Ignas Peter Janavicius is one of more than 135 honorees on the Racing to End Alzheimer’s BMW M4 during the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge double-header

In the aftermath of World War II, Ignas Peter Janavicius immigrated from Lithuania to Cleveland, Ohio. There, he worked as a mechanical engineer, but his true passion was cars, especially foreign sports cars. It seems fitting, then, that Ignas’s name and hometown will be emblazoned on the #80 Racing to End Alzheimer’s BimmerWorld BMW M4 GT4 during the two IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge races at Mid-Ohio this weekend.

 

The #80 BMW will feature the names and hometowns of more than 135 honorees who are battling or have battled Alzheimer’s. Ignas’s own battle with the disease lasted for a decade.

 

Ignas and his wife raised seven children in their home in Cleveland. Their youngest child, Paul, inherited his father’s love for cars and motorsports. “Dad battled Alzheimer’s for a long 10 years before passing away,” says Paul. “When I heard about what the Racing to End Alzheimer’s team was doing, I just thought it would be a touching tribute to my dad to have his name on the #80 BMW.”

 

The names on the car are more than just a moving tribute. They are also the primary way that Racing to End Alzheimer’s brings in donations to fund the care and fund the cure for Alzheimer’s. Donors give $250 to add the name and hometown of a loved one to the race car for the season. 

 

Since the inception of Racing to End Alzheimer’s in 2017, the non-profit has to date raised over $300,000, with 100% of the proceeds going to groups like UCLA’s Alzheimer’s and Dementia Care Program and the Nantz National Alzheimer Center at Houston Methodist Hospital. The ability to donate all proceeds is thanks to sponsors like Legistics. The company not only covers administrative fees but also matches every donation made, doubling its impact.

 

The memory of Ignas Peter Janavicius lives on in high-speed this weekend, as co-drivers Nick Galante and Dillon Machavern compete in two IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge races. The first one gets the green flag on Saturday, September 26 at 1:05pm ET, and the second race starts at 10:35am ET on Sunday. IMSA.tv and TrackPass on NBC Sports Gold will both have live coverage.

 

Adam Sinclair