“Never give up” attitude puts Racing to End Alzheimer’s into fourth at COTA SRO

AUSTIN, Texas (April 29, 2026) – The Racing to End Alzheimer’s with Stephen Cameron Racing team rode a roller coaster of emotion Saturday at Circuit of the Americas, after an inherent issue with the car put them at the back of the field early in the three-hour Pirelli GT4 America race – but the team refused to quit, battling back to bring home a very hard-fought fourth place finish.

Drivers Jonathan Perichon and Greg Liefooghe and the Cameron Racing crew kept their heads down and focused on the task at hand, as a technical issue with the No. 90 BMW M4 GT4 that put the car into limp mode meant an unscheduled trip to pit lane – then another, as the issue with the ECU rendered the pit speed limiter nonoperational, causing a pit speed violation that resulted in a drive through penalty. Through it all, the team persevered to bring home a solid result.

Two practices afforded the team time to become acclimated to both the extreme Texas heat (with temperatures in the 90s all weekend), and the lengthy (20-turns, 3.426-miles) COTA layout. Liefooghe – who has a win and five podiums in 13 races at COTA – and Perichon proved to be quick studies, setting the third and ninth quickest times in two practice sessions.

Series rookie Perichon headed out for qualifying on Saturday afternoon, but an early red flag meant that numerous cars did not record a timed lap. Race stewards then set the field based on practice times, placing the No. 90 Racing to End Alzheimer’s BMW fifth in the Pro-Am class and 14th overall.

Ambient temperatures remained in the 90s for the race start early Saturday evening, with track temps soaring over 115F. Perichon battled hard through the opening laps, holding his position and gaining significant experience in traffic. With just over two hours remaining – and with each driver limited to 50 minutes of run time – Perichon came into pit lane for four tires, fuel and a change to Liefooghe.

Liefooghe had begun a charge up through the field, breaking into the top 10, when an issue with the ABS system sent him to pit lane for a reset. Once he returned to the fray, the team realized the pit speed limiter had experienced an issue as well, with Liefooghe assessed a drive through for pit speed violation. Perichon jumped back into the BMW with an hour and 20 minutes remaining and then handed back to Liefooghe 30 minutes later, but with the car near the rear of the 28-car field and a lap down.

What then transpired was a master class in moving up through the field from the veteran Liefooghe. Carving his way forward, with 10 minutes left he was back into the top 10 overall, sixth in the Pro-Am class – and his fight continued to the end of the race, with Liefooghe taking a very hard fought fourth position in class, sixth overall.

Team owner Stephen Cameron was quite happy with the end result, though disappointed knowing that the issue had kept the team from an even better finish.

“This team really has a ‘never give up’ attitude,” said Cameron. “Jonathan did a great job in his first professional endurance race – he really made up ground in that second stint, and he had good speed all weekend. And Greg’s stint at the end was pretty much an Ironman stint, it was just hot and humid and nasty out there. It was fun to watch.”

Racing to End Alzheimer’s founder Phil Frengs heartily agrees.

“Last weekend was a good example of knowing that you’re never really out of it,” said Frengs. “Jonathan and Greg both did an outstanding job, especially given the fact that they came into pit lane essentially twice as many times as the other teams. It was a hot day, but they persevered – and once again, got great TV time. Thanks to Ryan Myrehn and Calvin Fish on the broadcast for talking about the team – they were as impressed as we were to see them up near the front! If not for this issue, it could have been quite the day.

“We spoke to a good number of people in the course of the weekend about Racing to End Alzheimer’s,” continued Frengs. “We’re here to raise awareness and money – to “fund the care and find the cure” for Alzheimer’s. Every name we add to the car helps us do that. And of course, every one of those conversations means so much to me and to the people we meet. Just about everyone has a story about how Alzheimer’s has affected their family.”

Racing to End Alzheimer’s gives families the chance to honor loved ones who have suffered from Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia. For a $250 donation, the family member’s name and hometown is placed on both the SRO GT4 America BMW M4 and the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge Ford Mustang, and the loved one’s photo can be posted on the Racing to End Alzheimer’s website’s tribute page. All donations are matched by Frengs’ company Legistics, with 100% going to the program’s two beneficiaries:  the Nantz National Alzheimer Center at Houston Methodist, and the UCLA Alzheimer’s and Dementia Care Program.

To date, Racing to End Alzheimer’s has donated over $1.2 million to those two programs.

Donate now at this link.

Part of the CieloVision GT World Texas powered by Samsung weekend, the three-hour endurance race for the GT4 America series will take the green flag at 6:00 p.m. ET on Saturday. The races will be streamed live on YouTube, with an interactive broadcast on Twitch.

About Racing to End Alzheimer’s

In 2013, Phil Frengs’ late wife Mimi was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s Disease. Their experience led Frengs to a seminal moment: while his company, Legistics, had long sponsored a team in IMSA sports car racing, he realized there was an opportunity to raise money and awareness for the fight against the disease. In 2017, he formed Racing to End Alzheimer’s, giving fans the opportunity to honor loved ones by putting their names on the race car via a $250 donation – with Legistics matching each donation. 100% of those donations go to the two organizations the team supports:

The Nantz National Alzheimer Center at Houston Methodist is exploring cutting edge strategies in therapy, care and research to find a cure for these dementias. NNAC was founded by longtime CBS Sports broadcaster Jim Nantz and his family in honor of his father, Jim, Jr., who passed away after a 13-year battle with Alzheimer’s.

The UCLA Alzheimer’s and Dementia Care Program is a nationally-recognized grant-funded program designed to help patients and their families with the complex medical, behavioral and social needs associated with Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia.