Zilisch Joins Era Motorsport for Endurance Cup Rounds

Era Motorsport has confirmed Connor Zilisch as a driver of the No. 18 Oreca 07 Gibson LMP2 car for the Michelin Endurance Cup races in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship next year.

Zilisch joins the previously announced full season pilots Ryan Dalziel and Dwight Merriman, as well as Indy NXT champion Christian Rasmussen, who will complete the lineup for next month’s season-opening Rolex 24 at Daytona.

“I’m super excited to get going in 2024 with Era Motorsport for my first season in endurance racing,” said Zilisch. “But I have a lot to learn as this is a very different style of racing than I’m used to.

“Thankfully, I have a great team around me and very experienced teammates in Ryan, Dwight, and Christian that I will be able to learn from throughout the season.”

It will mark the 17-year-old’s LMP2 debut, although Zilisch boasts previous sports car racing experience, most notably in Mazda MX-5 Cup competition.

Zilisch set seven track records at six different tracks and won the MX-5 Cup scholarship in 2021 at the age of 14, followed by MX-5 Cup rookie-of-the-year the following year.

After signing as a Chevrolet junior development driver in 2022, he finished fourth overall in this year’s Trans Am championship TA2 class with five wins during the season.

“I’m super happy to have a promising up-and-comer like Zilisch in the car,” said team owner Kyle Tilley.

“Even after just one test it’s clear that he’s going to be one of the best drivers in the field any time he hits the track.”

“I think with him joining our already strong lineup we have great odds at a strong performance not just at Daytona, but for the overall championship.”