In his first ever race in Era Motorsport’s sensational Ferrari 296 GT3 machine, Kent’s Jake Hill took on the gruelling challenge of the Michelin 24 Hours of Dubai, the 2024 BTCC Champion’s maiden round-the-clock event and debut in the fiercely competitive GT3 sportscar category.

Hill joined team-mates Dwight Merriman, Kyle Tilley, Ryan Dalziel and Olly Bryant in the Middle East as the US-based squad took on the event run by Creventic for the first time, hence the challenge for all involved was clear, and the goal to get experience and make progress all weekend.

“I raced with Dwight and Kyle for Era Motorsport at Goodwood and also Donington Park very successfully in Historic Racing last year, so when Kyle mentioned the team’s plans to take on the Creventic series in 2025, and with a new Ferrari 296, I immediately said how much I would love the opportunity to be involved in some way.” said Hill of the opportunity.

“So I am incredibly excited and very appreciative to Dwight, Kyle and the Era crew inviting me to race with them this season – it’s a real dream come true for me”

Hill will also compete in the Abu Dhabi 6 Hours on the 19th January with Merriman and Tilley, and then take on the 12 Hour events at Mugello, Spa-Francorchamps and Paul Ricard together, with the final event of the season being the 24 Hours of Barcelona where the driver line up from Dubai will reunite.

“It’s an all-new programme for us, and a real challenge as we have not only a new car to us, but a new line up of drivers and crew, plus we will base the team from our UK facility for the European events, so it’s going to be a steep learning curve for everyone but one we are really excited about” explained Era team-owner Kyle Tilley.

The stunning Purple, Blue, Black and White machine hit the track for a shakedown in the hands of Era’s regular sportscar ace Ryan Dalziel on Monday, with all five drivers getting behind the wheel over the next four days, with progress made on the car’s set-up every day.

Friday’s 45 minute qualifying saw Merriman, Hill and Dalziel each hit the track for 15 minutes during the session, with the average lap time across the three drivers deciding the car’s grid position for the Saturday 1pm start time.

Hill’s first-ever GT3 qualifying session impressed, as he ended up second fastest in his group, behind sportscar star Harry King, but ahead of factory drivers Dan Harper and Matt Griffin, as well as setting the fourth fastest time across any of the GT3 qualifying sessions, and fastest Ferrari driver.

“The car is incredible to drive. So different to what I am used to – the power, the aerodynamic grip, and the driver aids like traction control and ABS that all the GT3 cars have all require a huge level of commitment and a very different driving style, so I was really pleased to have been so competitive so quickly” smiled Hill.

Another strong session from Dalziel saw the car qualify 23rd, and it would be the Scotsman – a former Winner of both the Daytona and Le Mans 24 Hour races – who took the No. 81 machine to the start. Frustratingly the car suffered a puncture on the warm-up lap, dropping to the rear of the 66 car field, but a storming drive by Dalziel and clever strategy saw the car in the lead briefly before it’s next stop.

As all of the drivers took their first runs the race was interrupted by accidents causing ‘Code 60’ events, where all cars must lap at 60 k/mh whilst the incidents are resolved, so when Hill took the wheel for his first stint, they ran in 17th place overall and fifth in the Pro-Am class.

Hill made great progress, handing the car over in P13 and the remainder of the race into the night saw a consistent and quick run by the car which ran faultlessly throughout.

At just after 3am Hill took the wheel for a ‘Double Stint’ where he would drive for just over two hours, only stopping for fuel midway, and during this session he set his and the car’s fastest lap of the race, lapping at the pace of race leader Dan Harper, and handing the car over in P12 and P3 in Pro-Am.

“That was amazing! The car was great, and lapping with a top driver like Dan gave me an insight into the level of the drivers and teams, so I was delighted to be able to race closely with him and the other leading cars. I loved it!”

As the dawn approached, the team maintained their position just outside the top-ten, still very much in contention for a Podium finish in the Pro-Am class, and just after 8am Dwight Merriman took over for his final stint of the race.

Pushing hard to maintain the challenge, Dwight was caught out at one of the high-speed sections of the Dubai Autodrome and spun, damaging the rear of the car, which saw the team retire with just over 5 hours remaining.

“What an amazing job by everyone involved. The sheer effort and level of professionalism by the entire crew has been remarkable, and it’s been such a special experience being part of this team, something I am hugely grateful for. Of course we are all disappointed we didn’t finish – but the most important thing is Dwight is OK – and we have all learned a huge amount this weekend and will come back stronger next week in Abu Dhabi. Thanks once again so much to Dwight, Kyle and the team for having me on board”

The team packed up after the event and the cars and equipment were taken the short journey to the spectacular Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi to prepare for this weekend’s event, and on arrival Hill was immediately impressed with the home of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

“What a facility – just fantastic. I cannot wait to race here this weekend – this will be the seventh track I have raced on that’s hosted F1 so I am really, really excited for this one”

Catch the live coverage on YouTube – race start at 6.30am UK time on Sunday 19th January.

Images courtesy of Creventic and Shannon Wiley.