Dwight Merriman and Ryan Dalziel will be returning to Era Motorsport’s No. 18 ORECA Gibson for the 2024 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship to fight for wins in a growing LMP2 field. Christian Rasmussen, who served as the third driver for the endurance events in 2023, will come back to join the team for the Rolex 24 At Daytona.
Era scored a couple of podium finishes in 2023, at Sebring and Watkins Glen. Merriman and Dalziel have been partnering in LMP2 since 2021, finding immediate success with a Daytona win. That year and 2022 saw them with repeat victories at Road America as well.
“It was a no-brainer to come back to Era Motorsport for the 2024 IMSA season,” said Dalziel. “The team they’ve put together and the improvements they’ve made over the past few years have been incredible. I’m always confident in our car and in the crew behind me.”
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2023 IndyNXT champion Rasmussen received an FIA driver rating upgrade from silver to gold at the end of the season, making him ineligible to join Dalziel and Merriman in the 2024 Michelin Endurance Cup. Without a similar restriction in driver rating for the fourth driver, though, the opportunity to have him in the car for Daytona was too good to pass up.
“I’m thrilled to be back in the No. 18 for the 2024 Rolex 24 At Daytona,” said Rasmussen. “This team had such great pace last season, and after last year’s DNF we’re all after a watch in 2024, and we’ll be pushing hard to get back on top of the podium.”
The team is in the process of signing a silver-rated driver to partner with Merriman and Dalziel for the Michelin Endurance Cup.