IMSA staple Era Motorsport is set to enter the full Michelin 24H SERIES season in 2025 with a Ferrari 296 GT3, and will make its series debut at the 20th edition of the Michelin 24H DUBAI on 10-11-12 January. 

Era Motorsport, based in Indiana, has competed in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar championship since 2020 in the LMP2 prototype class, following two years of classic and historic racing since its foundation in 2018. In 2021, the American outfit secured LMP2 class victory at that year’s Daytona 24 Hours, and LMP2-AM championship honours in the Asian Le Mans Series in a collaborative effort with Jota Sport. 

The 2025 Michelin 24H DUBAI meanwhile marks Era Motorsport’s first foray into GT3 competition. 

“I’m excited for the 2025 season with the new Ferrari 296,” team founder Kyle Tilley explained in an official team statement. “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 [24H] SERIES will be a fantastic place for Dwight [Merriman] to master the car, and I’m looking forward to helping him in this next phase of his racing career.”

Era has also confirmed that Tilley, back for his first campaign in contemporary machinery since his IMSA program in 2022, and two-time Daytona class winner Merriman will compete alongside 2024 British Touring Car Championship Jake Hill, historic racer Oliver Bryant, and IMSA and World Endurance Championship racer winner Ryan Dalziel in Dubai. 

The 2025 Michelin 24H DUBAI will mark only the second race weekend for Merriman at the Dubai Autodrome, his first GT race in more than a decade, and his first outside North America since his ALMS and four-race European Le Mans Series program in 2021. 

“I will miss racing IMSA next year.” – 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 [24H] SERIES.”

Both Tilley and Dalziel are also registered for the Michelin 6H ABU DHABI on 18-19 January, with Tilley expected to contest CREVENTIC’s full European season. 

Reigning BTCC champion Hill is set to make his endurance racing bow in Dubai, and start his first GT race since 2015. Bryant, a regular at the Spa Six Hours Classic and Goodwood Revival since 2017, is set to start his first 24H SERIES event since the 24H SILVERSTONE in 2018, at which he finished 2nd in-class with DUWO Racing.

Former Champ Car driver Dalziel meanwhile, a class winner at the Daytona 24 Hours, the Sebring 12 Hours and the 24 Hours of Le Mans, will also make his 24H DUBAI debut in January, but has already completed a full season aboard a Ferrari 296 in GT World Challenge America in 2023.

Both Tilley and Dalziel are also registered for the Michelin 6H ABU DHABI on 18-19 January, with Tilley expected to contest CREVENTIC’s full European season. 

“I have every faith in our driver line-up with the addition of Jake Hill and Oliver Bryant for the 24 hours,” Tilley continues. “Jake, I am convinced, is the fastest silver [grade driver] on the planet right now, and Oliver brings a wealth of experience, courtesy of Le Mans and the Blancpain [Endurance Series].” 

Following the Michelin 24H DUBAI and the Michelin 6H ABU DHABI – which comprises the 2024/2025 24H SERIES Middle East Trophy – CREVENTIC’s European season gets underway with the Michelin 12H MUGELLO on 21-22-23 March. The Italian round, back for its 11th edition in 2025, will be followed by 12-hour events at Spa-Francorchamps (18-19-20 April), Misano (23-24 May) and Circuit Paul Ricard (4-5 July) before the Michelin 24H BARCELONA rounds out the European season on 26-27-28 September.