Era Motorsport captured its first top-five result of the 2026 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season on Saturday at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, with drivers Naveen Rao, Jacob Abel, and Ferdinand Habsburg finishing fourth in the LMP2 class.
The No. 18 ORECA 07 LMP2 completed 338 laps of competition, with Habsburg executing a decisive last-lap pass to secure fourth place by just 0.023 seconds in one of the closest finishes of the race.
Sebring International Raceway, renowned for its punishing surface, unpredictable racing, and passionate fanbase, remains one of endurance racing’s crown jewels. Era Motorsport entered the weekend with strong expectations, building on a history of success at the circuit, including a class victory in 2024.
The team showed early pace during Thursday’s practice sessions, setting the second-fastest time in the opening session, and focusing on long-run performance and setup refinement across the remaining sessions.
After qualifying on Friday, Rao took the green flag from 10th on the grid on Saturday morning. He and Abel managed the opening half of the race with consistency, maintaining a competitive pace while avoiding the incidents that disrupted much of the field in the early hours.
As the race progressed into the evening, Abel and Habsburg continued to advance, running consistently inside the top six while closing the gap to the leaders.
A series of late-race full-course cautions reshaped the final stint strategy. The No. 18 found itself in contention for the class win on fuel strategy before a lengthy yellow period reset the field. With under 30 minutes remaining, the race restarted with the team in fifth position and committed to a flat-out run to the finish.
In a dramatic closing lap, Habsburg made a decisive move on the final straight to secure fourth place in a margin of just 0.023 seconds, marking Era Motorsport’s best result of the season to date.
The No. 18 entry will return to competition in the next round of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and Michelin Endurance Cup, scheduled for June 25–28, 2026.
Naveen Rao (Driver, No. 18 Era Motorsport ORECA 07):
“It was a busy start to the race, but we focused on speed and clean driving in the first couple of stints, setting the fastest laps of the race at that point.
“The team executed at the highest levels in this race, with potential for a win. After my stints, I was able to hand the car over in a position to fight. It’s encouraging to come away with a result like this and build momentum heading into the next round.”
Jacob Abel (Driver, No. 18 Era Motorsport ORECA 07):
“It was a long day with 152 laps and a lot of time in the car, but the crew executed exceptionally well and put us on a strong strategy toward the end.
“They gave us a real opportunity to fight for the win. The cautions didn’t quite play out in our favor, but it’s still a solid result and something we can build on.”
Ferdinand Habsburg (Driver, No. 18 Era Motorsport ORECA 07):
“I’m very happy to finish fourth, especially given how challenging parts of the race were for us. The team did a great job making the right strategy calls, which is crucial in endurance racing, you want to be in a position to fight at the end.
“We had a strong fuel strategy and were in contention late in the race, but the final caution changed the outcome. Still, this is our best result of the season so far and a great step forward for the rest of the year.”