Era Motorsport claims first LMP2 victory at Indianapolis with flawless fuel-saving strategy

Era Motorsport secured its inaugural LMP2 triumph of the 2026 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship on Sunday at the Battle on the Bricks, held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Christian Rasmussen and Nick Boulle crossed the finish line first in the #18 Oreca 07 Gibson, edging out Harry Tincknell of Bryan Herta Autosport with PR1/Mathiasen by 15.004 seconds. The win came after Rasmussen executed a precise fuel‑conservation stint in the closing phase of the two‑hour, 40‑minute race.

From the start, fuel management was the cornerstone of Era’s plan. Boulle, making his debut for the team and his first LMP2 start of the season, began from seventh after a qualifying hiccup. He avoided a multi‑car incident at Turn 1, then focused on meeting fuel targets while navigating traffic. His disciplined stint kept the car in the class lead, handing over to Rasmussen in third place.

Rasmussen, an IndyCar driver for ECR, pushed early in his segment, setting fast laps before a full‑course yellow prompted a pit stop. The team adjusted the fuel load for the final stint, and with roughly 50 minutes remaining, the 26‑year‑old Dane shifted to an aggressive fuel‑saving mode. He continually met tightening fuel targets while preserving the class advantage until the checkered flag.

“Well, first of all, Nick did a great job in his first stint there,” Rasmussen said. “You know, he just kept it clean, drove around people, and put us in a good spot. So, whenever we boxed there, we knew it was going to be tight, but man, we just committed to the fuel save super early. And they kept giving me a fuel target, and then the next lap, ‘Oh, we need more fuel save than that.’ Next lap, ‘Need more fuel save than that.’

“But, no, we got it done. Man, so fun to be back in the P2 car. Won Daytona 24 hours with this group a couple of years ago (in 2024), so it feels good to be back with the Era boys, and been a pleasure working with Nick all this weekend. So, yeah, good way to go into the off‑season.”

Boulle’s victory marked a breakthrough weekend for him. After earning pole positions at Indianapolis in prior events, he finally captured a race win at the Speedway.

“The Era crew did an amazing job, and Christian did an awesome job as well,” Boulle said. “And I have to say, it was a surprise for me to be here up until about two weeks ago, and then Kyle (Tilley, team owner) and I put something together, so I couldn’t be happier.

We talked about it at the start of the race, and fuel targets, and strategy. That was a huge part of our strategy to begin with. We had an issue in qualifying, but made up for it, and Christian delivered, to say the least.”

The triumph also represented Era Motorsport’s first IMSA victory at its home circuit.

“We know we have an incredible team and that we’ve had a really fast car all year, so to finally be able to showcase that at our home event was a dream come true,” said Tilley. “Nick was faultless, and Christian’s fuel saving was incredible. I can’t thank everyone enough. It’s hard to put into words both how much this one means and how much we needed it.”

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