Era Expands into GT3 With Full-Season Ferrari Effort

Era Motorsport will expand into GT3 racing with a single-car Ferrari entry in the Michelin 24H Dubai forming the starting point for a full-season 24H Series effort.

The American squad, best known for racing LMP2 machinery in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, on Monday announced a five-man lineup for the Middle Eastern enduro, led by team regulars Dwight Merriman and Ryan Dalziel.

Merriman and Dalziel will be joined by Kyle Tilley, Oliver Bryant and reigning British Touring Car champion Jake Hill.

The Indiana-based squad has expanded its effort beyond existing commitments in LMP2 and historic racing across the past year, notably also moving into Porsche Carrera Cup North America.

While its WeatherTech Championship effort is set to continue in 2025, it will do so without longtime Bronze-rated driver Merriman, who is focusing on the new GT3 program instead.

Merriman already took a step back from LMP2 competition this year, with Stuart Wiltshire replacing him for two sprint rounds at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park and Road America.

“I will miss racing IMSA next year,” said Merriman.

“But I’m very excited to mix things up and race at tracks that are either new to me or that I haven’t been to in quite a while.

 “As usual, Era will be running the car and we have a great team assembled for the series.”

While Dalziel has experience with the Ferrari 296 GT3 from his time with Triarsi Competizione, Tilley returns to racing contemporary machinery with Era for the first time since the 2022 WeatherTech Championship season.

“I’m excited for the 2025 season with the new Ferrari 296,” said Tilley.

“The car looks stunning, and it has a lot of carryover from our existing LMP2, thanks to the Oreca build.

“I truly believe that both the Ferrari and the Creventic series will be a fantastic place for Dwight to master the car, and I’m looking forward to helping him in this next phase of his racing career.”

“When initially discussing options with Dwight and Ryan, driving the Ferrari wasn’t something that had ever crossed my mind, but with the layout of the Pro-Am class regulations (and the Creventic AM+ category), Ryan suggested that I should do it with them, getting the band back together so to speak!”

“I have every faith in our driver lineup with the addition of Jake Hill and Oliver Bryant for the 24hrs; Jake I am convinced is the fastest silver on the planet right now, and Oliver brings a wealth of experience, courtesy of Le Mans and Blancpain experience.”