NTE to run Lamborghini for full 2022 IMSA season
NTE Sport has switched from an Audi R8 to a Lamborghini Huracan Evo for its return to the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTD class.
The Dallas, TX-based team will run Don Yount, Benjamin Hites, Jaden Conwright, and Markus Palttala for the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona, with confirmation of its full-season plans coming at a later date. as drivers of the No. 42 entry. NTE, which ran four rounds last year – Rolex 24, Watkins Glen Six Hours, Road America and Petit Le Mans – will announce its full-season plans and lineup at a later date.
“I’ll be very excited to get the race season officially started,” said team owner Paul Mata. “We’ve had a lot of moving parts over the course of this short off-season, and I’m proud of the program we’ve put together.
“We’re thrilled to get to work with Chris Ward and everyone at Lamborghini Squadra Corse, and can’t wait to see what we can do with such a strong lineup. It’ll be a great season!”
Don Yount, who has scored a win and 10 podiums in his IMSA career, said: “I’m looking forward to my seventh Rolex 24 at Daytona in a row. This might be the strongest lineup I have been involved with for the 24 Hours and I’m excited to see what we can do with the NTE Lamborghini.
“It’s good to be back in the car with Markus after our fourth place Watkins Glen run and Benjamin had a very strong Petit Le Mans. Jaden will be ready as always for extra-long stints. It’s a strong lineup with a new car and we have a lot to prove.”
Benjamin Hites, 22, made his NTE Sport debut two months ago at Petit Le Mans and came within 0.001 seconds of pole position. This year’s Rolex 24 will be another first for the Chilean who has been selected as a Lamborghini GT3 Junior Driver for 2022.
Conwright was also quick on his debut, qualifying the #42 Audi in third place at Watkins Glen, and the 22-year-old Californian has also just become the first recipient of the IMSA Diverse Driver Development Scholarship, and like Hites, will be a Lamborghini GT3 Junior Driver for the approaching season.
Palttala commented: “Daytona is one of the biggest sportscar races in the calendar and the best part is to start the season already in January when everything in Europe is still hibernating. I’ve never driven a GT3 Lamborghini before but I’ve raced against it enough times to know that it is a very competitive racecar.
“It’s fairly similar to the Audi the team was running last year, so although we are surely facing a steep learning curve, hitting the track for the first time at the Roar, I’m confident we can target a top result. It’s the first time the four of us are sharing a car, but all of us have already worked with the team.
“I’ve already had a bunch of good results with Don, Jaden was super at the Glen and the team really appreciated Benjamin at Petit, so I believe we have a strong driver line-up in GTD. I can’t wait to head to Florida and get the project started at the Roar.”
NTE Sport's Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo
Photo by: NTE Sport
Related video
Tower Motorsport confirms full-season IMSA LMP2 entry
Lietz to race Wright’s GTD Porsche in Rolex 24 Hours
How Derani's long road to title success exorcised painful memories
It took Pipo Derani no time at all to establish himself as a winner in IMSA, winning the Daytona 24 Hours and Sebring 12 Hours on his first two starts in 2016. But it took until the final corner of the 2021 season before he could become its champion, the culmination of a journey that he believes has made him a better driver.
The significance of the next step in WEC/IMSA convergence
Following the latest convergence connection permitting Le Mans Hypercars from the FIA World Endurance Championship to compete against LMDh entries in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship from 2023, it could open up enticing options not only to manufacturers but also for the calendar and race formats
Why a Mazda IMSA Prototype title would bring bitter joy
Can Mazda win this year’s IMSA Prototype championship? Undoubtedly. But it will be the culmination of an achingly hard struggle, after which the brand has decided to quit. David Malsher-Lopez tells the story of a bizarre blend of heartache and positivity.
The GTE dilemma that IMSA has created for the WEC
The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s decision to scrap its GT Le Mans class for 2022 raises the question of whether the FIA World Endurance Championship should phase out GTE cars. But it's a much harder decision than it appears on the surface.
Nine things to watch at the 2021 Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona
After a 100-minute sprint race to whet the appetite, the 2021 IMSA SportsCar Championship gets underway properly this weekend. With plenty of significant changes during the winter, here are the key points you need to keep an eye on
Why Magnussen is relishing a fresh start in sportscars
Having gone over seven years without a race win through spells with McLaren, Renault and Haas, Kevin Magnussen's departure from Formula 1 for IMSA with big-hitters Chip Ganassi Racing could give him what he craves most - a chance of success
Oliver Gavin's Corvette Racing highlights
Oliver Gavin has stepped down from the full-time Corvette Racing line-up after a stellar career with the team spanning nearly 20 years. He looks back on a stint that encompassed, among other successes, five Le Mans 24 Hours victories.
How Tandy joined an exclusive club of endurance legends
Victory at last year's Spa 24 Hours meant Nick Tandy had completed the unofficial sextuple crown of the world's six biggest endurance races, becoming the first Briton to do so. Ahead of his fresh start with Corvette Racing, he explains how he did it…