Juan Pablo, Son Sebastian and Henrik Hedman Will Team in the DragonSpeed LMP2; NTE/SSR Returning in GTD; FCP Euro Becomes Entitlement Sponsor at Lime Rock
By Mark Robinson
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The Montoya family is doubling its endurance racing fun once more at the upcoming Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen.
DragonSpeed USA announced that Sebastian Montoya, the 17-year-old son of champion driver Juan Pablo Montoya, will reunite with his father and Henrik Hedman in the team’s No. 81 ORECA LMP2 07 for the six-hour IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race on June 26 at Watkins Glen International, the historic road course in New York’s Finger Lakes region.
Hedman and the two Montoyas teamed for the first time in March at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Presented by Advance Auto Parts. In that race, Sebastian Montoya blazed from nearly a minute off the Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) pace to take the class lead in his first stint before handing the No. 81 over to his dad. Less than five minutes into his stint, however, Juan Pablo Montoya was caught in a multicar incident that ended the race for the team.
“I’m super happy to drive again for DragonSpeed at Watkins Glen,” Sebastian Montoya said. “Running Sebring alongside my dad and Henrik was such a great learning experience and huge fun at the same time. The team has one of the best setups in LMP2 so I’m aiming for a winning return!”
Sebastian’s dad – the 2019 WeatherTech Championship Daytona Prototype international (DPi) champion, three-time Rolex 24 At Daytona winner, two-time Indianapolis 500 champion and seven-race winner in Formula One – is just as excited as his son about the on-track reunion.
“I’m really pleased to have my kid back in the car with Henrik and myself,” Juan Pablo Montoya said. “He did an amazing job at Sebring, and at The Glen we want to finish what we started in Florida. If we run as strongly all day as we did in the first couple of hours at Sebring, we should have a solid chance to win.”
Hedman and the elder Montoya rebounded from the Sebring disappointment to win the LMP2 portion of the Lexus Grand Prix at Mid-Ohio on May 15 and sit atop the class standings. DragonSpeed will compete in the full LMP2 campaign this year.
“Sebastian did a stellar job at Sebring,” Hedman said. “Finding out he was available made the decision to add the Six Hours to our schedule an easy one, along with bouncing back into contention for the WeatherTech LMP2 title at Mid-Ohio. I loved being part of this lineup at Sebring and always look forward to the challenge of The Glen.”
Action at Watkins Glen runs June 23-26 and includes five IMSA-sanctioned series. The Sahlen’s Six Hours starts at 10:40 a.m. ET Sunday, June 26, with live coverage coming in combination on Peacock and USA Network. Tickets for the race weekend are available at TheGlen.com.
NTE/SSR Back on Grid at Watkins Glen
NTE/SSR returns to the GT Daytona (GTD) field for the Sahlen’s Six Hours after sitting out the past two races and three of the last four to regroup. The team has entered drivers Don Yount, Jaden Conwright and Marco Holzer in the No. 42 Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo for the upcoming race.
“I’m thrilled to be getting our GTD program back on track, literally,” team owner Paul Mata said. “It was heartbreaking for us to miss Long Beach, Mid-Ohio and Detroit, but we made the most of the time we had, and we’re excited to enter the second half of the 2022 season. We have some great things in store, and I’m looking forward to kicking off this string of upcoming races with such a strong driver lineup.”
NTE/SSR made its WeatherTech Championship debut in impressive fashion in last year’s six-hour race at The Glen, finishing fourth in GTD with Yount, Conwright and Markus Palttala behind the wheel. In the team’s most recent race, the Hyundai Monterey Sports Car Championship Presented by Motul at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca on May 1, Conwright and Holzer delivered a sixth-place finish.
Yount is excited to rejoin the team next week.
“Having the opportunity to get in the NTE/SSR Lamborghini for the Sahlen’s Six Hour is highlighted by having strong teammates for the race,” he said. “My co-drivers had a strong last race and want to keep the momentum going to show what the team can do. We need some luck to go with our preparations to make it happen.”
Conwright, recipient of the first IMSA Diverse Driver Development Scholarship, is eager to return to the site of that memorable debut in 2021.
“I’m looking forward to heading back to Watkins Glen after making my debut in GTD one year ago,” Conwright said. “We came just shy of a podium last year, so I think we have some unfinished business this time. NTE/SSR has been making steady progress with our Lamborghini Huracán GT3, so I’m sure we’ll be in the sharp end with Don and Marco in the car alongside me.”
FCP Euro Named Title Sponsor of Lime Rock Park Race
FCP Euro has expanded its marketing partnership with Lime Rock Park to become title sponsor of next month’s WeatherTech Championship race weekend. The FCP Euro Northeast Grand Prix is set for July 15-16 at the historic 1.47-mile road course in Lakeville, Connecticut.
The entitlement adds another alignment for the track and FCP Euro, the Connecticut-based European auto parts retailer that last year signed a long-term agreement with Lime Rock Park resulting in a repaved and upgraded autocross facility dedicated as the FCP Euro Proving Grounds. The upcoming weekend will include a pair of races on Saturday, July 16: the Lime Rock Park 120 for the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge and the headlining FCP Euro Northeast Grand Prix for the WeatherTech Championship with the GTD PRO and GTD classes competing.
“We are thrilled to grow our partnership with FCP Euro with this expanded presence for the IMSA WeatherTech Championship event,” said Lime Rock Park CEO Dicky Riegel. “There is hardly a better fit in terms of the FCP Euro audience and the IMSA event weekend. As the track and FCP Euro have collaborated on more and more programs, we’ve continued to learn more about what is successful for everyone. So we are happy to be building the partnership with this new entitlement and continue to expand the footprint and visibility of the event.”
Tickets for the race weekend are available at limerock.com.