Story By: MATT CLEARY / MDK MOTORSPORTS – ELKHART LAKE, WI – The Racing to End Alzheimer’s/ MDK Motorsports team completed 130 minutes of competition over three races last weekend at Road America, earning solid finishes in the team’s return to the Porsche Sprint Challenge – and its introduction to the new Porsche Endurance Challenge.
The weekend was a busy one for driver Mark Kvamme, contesting the pair of 35-minute Porsche Sprint Challenge North America by Yokohama races, plus Sunday’s marquee race, the one-hour Porsche Endurance Challenge. Kvamme would share the No. 243 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car (type 992) with co-driver Gustav Burton for the Endurance race, bringing home a ninth place finish.
Unseasonably cool temperatures greeted the field on the weekend, a welcome relief from the usual hot summer races. Kvamme came out of the gate strong in two practice sessions on Friday, sharing the car with Burton for practice in the morning, where they set the 12th quickest time, with Kvamme fifth fastest in the Masters class in the afternoon. Unfortunately, Kvamme’s flyer lap in qualifying was hindered by a spinning car, putting the No. 243 in ninth position in the Masters class, 17th among the Porsche 992s, for the start of race one.
Kvamme had made a move for 16th at the start of race one, but a full course caution stalled the action. The green flag flew once again with 18 minutes remaining, with Kvamme making solid passes for 13th, but several minutes later the caution flag returned for a car off in Turn 11. Back to green with 10 minutes left, Kvamme continued the charge, up to 12th at the checkered flag – fifth in the Masters class.
In race two early Sunday afternoon, Kvamme took the green flag in 14th position in the 992s, sixth in Masters class. He had gained a position in both by the end of lap one, but a car off course brought out the first full course caution. Back to green with 25 minutes remaining, Kvamme recommenced his progress up through the field, up to 11th at the checkered flag – fifth in Masters.
“I had a lot of work to do during the two races and I was fortunate enough to get a couple early passes, but then I had to work for all the other ones,” said Kvamme. “And I got stuck behind a 991 in race one – the problem with the 991 is they’re faster than us on the straightaways but we’re faster than in the corridors. Since I’m not here for points right now, I wasn’t going to be overly aggressive. But they were both good races, I’m happy with the way I drove.”
Once the sprint race was done, it was time to turn attention to the Porsche Endurance Challenge race that would end the day. Practice and qualifying for the one-hour race had started the Sunday schedule, with Kvamme and Burton sharing track time and putting the Racing to End Alzheimer’s Porsche GT3 Cup Car in seventh position on the starting grid.
Kvamme took the green flag late Sunday afternoon – but the race wasn’t green for long, as an incident involving several cars back in the field brought out the yellow flag. But with significant debris on the front straight and damage to front straight wall, race control brought out a red flag to bring cars to pit lane.
The field left pit lane under yellow with 35 minutes remaining and restarted the race at the end of the lap. Kvamme headed to pit lane shortly thereafter, with Burton jumping into the car for the final 26 minutes, back out in P15 but up to P13 with 18 minutes to go. Burton continued to time solid passes and took the checkered flag in ninth position.
But for Racing to End Alzheimer’s, and founder Phil Frengs, the most important moment of the day might have been the chance to join Ryan Myrehn and Joe Peak in the booth for the race broadcast on Porsche Motorsports North America’s YouTube – and the chance to tell a new audience about the program. For $250, family and friends can put the name of a loved one who has suffered from dementia or Alzheimer’s on the No. 243 Porsche, with Frengs’ company Legistics matching all donations.
“I had the invitation to come to the booth during the broadcast, and Ryan and Joe were fabulous,” said Frengs. “We had a long yellow early in the race which gave them an opportunity to ask me a lot of questions about what Racing to End Alzheimer’s is all about. Racing in the Porsche Sprint Challenge and Endurance Challenge is an opportunity to expand our message, to let people know exactly what we’re all about and to spread the word. So I’m very grateful for that. We’ve committed to be part of these series for the rest of the season and we’re reacquainting ourselves with some friends here, as well as meeting new people, and having the chance to talk directly to everybody watching the live stream was a very exciting opportunity.”