English driver Stuart Wiltshire will join Era Motorsport for the upcoming IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Challenge at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park. The race will mark the debut of the LMP2 class as a premier class. Wiltshire will also compete in the remaining sprint race at Road America in August. To make room for Wiltshire, Dwight Merriman, who has driven for the team for several years, will step down to pursue other racing interests.
Wiltshire brings a wealth of experience to Era Motorsport. He has previously competed in Formula 3 and has recently entered the world of ‘modern historic’ racing, including LMP2 prototypes. He has also had the opportunity to drive a Peugeot 90X LMP1 car and an international Acura ARX-05 Daytona Prototype car under the Era Motorsport banner. Wiltshire had the chance to familiarise himself with the Era Motorsport IMSA-spec Oreca 07 LMP2 car last year at the Historic Sportscar Racing Daytona Classic, where he raced alongside Merriman. He also tested the No. 18 ORECA at CTMP last week.
Wiltshire is eager to get out on track for FP1 and see how he stacks up against the competition. He feels confident in his abilities, especially after the recent test session. The move to IMSA will mean longer stints behind the wheel, which will be a change from the shorter drive times he is used to in historic racing.
Ryan Dalziel, the team’s professional driver since 2021, will share the car with Wiltshire. Together, they aim to continue the team’s success in upcoming races. Merriman, Dalziel and Connor Zilisch, with the addition of Christian Rasmussen at Daytona, scored wins in the Rolex 24 at Daytona and the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring earlier in the season. Unfortunately, Merriman’s race was stopped on the first lap of the Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen, hampering their chances of repeating their previous successes and causing them to slip from the championship lead in LMP2. With Merriman retiring, Era Motorsport now has an opportunity for a Bronze-ranked driver for the 2025 IMSA season. Additionally, with their fleet of ORECA 07 LMP2 machinery, the team has the opportunity to re-enter both the Asian and European Le Mans championships.
Team owner Kyle Tilley is excited to welcome new drivers and explore new opportunities. Merriman’s departure opens up the incredible team Era Motorsport has built over the past five years to drivers interested in entering the professional racing world or moving up to a different class.
