SEBRING, FLORIDA (MARCH, 12 2024) — Coming off of their second Rolex 24 victory, the Era Motorsport team is more ready than ever to impress at the second round of the 2024 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
The Michelin Endurance Cup trio of Ryan Dalziel, Connor Zilisch, and Dwight Merriman will be once-again piloting the No. 18 Era Motorsport Oreca 07 LMP2 car around the 3.74-mile Sebring International Raceway this weekend, attacking the track for 12 hours straight on Saturday, March 16th.
Zilisch joining the team is a promising prospect for Era’s chances, as just last month the 17-year-old driver led the CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 race from flag-to-flag for a dominant victory.
“I’m super excited for my second IMSA WeatherTech start at Sebring this weekend!” said Zilisch. “I’ve had a lot of success in the past at Sebring, including my TA2 win there earlier this season.”
“We had a very good test not too long ago and we obviously have a lot of momentum as a team after Daytona. I can’t wait to get on track with Ryan and Dwight, and have a smooth weekend!”
Florida-local and 2012 Sebring 12 Hour winner Ryan Daziel Is as excited as ever to be back for one of his favorite events.
“We feel pretty strong with our package, we’ve always had good races at Sebring,” Dalziel explained, “and good cars too. It's rare that we turn up and aren’t competitive right off the truck.”
“This year while testing it seemed like the track has gotten even bumpier than in the past which might come into play. That and the bigger, more competitive LMP2 field will likely be the biggest things to consider for us this time around.”
The LMP2 field of 13 cars will carry over from Daytona for one of the biggest LMP2 fields at the Twelve Hour in years.
This year Era seeks not only their first Twelve Hour win, but also their fourth consecutive Sebring podium, following a successful streak at the track from 2021-2023.
Last year, Daziel and Merriman were joined by Christian Rasmussen for the race, and despite spending much of the race chasing a lap deficit, a hard push in the final hour of the race landed the team in an impressive third place.
Team-owner Kyle Tilley is optimistic heading into this year’s event. “Coming into the second round of the IWSC with a 20 point lead over the rest of the field is a big plus for us,” he said.
“We’ve had an incredible team on this car for a long time and I'm just as confident in them as ever. We’ve always been solid at Sebring and I have no doubts that this year will be more of the same barring outside circumstances.”
Event Schedule | All Times Eastern
Thursday March 14
10:05 AM - 11:35 AM: Free Practice 1
3:05 PM - 4:35 PM: Free Practice 2
7:45 PM - 9:15 PM: Free Practice 3 (Night Practice)
Friday January 26
1:15 PM - 1:30 PM: LMP2 Qualifying (Bronze Only)
3:30 PM - 4:30 PM: Autograph Session (Drivers at Team Haulers)
Saturday January 27
11:15 AM: Driver Introductions
8:20 AM - 9:20 AM: Open Grid/Fan Walk
9:40 AM - 9:40 PM: 72nd Annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Presented by Cadillac
How to Watch
Tickets are still available for purchase here.
For those not at the track, USA Network will provide live coverage of the Rolex 24 at Daytona from 4:30 PM to 10:00 PM, while flag-to-flag coverage will be available from 9:30 AM to 10:00 PM on Peacock and IMSA TV.
International coverage varies from country to country, but most regions will be able to watch the race live at IMSA.com/TVLive. A full list of international broadcasters can be found here.
Fans can follow Era Motorsport on Facebook, Twitter, Tik Tok, Threads, and Instagram for live updates and behind-the-scenes action.
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