Sport customer racing information and www.IMSA.com for IMSA broadcast information.

IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship* + Michelin Pilot Challenge** Schedule:

DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY * JULY 3-4            (GTD only)
SEBRING INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY * JULY 16-18
WEATHERTECH RACEWAY LAGUNA SECA * SEPTEMBER 4-6
ROAD AMERICA * JULY 31 – AUGUST 2
VIRGINIA INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY * AUGUST 21-23
MID-OHIO SPORTS CAR COURSE * SEPTEMBER 25-27
WATKINS GLEN INTERNATIONAL ** OCTOBER 1-4
MICHELIN RACEWAY ROAD ATLANTA  ** OCTOBER 14-17
LIME ROCK PARK * OCTOBER 30-31
SEBRING INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY ** NOVEMBER 11-14

*WeatherTech Sprint Cup Events

**Michelin Endurance Cup events