Cheever III Will Ride in Risi Ferrari, Llarena Joins NTE/SSR Lamborghini Effort
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Riding the momentum of a second-place finish in the Rolex 24 At Daytona to open the season, Risi Competizione Ferrari has entered next week’s Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Presented by Advance Auto Parts for the first time since 2018.
The No. 62 Risi Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo finished runner-up in the new GTD PRO class at the Rolex 24 in January. Davide Rigon and Daniel Serra made up half the driver lineup at Daytona and return in the car for Sebring, where they’ll be joined by newcomer Eddie Cheever III. The son of 1998 Indy 500 winner Eddie Cheever Jr. has four previous IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship starts, two in a Ferrari in 2014 and two in the Spirit of Daytona Racing Cadillac DPi in 2018.
“We have a great deal of history at Sebring, including three victories,” said Giuseppe Risi, team principal at Texas-based Risi Competizione. “Returning to a track we have experienced much success over the years certainly gets everyone excited. It will be a big weekend with the WEC (World Endurance Championship) teams competing on Friday and our 12-hour race on Saturday. Fans should enjoy many hours of good racing, and particularly with the Ferrari battles in both series.”
The 70th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring takes place Saturday, March 19, with practice at Sebring International Raceway on March 17 and qualifying on March 18.
NTE/SSR Sebring Lineup Includes Two Lamborghini GT3 Junior Drivers
NTE/SSR will have a pair of Lamborghini GT3 Junior drivers in its No. 42 Lamborghini Huracán GT3 at Sebring, with Mateo Llarena and Jaden Conwright teaming with veteran Don Yount for the 12-hour race.
Conwright, the first IMSA Diverse Driver Development Scholarship winner, and Yount were part of the No. 42 lineup that finished 16th in the GT Daytona (GTD) class at the Rolex 24 in January. Llarena drove in a T3 Motorsport Lamborghini at Daytona that placed eighth in GTD.
“We’re excited to welcome Mateo to the team,” said NTE Sport owner Paul Mata. “He demonstrated great skill with T3 Motorsports at the Rolex 24 At Daytona in January, and we’re always glad to have another Lamborghini GT3 Junior driver join our mix. A mechanical issue ended our race early in the opening round of the season, so we’re looking forward to the chance to rebound and get back out there and fight for a race win.”
Llarena made his WeatherTech Championship debut last year with Performance Tech Motorsports in Le Mans Prototype 3 (LMP3), driving in four races and winning the Motul Pole Award at the second Watkins Glen race at age 17.
“I’m really looking forward to the Twelve Hours of Sebring,” Llarena said. “This will be my second time racing in it, so I have much more confidence than the first time, I already know the track and how the race works. I’m very happy to join NTE/SSR. I’m excited for the opportunity to get to know a new team and new drivers. For sure, we will give it our all to get a good result.”