| The newly founded charitable organization will raise funds to provide financial assistance to the “fly-in” sportscar crew members affected by Covipandemic#RealRacingHeroes www.realracingheroes.comgofundme.realracingheroes.com March 30, 2020 The Hardpoint Paddock Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, announced today that it is launching the Real Racing Heroes campaign. The initiative will focus on raising funds in order to provide emergency financial assistance to the “fly-in” and contract sportscar crew members who have been left without a job due to the racing event cancellations caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. March 12, 2020 was a dark day for professional motor racing in the United States, and around the world. With the postponement of IMSA’s Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, a chain reaction of race event cancellations spread like wildfire across the US due to the Covid-19 pandemic. By the time the dust settled, all professional sportscar racing in the country was wiped off the calendar until Summer 2020, at the earliest.As fans, this is a real downer, but for many of the hard-working men and women who fly in every weekend to put on the show, this could mean months without work.Some of the hardest hit will be the contract or “fly-in” crew that make their living slinging tires, working wheel guns, and slamming fuel probes for teams up and down pit lane. These jobs are not glamorous, nor do they pay glamorous wages – so the men and women behind those helmets often book crew spots on multiple teams, in multiple series, to piece together enough paying race weekends to provide a sustainable living for themselves and their families.This is not a hobby for them, it is their livelihood – and without races to support, there is no livelihood.They are the real racing heroes and they need our help. Because of this we’ve launched the #RealRacingHeroes campaign and we will be raising funds in few different ways:1- “Flatten the Curve” Merchandise Line – Hardpoint Outfitters has partnered with motorsport apparel and design firm 8380 Laboratories to produce a line of “Flatten the Curve” products. These limited-edition products will be sold exclusively through the www.realracingheroes.com online store.2- GoFundMe Page – Through gofundme.realracingheroes.com we encourage fans, sponsors, and anyone involved in the racing industry to donate whatever they can in order to help our #RealRacingHeroes. The Hardpoint Paddock Foundation is a 501(c)(3) a non-profit charitable organization incorporated in the state of North Carolina on March 20, 2020. Its directors are Rob Ferriol, Toni Calderon and Randy Hembrey. Rob FerriolPresident – Hardpoint Paddock Foundation “As a fan, driver, and a relatively new team owner, I’d certainly like to have a healthy sport to come back to when this is all over – and that means having this key cog in the race economy still intact when the tracks go green again. I’ve put measures in place to make sure the men and women of Team Hardpoint are taken care of during this period of uncertainty, but that’s only one team out of hundreds. So, in response to the CV-19 crisis, I’ve decided to form The Hardpoint Paddock Foundation. The Foundation’s mission is to provide emergency financial assistance to contract crew members hardest hit by the CV-19 shutdown. Its outreach will focus initially on professional sportscar racing teams but may expand to include other series and support elements based on the success of our fundraising efforts. I have also pivoted the resources of Hardpoint Outfitters to focus on the design, production, and sale of a Flatten the Curve line of products with help from motorsport apparel and design firm 8380 Laboratories. The design acknowledges the phrase we are all living daily during this crisis, but also its dual meaning for racing drivers and our beloved apexes. All proceeds from the sale of these items will go to The Hardpoint Paddock Foundation, where they will be used solely to provide emergency assistance to those in need. Lastly, we have also established a GoFundMe page for individuals or corporations wishing to join us in this effort by making donations. Our race family needs us, and we can’t sit idly by while we wait for the track to go hot.” Shop Flatten the Curve Merchandise Contact: foundation@hardpoint.com |
Source: Hardpoint Paddock Foundation
360 Nueces St #901
Austin, Texas 78701