IDEC Sport withdraws #17 LMP2 entry after Le Mans practice shunt
IDEC Sport's #17 ORECA LMP2 entry has been withdrawn from this weekend's Le Mans 24 Hours following a heavy crash in Thursday's Free Practice 3 session.


The car that was due to be shared by Ryan Dalziel, Thomas Laurent and Dwight Merriman has been scratched from the entry for the French endurance classic after American amateur driver Merriman's shunt approaching the Dunlop chicane.
It means the LMP2 class is down to 24 cars, and the total grid to 61 cars, for the World Endurance Championship blue riband.
The decision follows a tumultuous week for the Era Motorsport-backed IDEC entry, which began when Merriman's regular IMSA co-driver Kyle Tilley was forced to withdraw from the #17 line-up with a shoulder injury.
Era's statement revealed that a replacement driver was found, only for the unnamed individual to test positive for COVID-19, before 2017 LMP2 class winner and ex-Rebellion LMP1 driver Laurent was subsequently drafted in.
The team had already been forced to rebuild its ORECA 07 Gibson around a spare tub following an Merriman's accident during last Sunday's test day, but was able to complete Wednesday's pair of practice sessions and first qualifying without major dramas, securing 16th on the LMP2 grid.
However, Merriman's crash on Thursday prompted the final decision to withdraw the car.
It marks the second year in a row that Merriman has missed the race, after he was withdrawn from the lineup last year following a Free Practice 2 crash and replaced by Porsche veteran Patrick Pilet.
“It's heartbreaking to be pulling out of Le Mans before we even got a chance to race, but I know we're doing the right thing,” said Tilley.

#17 IDEC Sport Oreca 07 - Gibson LMP2 of Dwight Merriman, Kyle Tilley, Ryan Dalziel
Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images
“We had high hopes going into the event, but with a handful of unfortunate events in the span of a few days, this year's race week has been a constant uphill battle.
"After a last-minute driver swap, a new chassis, and a second on-track incident, we had to make the tough call: If we don't feel 100 percent confident going into this race, we feel we have the responsibility to our competitors not to run.”
The sister IDEC Sport car, the #48 machine of Pilet, Paul Lafargue and Paul-Loup Chatin, secured 10th on the LMP2 grid on Wednesday after Chatin's high-speed off at Tetre Rouge.
Related video

Le Mans 24h: FP4 headed by #8 Toyota from Alpine
The ex-F1 drivers making a name for themselves in Le Mans' underrated class

Latest news
Kubica out of F1 as Orlen moves to AlphaTauri and Alfa Romeo lands new sponsor
Former Alfa Romeo Formula 1 team title sponsor Orlen has switched to AlphaTauri in a move that could spell the end of Robert Kubica’s career in grand prix racing.
Vasseur "convinced" Ferrari has everything it needs to win F1 title
New Ferrari Formula 1 boss Fred Vasseur is “convinced” the team has everything it needs to win the championship, and that targeting anything less would be a “lack of ambition.”
Daytona 24: Porsche leads Acura in night practice
Matt Campbell put the #7 Penske Porsche on top in third practice for the Daytona 24 Hours, just 0.172s ahead of Filipe Albuquerque in the Wayne Taylor Racing Acura.
Daytona 24: Westbrook’s Ganassi Cadillac tops second practice
Richard Westbrook ensured Cadillac’s new V-LMDh snagged top spot in second practice for the Daytona 24 Hours, ahead of the #10 Wayne Taylor Racing Andretti Autosport Acura.
The plug in and play stand-ins who got their timing just right
Nyck de Vries’s Italian GP exploits weren’t the first post-eleventh-hour call-up in motorsport history, and won’t be the last either. Here are some offbeat tales from the past
The lesser-remembered sportscar exploits of BMW's two-trick pony
Steve Soper is so famous for his forays in touring cars that his sportscar achievements are often overlooked. But as the versatile Briton explained for Autosport's special issue commemorating 50 years of BMW's Motorsport division earlier this year, he preferred the cars
Porsche’s hopeful Le Mans future meets its illustrious past
Rising sportscar star Adam Smalley had to pinch himself when offered the chance to drive the car that won the world’s most famous enduro in 1987
How Porsche's Le Mans legend changed the game
The 956 set the bar at the dawn of Group C 40 years ago, and that mark only rose higher through the 1980s, both in the world championship and in the US. It and its successor, the longer-wheelbase 962, were voted as Autosport's greatest sportscar in 2020 - here's why
Why BMW shouldn't be overlooked on its return to prototypes
OPINION: While the focus has been on the exciting prospect of Ferrari vs Porsche at the Le Mans 24 Hours next year, BMW’s factory return to endurance racing should not be ignored. It won't be at the French classic next year as it focuses efforts on the IMSA SportsCar Championship, but could be a dark horse in 2024 when it returns to La Sarthe with the crack WRT squad
How Formula E's double-duty drivers influenced their Le Mans teams' fortunes
Eight Formula E drivers made the 7,000-mile sprint from the streets of Jakarta to the fabled Circuit de la Sarthe and every one had a story to share at this year's Le Mans 24 Hours. Despite a range of triumphs and disappointments, each driver doubling up on the day job played a key role in their teams' fortunes
Le Mans 2022: The team by team guide
The 90th edition of the Le Mans 24 Hours is here. Here's Autosport's run down of the full field and who to look out for in each class
The great Le Mans garagistes that challenged factory might
Glickenhaus is the latest in a line of small-time constructors to take on the big names. Here are some of the finest in the history of the Le Mans 24 Hours
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.