Merhi Completes Eurasia’s LMP2 Lineup for Spa

Eurasia Motorsport has finalized its driver lineup for its FIA World Endurance Championship cameo in the Total 6 Hours of Spa with the signing of Roberto Merhi.

The former Grand Prix driver will share the team’s Ligier JS P217 Gibson with Daniel Gaunt and Nobuya Yamanaka.

Eurasia initially planned to have Nick Cassidy behind the wheel for Spa, but the Super GT points leader has two rounds of the Japanese championship sandwiching the WEC event on August 15.

The resulting travel complications have led Eurasia to recruit Merhi, who drove for the team in the 2019-20 Asian Le Mans Series alongside Nick Foster and Aidan Read.

The Spanish driver is set to make his first WEC appearance since  2017 when he was a part of the Manor LMP2 team.

“I am really looking forward to joining the team again in Europe and it will be great to race once again in the WEC and in Spa,” said Merhi.

“I finished in the podium in 2016 so I am long overdue an LMP2 return to such a great venue and series.”

Eurasia is one of two non-WEC LMP2 teams – the other being Algarve Pro Racing – that has chosen to enter the 6 Hours of Spa to prepare for the 24 Hours of Le Mans in September.

Conversely, Jota Sport and three WEC GTE-Am crews have committed to the 4 Hours of Spa European Le Mans Series race being held the weekend before the six-hour enduro.

“We look forward to welcoming Roberto back into the car,” said Eurasia team principal Mark Goddard.

“He was very quick in Asia, an environment that was quite new to him and showed his quality with pole position in Shanghai and on top of that he was a really nice guy to have around the team, so will be a good asset to help Nobuya and Dan get to grips with the car and track which will be new to them.”