INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Era Motorsport, winners of this past year’s Rolex 24 At Daytona, will bring back drivers Dwight Merriman and Ryan Dalziel in another run at the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship next season aboard the Oreca LMP2 No. 07 car.
Merriman and Dalziel will race the full season while team owner Kyle Tilley will act as an endurance driver in the calendar’s four endurance races.
“It’s great to be getting the band back together for 2022 in IMSA,” Merriman said. “We really hit our stride as a team as the season progressed, and I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do in this approaching race season. I’m thrilled to be having Ryan alongside me for the full season, and it’ll be great to still have Kyle around for the endurance events.
“Winning the Rolex 24 was such an amazing experience, and I’m looking forward to getting back to Daytona so we can defend that win and have a great 2022.”
This past season proved to be a whirlwind season for the Indianapolis-based team in its sophomore year of professional sports car racing. The team expanded to the Asian Le Mans Series and clinched its class championship before entering competition in the European Le Mans Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Cup Series.
In the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, the team produced a commanding performance at the Rolex 24 At Daytona, securing victory in the LMP2 class with Tilley, Merriman, Dalziel and Paul-Loup Chatin.
“Our 2021 season was amazing, winning the Rolex 24 at Daytona, then backing it up with a second place at Sebring was a perfect start,” Dalziel said. “We struggled a little in Europe with the rules etc. but when we came back to the USA we instantly found our stride winning at Road America. In my own head, I wasn’t looking at other IMSA opportunities, I was super happy staying at Era in my 2021 endurance role.
“However, when Kyle offered me to drive full season with Dwight, I was completely ecstatic. Kyle and Sarah Tilley have built an incredible team and I am honored to be part of it for 2022. I can’t wait for Daytona.”
Chatin will again return to race with the team in January for the next running of the iconic event.
After Tilley, Merriman, and Dalziel produced an impressive second-place performance at the demanding 12 Hours of Sebring, Merriman and Dalziel went on to secure the team’s second win of the year at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis.
The pair were well on their way to a podium finish at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca when another prototype lost control and took the No. 18 Era car out of contention in the final turns.
Merriman, Dalziel and the team will hit the next again Jan. 23 at the Roar Before the 24.
Traditionally the first official test of the season, the Roar now holds several test days, as well as the Motul Pole Award, a one-hour, 40-minute race that will determine the starting grid for the Rolex 24 At Daytona on Jan. 29-30.
As announced in August, the next year’s calendar will feature 12 total rounds comprised of four endurance races and eight sprint rounds.
The LMP2 class will compete in all four endurance events and three of the eight sprint races, returning to WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, Mid-Ohio SportsCar Course and Road America.