Racing to End Alzheimer’s team ready to get back on track at Watkins Glen

The team’s No. 43 Porsche will contest the Porsche Deluxe Carrera Cup North America doubleheader carrying the names of 142 loved ones who’ve suffered from Alzheimer’s or dementia

LOS ANGELES (17 June 2024) – The Racing to End Alzheimer’s/MDK Racing team heads to legendary Watkins Glen International on the last weekend of Alzheimer’s Awareness Month, looking to recapture momentum after a difficult pair of Porsche Carrera Cup North America races two weeks ago in Montreal – and continue its message of hope.

The Montreal doubleheader, held in support of the Formula 1 AWS Grand Prix of Canada, was a rain-soaked, abbreviated event, with only nine laps of green flag running. Driver Mark Kvamme looks to put those races behind him and return to the winning form that saw him capture the 2022 and 2023 Masters class championship titles.

“Watkins Glen was good for us last year,” said Kvamme, who earned two podiums, including a victory, in 2023. “So hopefully we can get back on track – literally and figuratively! Montreal was tough, so we’re ready to get back to the wide-open spaces at Watkins Glen. It’s a fast track, fun track, and we’re very much looking forward to being back with our friends and fans on IMSA weekends.”

As always, the on-track action represents only half of the program’s purpose. The Alzheimer’s statistics are staggering: nearly 7 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. It is the fifth leading cause of death for Americans over the age of 65, and health and long-term care for people with dementia or Alzheimer’s is projected to reach $360 billion this year.

As Alzheimer’s Awareness Month draws to a close, the team will carry 142 names on the No. 43 Porsche 992 Cup Car for this weekend’s races. To date, Racing to End Alzheimer’s has raised over $1 million for its two beneficiaries, the Nantz National Alzheimer’s Center at Houston Methodist Hospital and the UCLA Alzheimer’s and Dementia Care Program. 2023 saw the program raise a record $254,000 and Racing to End Alzheimer’s looks to exceed that effort this year.

“2023 was an outstanding year for the program,” said Racing to End Alzheimer’s founder Phil Frengs. “But we’re not going to rest. We’re working hard to make 2024 even better, and we’ve gotten a good start, with a record number of names on the car – and record numbers of fans at every race coming by to talk to us about their loved ones. We’re excited to be back in the IMSA paddock; we know the paddock area will be full of fans all weekend.”

The program is a message of hope and a call to action to race fans and participants, giving them a way to honor their loved ones in a very tangible way while raising funds for research and treatment. Each of the names on the car reflects the efforts of the R2EndAlz (https://www.r2endalz.org) team to “fund the care and find the cure” – and founder Phil Frengs’s company Legistics matches every donation.

The 142 names on the car represent people from all walks of life who have suffered from dementia or Alzheimer’s, from Kvamme’s grandfather Magnus and good friend (and F1 driver) Kevin Magnussen’s grandfather Hans Erik, Columbus Zoo director emeritus Jack Hanna (also a good friend of Mark and Meg Kvamme) to Frengs’s wife Mimi.

“Every single name on the car represents a loved one – be it a family member or a friend – who has dealt with dementia or Alzheimer’s,” said Frengs. “And that’s our purpose at the racetrack: to give these family members and friends a chance to honor their loved one, and to make a difference in the effort to fund organizations working to care for people suffering from the disease, and to find a cure. Everywhere we go, we meet people who have stories to tell, and that’s our job – listening to people and giving them a way to do something tangible to help.”

The Porsche Carrera Cup North America doubleheader takes place this weekend as part of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen race weekend. Race one takes the green flag Friday at 4:20 p.m. EDT, with race two Saturday at 11:00 a.m. The race will be broadcast live in the U.S., on IMSA.tv, the NBC Peacock streaming app and PorscheCarreraCup.us.

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