Holzer Joins NTE Sport Lamborghini for Laguna Seca

Photo: Porsche

Former Porsche factory driver Marco Holzer will join NTE Sport in its return to the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship after missing the recent Long Beach race due to a tire blowout on the team’s transporter en route to California.

Holzer will team up with full-season driver Jaden Conwright at the wheel of NTE/SSR’s No. 42 Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo for the fourth round of the season.

It will mark the 33-year-old German’s first WeatherTech Championship start since 2015, having previously been part of full-season campaigns with Flying Lizard Motorsports and Paul Miller Racing in the American Le Mans Series.

“I’m super happy to be back racing in IMSA,” said Holzer. “It has been too long. I have so many great races and memories of racing in the United States.

“I’m looking forward to the new challenge, new team, new car, and all together at Laguna Seca. It couldn’t be better!”

In transit from the team’s Dallas-based shop to Long Beach, the NTE transporter suffered a tire blowout 280 miles into the 1,500-mile drive. The driver of the truck brought the transporter to a safe stop, narrowly avoiding totaling the transporter or having contact with any other cars.

The tire took out the radiator, DEF (Diesel Exhaust Fluid) components, and the wiring harness and also damaged the suspension.

The truck was towed 80 miles back towards Dallas, and team owner Paul Mata immediately sought out to get parts and repairs, while calling IMSA teams and local transportation options.

As almost every business has experienced since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, obtaining parts or replacement solutions in quick time was not possible, and the team was unable to make the repairs and the 1,500-mile journey in the 48-hour window in which they had to arrive at the downtown Long Beach street circuit by.

Though the team missed the event, under Mata’s leadership, the repairs were completed, and the truck will again make its way to California for the IMSA WeatherTech Laguna Seca event next week.

“Missing Long Beach was really hard for us,” said Mata. “That race is one of my favorites and it was a dream to have NTE/SSR compete there, and with such a strong lineup. However, after that setback, we were able to focus on WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca and put together a strong lineup.

“I’m excited to have someone of Marco’s caliber join the team and I’m looking forward to what we hope will be a great race weekend!”

Sportscar365 understands that the team was due to have Corey Lewis in the car at Long Beach alongside Conwright.

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John