Era Upgrades to Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo for 12H Paul Ricard

Photo: Racingpixels/Creventic

Era Motorsport is set to debut its new Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo at this weekend’s Michelin 12H Paul Ricard.

The Indianapolis-based squad has campaigned the first generation of Ferrari’s 296 GT3 in Creventic’s Michelin 24H Series since early 2025.

It completed a thorough shakedown of the new Evo model at Circuit Paul Ricard ahead of the third round of the season.

This news follows the announcement that Era will take on the Crowdstrike 24 Hours of Spa in June, though according to the entry list for that event it will compete at Spa with a Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo.

The team’s 24H Series campaign was an extension of its partnership with gentleman driver Dwight Merriman. The American has a long-standing relationship with FIA Gold-rated driver Ryan Dalziel, who acts as a driver coach and teammate in Era’s Ferrari.

The duo have been joined for the 2026 season by British Touring Car champion Jake Hill and Oliver Bryant.

Era’s efforts have gone unrewarded in the early rounds of the championship. A technical failure forced a retirement in the opening round at Mugello, and a hefty crash for Merriman at the 12H Spa Francorchamps resulted in yet another pointless event for the team.

That being said, the Era outfit has seen success in the championship in the past with a standout podium finish at the 12H Mugello in 2025.

The team will face 14 other GT3 cars at Paul Ricard this weekend across two six-hour races.

Speaking on the shift to Evo machinery, team owner Kyle Tilley said: “The Michelin 12H Paul Ricard is shaping up to be an exciting weekend for Era Motorsport.

“We’ve been testing there with our new 296 GT3 Evo to get everything dialed in ahead of our first race weekend with the package, and the crew has done a fantastic job getting everything prepared.

“The 296 GT3 has already been a strong platform for us and one we’ve shown good pace with, so we’re eager to see what the Evo spec can add once we get into race conditions.”

Dalziel added: “Paul Ricard is a great place to debut the Evo, and as a team we’re looking forward to building on our progress and continuing to move forward.”

The Michelin 12H Paul Ricard begins on Friday with qualifying, followed by a pair of six-hour contests on Saturday and Sunday. Live coverage will be available on Creventic Motorsports’ YouTube channel.

Finlay Ringer

Finlay Ringer is a freelance motorsport journalist covering the 24H Series for Sportscar365. He is also a journalism student at City St George's, University of London, and has contributed to publications such as The Race and Autocar.