NTE/SSR is returning to the Rolex 24 at Daytona with its GTD-class No. 42 Huracán GT3 with drivers Don Yount, Jaden Conwright, and Daytona rookies Kerong Li and Alessio Deledda.
“The Rolex 24 field is at capacity, and it’s such an honor for NTE/SSR to be included in such a prestigious event against some of the world’s best teams and drivers,” said NTE/SSR principal Paul Mata. “I got my start as a mechanic and to now be a team owner, competing against this field with such a strong lineup really calls the best out of each and every person at NTE. We’ve proven to be competitive against many of these teams, and now we are ready to fight for our place on the podium of an important event. I believe we have the lineup to make that happen.”
Gentleman driver Yount has been a pillar of NTE/SSR since the team’s IMSA WeatherTech debut in 2021 and has been a part of the majority of the team’s WeatherTech races since. Conwright is the inaugural recipient of the IMSA Diverse Driver Development Scholarship, from which he will continue to receive some support as he works toward being a as a full-time driver in the IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship. Conwright completed the most races in the year of any NTE driver, racing in all seven races the team contested in 2022. He returns to the team’s Rolex 24 lineup with hopes of being locked in as one of the team’s full-season drivers.
“I’m really looking forward to returning to the Rolex 24 At Daytona with NTE/SSR,” said Conwright. “Last year we had a really solid race going until the issue 19 hours in, so I feel like we’re heading back with some unfinished business. Now that we’ve had a year to improve and develop, I think we’re much more prepared to tackle this difficult race. Looking forward to finally hitting the track in the new Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo 2 during the Roar Before the 24.”
Kerong Li made his sports car racing debut in 2021 at Road Atlanta with NTE/SSR in the Michelin Pilot Challenge. Li will be one of few drivers to race the prestigious Rolex 24 under a Chinese license, an honor he wears proudly heading to the big event. Italian Deledda joins NTE having recently competed in the DTM championship with GRT Grasser Racing in a Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo. He began his career in motorcycle racing, moving to open wheel racing in 2018 in the Italian Formula 4 championship. He climbed the open-wheel ladder to the FIA Formula 2 championship in 2021 before moving to sportscars in 2022.
