After testing with Era Motorsport at Sebring last month, driver and former 12 Hours of Sebring LMP2 class winner Ryan Dalziel has claimed the distinctively bumpy venue is even more so than before.
Ahead of the 12 Hours of Sebring on 16 March, Dalziel said: “We feel pretty strong with our package, we’ve always had good races at Sebring – and good cars too. It’s rare that we turn up and aren’t competitive right off the truck.”
“This year while testing it seemed like the track has gotten even bumpier than in the past which might come into play.
“That and the bigger, more competitive LMP2 field will likely be the biggest things to consider for us this time around.”
The Daytona-winning #18 Oreca 07 claimed LMP2 victory at the 24 Hours of Daytona thus setting them in a 20-point lead into the second IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship round.
Era Motorsport finished on the podium for the past three editions of the endurance classic, although have yet to claim victory as this year enlists a total of 13 LMP2s compared to eight from last year.
After having dominated a TransAm race at Sebring in February, Connor Zilisch was excited ahead of his first 12 Hours of Sebring.
“I’ve had a lot of success in the past at Sebring, including my TA2 win there earlier this season,” said the 17-year-old.
“We had a very good test not too long ago and we obviously have a lot of momentum as a team after Daytona. I can’t wait to get on track with Ryan [Dalziel] and Dwight [Merriman], and have a smooth weekend.”
Last year, the team claimed P3 over three seconds behind the class-lead fight between the #8 Tower Motorsports Oreca and the #11 TDS Racing Oreca as the former team triumphed.
In the LMP2 standings, the #04 Crowdstrike Racing by Algarve Pro Oreca trail in second position on 350 points ahead of the #74 Riley Motorsports Oreca on 328.
As IMSA traditionally award 10% of the race points – in addition to the race allocation – qualifying will prove valuable not only for an ideal starting position, but for a strong points haulage.
Bronze-rated driver Merriman will attempt beat his Roar Before the 24 qualifying spot of P11, with the 24 Hours of Daytona race conversely offering more track time and space for overtakes.
