Langberg in the No. 153 Ferrari 488 Has Impressive First Round of Testing At Buttonwillow Ahead of 2019 Ferrari Challenge Season Kick-Off At COTA – January 10, 2019

As the start of the Ferrari Challenge fast approaches, “Neilio,” (as he is often referred to by his racing colleagues) who supports relapsing polychondritis awareness and drives the Race for RP No. 153 Ferrari 488 GTB Challenge Car had a successful first practice round of 2019 at Buttonwillow Raceway Park.

The day started early, before sunrise, and though the forecast showed a potential washout, Neil and Nancy hit the road for the long drive to Buttonwillow, which is situated about 30 miles northwest of Bakersfield, CA. Joined by Scuderia Corsa team manager Steve Newey, driver coach Jon Morley, who was fresh off his own practice sessions at #ROAR24 at Daytona International Speedway, and other members of the Scuderia Corsa team, Neil, who recently retired from an incredibly demanding career as a fund manager, arrived on location with a new sense of focus and determination to excel in his racing endeavors. He was eager to get back behind the wheel of this powerful machine. And though the clouds were rolling in and the weather becoming more questionable, he wasn’t going to let anything get in the way of his first practice.

Racer Magazine Sits Down With Neil Langberg at McLaren Driving Experience – November 28, 2018

The article explores the McLaren experience as well as the vehicles pushing the boundaries of performance. Author George Tamayo caught up with Race for RP amateur driver, Neil Langberg, during his visit to the Pure McLaren Driving Experience at Circuit of The Americas. They chatted for a while and Neil is quoted quite thoughtfully in the article which also mentions Neil’s support of relapsing polychondritis awareness.

Race for RP driver Neil Langberg is featured in RoadShow by CNET article on Ferrari Challenge at Watkins Glen.  In depth quote and images showcased in piece by Tim Stevens – November 23, 2018

A big thank you to Tim Stevens from Road Show by CNET who sat down with Neil in Watkins Glen International during the Ferrari Challenge as part of his piece, Taking the GTC4Lusso T to see the Ferraris at ‘The Glen.’  We really appreciate the thoughtful discussion during our time with Tim, having the Race for RP Ferrari 488 Challenge car and driver images featured in the article and including our website link in the published piece.

Excerpt below:

One of the nearly 60 drivers to compete that weekend was Neil Langberg, a 65-year-old Los Angeles-based portfolio manager who has spent the past 40 years handling investments for wealthy clients. When I meet him he’s finding his way out of a sweaty, fire-resistant Nomex racing suit after finishing 10th in the first of his two races for the weekend.

“This was one of the worst days I’ve had on-course,” Langberg laments, “but I still had fun.” 2018 marks his third season competing in the Ferrari Challenge, but the process started back in 2008, when he took his first Ferrari driving class. He took all the offered courses, repeating some along the way, until he was comfortable enough to finally go racing.

“I grew up in Southern California so always had a fascination with cars, but never thought I’d have the means to have these kinds of toys in the garage,” he says. Langberg evolved from BMWs to Porsches to, finally, Ferraris. But how does he, with a very demanding profession, find time for a half-dozen events per year? And what about all the stress?

“It’s a totally different kind of stress,” he tells me, saying there are two kinds: stress that makes you “blow up” and stress that makes you stronger. Racing is the latter. “I come back to work [after racing] in a totally different mindset. I don’t know that I can explain it to you… things are a lot less serious.”

Relapsing Polychondritis Sufferers Get a Boost As Non-Profit Organization Continues Major Drive to Accelerate Research and Awareness – September 10, 2018

The modern age has introduced some miraculous leaps in medicine for many conditions – but for others, they remain virtually unknown except to their sufferers, who may not even receive a diagnosis.

For the board of directors at RPASF, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, this is something that must be remedied – and the foundation is now driving its resources into increasing awareness about relapsing polychondritis and finding a cure, including interdisciplinary collaborations and events with  major players in the autoimmune disease community.

The most recent event, Grapes on the Green, took place on August 24 and raised an impressive $500,000 for the Benaroya Research Institute at Virginia Mason (BRI), a world-class autoimmune disease research center in Seattle, WA.  RPASF, together with Race for RP and Ferrari of Seattle, displayed a Ferrari 488 Spider (pictured) and donated a hot lap experience that was successfully auctioned to raise $5,000.

“Autoimmune diseases – such as relapsing polychondritis – happen when your immune system mistakenly attacks the body, rather than the foreign invaders it should. We don’t yet know what causes this misfire – which is what makes it so tough to diagnose and treat,” explained Dr. Jane H. Buckner, President of BRI.

“The path to a cure is not going to be easy – but events like this can help to further research and progress against relapsing polychondritis and other autoimmune diseases. Each donation, each event, and each laboratory breakthrough is progress not just for those suffering from relapsing polychondritis, but for sufferers of all autoimmune disorders.”

Jeff Westphal Joins Race for RP as Official Driver and Advocate Supporting Relapsing Polychondritis Awareness – August  5, 2018

Today, Race for RP is excited to announce that Jeff Westphal has graciously agreed to be an “official” Race for RP driver and continue his fantastic advocacy for relapsing polychondritis awareness, patient care and research.

Jeff is a pioneer of the Race for RP  program.  His energy, expertise and ideas helped launch our motorsports program. And in 2017, Jeff played a key role in organizing the Twilight Ride for RP at Laguna Seca,  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VT3PmCleYmg&t=1s

Jeff Westphal’s racing background is excellent.  A standout at a young age, Jeff showed his natural gift for racing on a kart track, but shortly thereafter found himself behind the wheel as an impressive up-and-comer of Infineon Raceway, and ultimately exploding onto some of racing’s top series and circuits.  Jeff has competed in the F2000 Championship, setting the win record for the series with PR1 Motorsports, won Grand Am Rolex Races, Redline & Global Time Attack Championships Unlimited class for GST Motorsport (9 track records), as well as wins in IMSA WeatherTech Championship and abroad in Germany’s GT3 championship VLN.  Jeff was also the first (and only) American driver to qualify on the pole for the 24HRs of Nurburgring, and most recently won the inaugural California 8Hrs.

Please see Jeff’s biography in our [Meet Our Drivers] section.

Please join us in welcoming Jeff to the Race for RP team of drivers. We thank him for his outstanding support.

For information about Jeff Westphal visit, www.jeffwestphalracing.com/

$50,000 Donation to be Used in the Area Of Relapsing Polychondritis, Including Patient-Related Travel to The National Institutes Of Health (NIH)  – August  3, 2018

The Relapsing Polychondritis Awareness and Support Foundation Inc. (RPASF) has announced that a $50,000 donation was made by current RPASF directors and officers to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) to support intramural research in the area of relapsing polychondritis (“RP”), including patient-related travel to the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Marcelli Uses Every Ounce of Fuel to Score Home Track Victory at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park With Stacy, Kohr Motorsports Ford – July 8, 2018

It was a Canadian driver in the IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge that crossed the finish line first in Saturday’s Canadian Tire Motorsport Park 120.

Kyle Marcelli, who hails from Barrie, Ontario, piloted the No. 60 KohR Motorsports / Roush Performance Ford Mustang GT4 to its third win of its season in the Grand Sport (GS) class with co-driver Nate Stacy. Stacy – in just his seventh series start – qualified the car in fifth place and the team overcame a hitch in their strategy during a mid-race caution to hold on for the win.

“My stint was quite stressful,” said Marcelli. “It was a miscommunication on the radio. When we got the full-course caution I was behind the safety car in Turn 8 and Dean Martin, our crew chief, asked me my opinion on if we should take fuel only. I was giving my answer through Turn 9 and as I released the radio button, he was yelling ‘Pit, pit, pit’ and I already missed the pit entry.

“I was kicking myself in the butt after that, and it just became a fuel conservation race for us. I just went to the fuel used page on the dash and called in the number every lap. We were basically using the gearbox to slow the car down. It paid off, we ended up saving about two and a half laps of fuel and I was able to win.”

The No. 60 Ford wound up running out of fuel on its way to the podium after the race.

After entering the weekend third place in the GS championship standings, the victory jumps Marcelli and Stacy into the points lead as the 2018 Continental Tire Challenge season is halfway complete.

AARDA Ambassador Kyle Marcelli Looking to Continue His Impressive Winning Streak at the Raceway at Belle Isle Park as Part of the Detroit Grand Prix  – June 1, 2018

Near AARDA headquarters, Kyle Marcelli will be co-driving the 3GT Racing No. 14 Lexus RC F GT3 for the fourth race of the 2018 IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship series at the Raceway at Belle Isle Park on June 2^nd.

Marcelli, fresh off his two impressive victories in the IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge (May 5^th) and WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (May 6^th) at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, was given the 2018 Autoimmune Disease Awareness Champion award from the Allegheny Health Network Autoimmunity Institute, AARDA, and the Race for relapsing polychondritis (“RP”) as part of the ribbon cutting ceremony and grand opening of the Allegheny Health Network’s Autoimmunity Institute (May 24^th).

AARDA Announces a Collaborative Partnership with AHN and the New Autoimmunity Institute – May 25, 2018

The American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association (AARDA) is proud and honored to announce its collaborative partnership with Allegheny Health Network (AHN) and its new Autoimmunity Institute.

AARDA is the only national nonprofit to address autoimmune disease as a category of disease. There are well over 100 autoimmune diseases including psoriasis, Graves’ disease, Sjögren’s syndrome, type 1 diabetes, relapsing polychondritis, myasthenia gravis, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease, and lupus.

The AHN Autoimmunity Institute, with its hub at West Penn Hospital in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is an unprecedented venture focused on integrated multispecialty care and multidisciplinary research for patients with all autoimmune diseases. More than a dozen specialties care for patients in a single 16,000 square foot suite. The patient care team is tightly integrated with clinical and translational research, education, training, and outreach for patients with any autoimmune diseases.