Racing to End Alzheimer’s looking to rebound at Miami

With a difficult season opener behind him, Mark Kvamme hopes to put the familiar purple and yellow Alzheimer’s colors back in Victory Lane

LOS ANGELES (1 May 2023) – With a tough start to the 2024 Porsche Carrera Cup North America season behind them, Mark Kvamme and the Racing to End Alzheimer’s/MDK Motorsports team looks to start fresh in this weekend’s doubleheader – part of the Formula One Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix.

Kvamme and the No. 43 Racing to End Alzheimer’s Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car had a rough ride in the doubleheader season opener at Sebring International Raceway in March, caught up in multiple incidents that left the two-time Masters class champion ninth in points – though with his MDK Motorsports squad leading the team championship.

Having scored victories in both races at Miami last year, Kvamme knows this is a good place to jumpstart his title defense.

“Miami treated us well last year and we’re hoping for more of the same this year,” said Kvamme. “We scored the race one pole and took both wins, in very hot and humid conditions, and there’s certainly no reason to expect this year’s conditions to be any different. As we saw at Sebring, this is going to be another highly competitive season, and I’m ready to get back into the mix – and to help highlight our Alzheimer’s program by putting the purple and yellow colors back out front.”

But for the Racing to End Alzheimer’s team, the on-track action is only half the story. The team’s mission is to increase awareness of this terrible disease while giving families a way to honor their loved ones in a very tangible way – and raising funds for research and treatment. For a $250 donation, a loved one’s name is placed on the car as it races across the United States (https://www.r2endalz.org), with 100% of the donations matched, and shared between the team’s two beneficiaries. The No. 43 Porsche currently carries 122 names – with plenty of room for more.

For Racing to End Alzheimer’s founder Phil Frengs, whose wife Mimi was diagnosed with the disease in 2013, the race weekends offer the chance to speak with race fans from all over the country – and at Formula One events, all over the world. Frengs can’t count the number of conversations he has each race weekend, seemingly every family having been touched by dementia or Alzheimer’s.

“I always refer to myself as the hugger in chief,” said Frengs. “The car’s livery is very identifiable, and so many people stop and want to talk. It doesn’t take long for people to start telling me their stories, about how they’ve been affected by this disease, and I’m glad to give them someone to talk to, someone who understands. And we love being a part of the Miami Grand Prix, it is such a huge event. Because the Porsche Carrera Cup North America paddock is open to fans, we meet people from all over Florida – and really, all over the U.S. and the world – so it’s a great opportunity for us to reach a large audience. Just look for the bright purple tent!”

The Porsche Carrera Cup North America series will contest two races at the Miami Grand Prix. Race one takes the green flag Saturday at 5:50 p.m. ET, with race two Sunday at 10:30 a.m. ET. The races will be broadcast live in the U.S., on IMSA.tv, the NBC Peacock streaming app and PorscheCarreraCup.us.