Under the banner of the previously announced joint venture between Team Hardpoint and Earl Bamber Motorsport (EBM), Team Hardpoint will return to principal Rob Ferriol’s roots for the 2021 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GT Daytona (GTD) season. In addition to the recently unveiled 2021 Porsche Carrera Cup North America program, Team Hardpoint EBM will enter a Porsche 911 GT3 R in a full-season 2021 effort with Ferriol and current Porsche factory driver Earl Bamber taking driving duties.
Bamber’s record behind the wheel of a Porsche is impeccable. The New Zealand-native and Team Hardpoint EBM co-principal is the 2019 IMSA WeatherTech GT Le Mans class champion, a two-time winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the 2017 FIA World Endurance Championship point champion. Bamber became available when the Porsche GT Team reached the conclusion of its successful IMSA run following the 2020 season.
Ferriol began his racing career as a member of the Porsche Club of America (PCA), participating in club racing and track day events around the United States, then moved to IMSA’s Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama series just two seasons ago. The lessons learned in those two seasons of one-make racing with the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup race car helped lay a foundation for the move to the GTD class, and, after a rookie season behind the wheel of an Audi R8 LMS GT3, will see him return to those Porsche roots in 2021.
Team Hardpoint EBM became the first team to announce a joint venture for a multi-car customer program in the recently unveiled Porsche Carrera Cup North America single make series on October 17. With the team’s move to the Porsche 911 GT3 R in the WeatherTech series, Team Hardpoint EBM will now offer an incentive program for Team Hardpoint EBM drivers in the single-make Porsche championship.
Any Team Hardpoint EBM Carrera Cup driver who finishes the season in the top three of the point championship in the Pro or Pro-Am category will earn a free test day in the Team Hardpoint Porsche 911 GT3 R. For the ultimate prize, a Team Hardpoint EBM driver who wins the 2021 Pro category championship in Porsche Carrera Cup North America will also earn a paid seat with Team Hardpoint EBM in the 2022 Rolex 24 At Daytona.
The 2021 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season opens with the Roar Before the 24 test, January 22 – 24, 2021 and the Rolex 24 At Daytona just one week later, January 28 – 31. The current schedule for the 2021 Porsche Carrera Cup North America marks the opener at Sebring International Raceway, March 17 – 20.
Earl Bamber, Driver/Team Principal, Team Hardpoint EBM Porsche 911 GT3 R.
“It’s really exciting to see the partnership between Team Hardpoint and Earl Bamber Motorsport expand into GTD. As a team owner, I’m very proud to see all of our hard work come to fruition. As a driver, I’m thrilled to stay in IMSA next year. I love the tracks, I love the competition and I love the fans. I’m going to do my best to get Rob and Team Hardpoint EBM some wins in 2021.”
Rob Ferriol, Driver/Team Principal, Team Hardpoint EBM Porsche 911 GT3 R.
“This is an exciting chapter not just for Team Hardpoint EBM, but also for me personally. I’ve loved Porsches since long before I could afford one. When my business started to see some success a few years ago, the first gift I bought myself was a used Porsche 911. The first time I was on a racetrack, and the first time I went racing – both Porsches. So to have this opportunity to not only expand the Team Hardpoint EBM partnership into the WeatherTech series, but also share driving duties in the Porsche 911 GT3 R is a dream come true. When Porsche announced that the IMSA GTLM program was coming to a close, I was among the many Porsche enthusiasts who were losing their rooting interest. Hopefully, Earl and I can give those very passionate fans another Porsche to root for next year.”
Will Bamber, Team Manager and co-principal, Team Hardpoint EBM.
“There’s nothing better than throwing it all out there and backing your own product. Porsche has done that and we’re right behind them. With our joint venture Team Hardpoint EBM, it’s exciting to have that whole pyramid contained with our team. Porsche allows us to do that. We believe that we should be reinvesting back into the sport and in our own customers, to give them an opportunity forward beyond the trophy at the end of the year. Earl and I coming up, as young guys, both got opportunities. We had to push for it, but it was done by reward and merit and you just need that chance sometimes. Through the team car in GTD, we can do that. It’s something we’ve been trying to do globally and it should be an exciting program for all young drivers who are trying to make it as a professional.”
Source. Porsche
PlanetPorsche 
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