SEBRING, Fla. – Under the banner of the previously announced joint venture between Team Hardpoint and Earl Bamber Motorsport, Team Hardpoint will return to principal Rob Ferriol’s roots for the new IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GT Daytona season.

In addition to its recently unveiled Carrera Cup North America program, Team Hardpoint EBM will enter a Porsche 911 GT3 R in a full-season effort for 2021, 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.

“It’s really exciting to see the partnership between Team Hardpoint and Earl Bamber Motorsport expand into GTD,” Earl Bamber said. “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.”

Ferriol began his racing career as a member of the Porsche Club of America, participating in club racing and track day events around the U.S., then moved to IMSA’s Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA just a short two seasons ago.

The lessons learned in those two seasons 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.

“This is an exciting chapter not just for Team Hardpoint EBM, but also for me personally,” Ferriol said. “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.”

Team Hardpoint EBM had previously announced a joint venture for a multi-car customer program in the recently unveiled Porsche Carrera Cup North America single make series.

With the team’s move to the Porsche 911 GT3 R, 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 Carrera Cup North America will also earn a paid seat with Team Hardpoint EBM in the 2022 Rolex 24 At Daytona.

“There’s nothing better than throwing it all out there and backing your own product,” Team Hardpoint EBM team manager and co-principal Will Bamber said. “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.”

The 2021 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season opens with the Rolex 24 at Daytona, Jan. 28-31.

The provisional schedule for the 2021 Porsche Carrera Cup North America marks its opener at Sebring Int’l Raceway, March 17-20.