Katherine Legge and Christina Nielsen will join Earl Bamber and Rob Ferriol in the No. 88 Team Hardpoint EBM Porsche 911 GT3 R for the Rolex 24 At Daytona.

Although unconfirmed, it’s believed that after Daytona, IMSA race winner Legge and two-time IMSA GT Daytona champion Nielsen will remain with the Virginia-based WeatherTech SportsCar Championship team in a second Porsche of their own for the remainder of the season.

Key to the return of British-Danish duo has been corporate support for the ongoing women’s racing initiative the two have led for a number of years. Porsche has been central to creating the opportunity at EBM/Hardpoint. The German auto manufacturer has been joined by Swiss watchmaker Richard Mille and New York-based disinfection and decontamination service provider VB Enviro Care, whose colors are featured on the No. 88 911 GT3 R.

Legge has starred in a wide variety of open-wheel and GT series since moving to the U.S. in 2004. Image by Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images

“I am excited on so many levels to get our season kicked off with Team Hardpoint EBM,” said Legge, who returns to action after suffering a punishing crash last year at the Paul Ricard ELMS race. “Last year was one to forget for me, but my legs are 100-percent race ready and I am chomping at the bit to get back in a race car. I am very grateful to the team and to Porsche for this opportunity, and for helping in my quest to showcase female talent.

“I believe we will be the first ever equally diverse team to have competed at Daytona 24. I’m looking forward to working with Rob and Earl, and learning how to wheel a Porsche, as it will be my first time with the marque. A huge thanks to our partners VB Enviro Care, Richard Mille, and to Porsche. We are going to do big things this year and I couldn’t be more excited to partner with them.”

Outside of last year’s Rolex 24 At Daytona, Nielsen has been mostly idle, and can’t wait to get back to driving and working with Legge on their efforts to bring more women into the sport.

“I am thrilled to be joining Team Hardpoint EBM and being with a group of people who have so much experience with Porsche,” Nielsen said. “I look forward to driving the new generation of the GT3 R, since the last time I sat in a Porsche was in the previous model. I am grateful for partners like VB Enviro Care, Richard Mille, and Porsche who have given us the opportunity to showcase that motorsport truly is an equal playing field for men and women. Daytona is still one of the races in the IMSA WeatherTech Championship where everything hasn’t worked out perfectly over the 24 hours, so I am still very much on the hunt for that podium and that watch!”

Nielsen looks forward to partnering Legge once again, and to time behind the wheel of Porsche’s 2021-generation 911 GT3 R. Image by Eric Gilbert/Motorsport Images

From running a single Audi in GTD on his WeatherTech Championship debut to partnering with Earl Bamber Motorsports, having the GT Le Mans champion as his yearlong co-driver, to incorporating an ambitious initiative with Legge and Nielsen, Ferriol has taken his team quite far since 2020.

“So much has been written and said about the Rolex 24 at Daytona over the course of its history – to be able to debut Team Hardpoint EBM at this storied event is just an amazing and humbling opportunity,” Ferriol said. “We’ve been hard at work since the checker dropped not long ago at Sebring, bringing together two organizations to create what we hope will be a lasting presence in the IMSA paddock for years to come.

“We’ve put together a wonderful team for the Rolex 24, both on and off the track. It’s no secret that Earl, Katherine, and Christina have all had success in IMSA; but to be able to bring all that experience together into one entry, and then join them on track as a driver, is the icing on the cake. I can’t think of a better way to start 2021.”