Kakunoshin Ohta on pit road during Rolex 24 practice at Daytona International Speedway. (Photo: Jared Bokanoski | The Podium Finish)
WESTFIELD, Ind. – IMSA Weathertech Sportscar Championship outfit Era Motorsport has announced today that they will be fielding Kakunoshin Ohta in their No. 18 Oreca LMP2 in two races on the 2025 calendar, with Ohta tapped for the Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring in March and the IMSA Sportscar Weekend at Road America in August.
Ohta, who is also set to join Meyer Shank Racing for two additional races on the 2025 campaign at the Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen and the Tirerack.com Battle on the Bricks at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, made his IMSA debut at this year’s Rolex 24 behind the wheel of the No. 93 Acura ARX-06. A graduate of the Honda Formula Dream Project, he carries experience in multiple series including Super Formula and Super GT, as well as the groundwork for prototype experience gained at the Rolex 24.
“I’m happy to announce that I’m going to race with Era Motorsport at Sebring and Road America,” Ohta stated. “Era is a reliable team that has achieved great results every year in the LMP2 class. We have been working together since 2024, so our partnership is already strong, and I am confident that we can achieve good results.”
Era Motorsport came off of a gutsy fourth place finish in the 2025 Rolex 24, which was an effort to defend their victory in 2024’s iteration of the event. The IMSA outfit, now in their fifth year in the LMP2 category, are no strangers to success with multiple Rolex 24 victories (the aforementioned 2024 iteration as well as 2021). The team has never finished off of the podium at the 12 Hours of Sebring, with a win in last year’s running of the event.
Their past success shows that Ohta is stepping into a program in which competing at the highest level is the standard. The team is also one that is no stranger to up-and-coming talent, as they served as the platform for the world’s discovery of young Connor Zilisch during last year’s Weathertech Championship campaign, meaning that Ohta is in great hands moving forward.
He will join Tobi Lutke and David Heinemeier Hanson behind the wheel of the No. 18 for next month’s Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring, starting with this week’s IMSA sanctioned test at the circuit.
This, however, will be the first time the Era Motorsport car will not see Ryan Dalziel in its lineup, as he has been with the team for every event since the team’s IMSA debut in 2020.
Era Motorsport No. 18 Oreca during the Rolex 24 at Daytona. (Photo: Tyson Gifford | The Podium Finish)
This move is part of a partnership between Era Motorsport and the Honda Racing Corporation to give rising young drivers the opportunity to get on-track experience and seat time to assist in their development and growth, with Era’s platform offering the ability for HRC drivers to get acclimated to equipment akin to the manufacturer’s top-flight sportscar outfit.
“The entire team at Era Motorsport are thrilled to welcome Kaku onboard for Sebring and Road America” Era Motorsport’s team founder Kyle Tilley stated in a press release. “Both he and HRC have been wonderful to work with, and we are honored to have the opportunity to collaborate on this project.”
This is not Era Motorsport and HRC’s first pairing, as both have roots buried deep within historic racing, a platform that has seen them utilize Acura machines such as the ARX-05 DPi or the ARX-03b LMP2 car.
The Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring takes place March 12th-15th at the Sebring International Raceway in Florida as the second half of the Florida Endurance Classic to open the IMSA Weathertech Sportscar Championship and Michelin Endurance Cup seasons.
