Inter Europol Competition claimed a superb European Le Mans Series victory at Spa-Francorchamps, with the #43 LMP2 crew of Kuba Smiechowski, Nick Yelloly and Tom Dillmann delivering an outstanding team performance in Round 4 of the championship.

• #43 LMP2 takes victory at Round 4 of the European Le Mans Series 
• #34 LMP2 finishes P11 after penalties and early contact derail its race
• #13 LMP3 retires following an opening-lap incident

Inter Europol Competition returned to the top step of the European Le Mans Series podium at Spa-Francorchamps, with Smiechowski, Yelloly and Dillmann delivering victory in the #43 Oreca 07 Gibson.

After a challenging opening phase, the team executed an excellent race through a succession of Virtual Safety Car and Safety Car periods, combining strategy, well-timed pit stops and impressive stints from all three drivers to move the #43 from second on the grid to victory.

The result delivered an important haul of championship points for the #43 as the European Le Mans Series enters its final two rounds, adding further significance to a long-awaited ELMS win together for Smiechowski, Yelloly and Dillmann.

#43 LMP2

Starting from P2, Smiechowski endured contact during a busy opening lap but settled into the race and kept the #43 firmly in contention. A nose change was completed during a Virtual Safety Car pit stop, with the team using the neutralisation periods and tyre strategy to position the car for the next phase of the race.

With the #43 the only car among the leading group restarting on fresh tyres, Smiechowski made good use of the advantage and moved into P3 following another Safety Car period.

Yelloly took over with just over two hours remaining following an excellent pit stop from the crew, emerging ahead of the pack and moving the #43 into the lead. From there, the British driver delivered an outstanding middle stint, controlling the race through further Safety Car interruptions before establishing a gap of more than five seconds at the front once green-flag running resumed.

With just over an hour remaining, Dillmann took over the #43 for the final stint. Tasked with converting the team’s work into victory, the Frenchman produced an exceptional closing drive, maintaining control at the front and delivering when it mattered most.

Dillmann remained composed under pressure throughout the final hour, managing the car and the gap behind before taking the chequered flag to secure a deserved victory for Smiechowski, Yelloly, Dillmann and the entire #43 crew.

From Smiechowski’s recovery through the opening stages to Yelloly’s commanding middle stint and Dillmann’s faultless run to the flag, the victory was a complete team performance. Strategy, pit execution and consistency proved decisive as Inter Europol Competition returned to winning ways in the European Le Mans Series.

The victory also provided a significant boost to the #43’s championship campaign, moving Smiechowski, Yelloly and Dillmann up to fifth in the LMP2 standings on 42 points. With two rounds remaining at Silverstone and Portimão, the crew sits just one point behind the sister #34 and 28 points behind the championship leaders.

#34 LMP2

Bijoy Garg started the race from P3 but sustained significant front-left damage following contact at the opening corner, forcing the #34 into an early recovery.

The team carried out repairs and replaced the damaged tyre and nose, but the opening stages became increasingly complicated by the timing of the Safety Car periods. A 10-second penalty for causing a collision was followed by a three-minute stop-and-go penalty for a Safety Car infringement.

After serving the penalty, a red light at pit exit further delayed the #34 and left the car a lap behind the leaders. Garg continued to push in an effort to return to the lead lap before handing over to Reshad de Gerus, who served the outstanding 10-second penalty during the driver change.

Despite the crew demonstrating the potential to run further forward, the time lost through the opening incident and subsequent penalties proved impossible to recover, with Garg and de Gerus eventually finishing P11.

The #34 remains fourth in the LMP2 championship standings on 43 points. Garg and de Gerus are 27 points behind the championship leaders with two rounds remaining, leaving important points still available at Silverstone and Portimão.

#13 LMP3

Alex Bukhantsov started the #13 LMP3 entry from P10, but an incident during the opening stages brought the crew’s race to an early conclusion.

The #13 became stranded in the gravel and was unable to continue, resulting in an early retirement for Bukhantsov, Jimmy Chou and Henry Cubides Olarte at Spa-Francorchamps.

The retirement saw the #13 move to fourth in the LMP3 championship standings on 41 points. Bukhantsov, Chou and Cubides Olarte remain 24 points behind the championship leaders with two rounds remaining and will look to respond when the championship resumes at Silverstone.

The victory at Spa marks an important result for Inter Europol Competition and underlines the strength of the team across one of the most competitive LMP2 fields in international endurance racing.

With two rounds of the 2026 European Le Mans Series season remaining at Silverstone and Portimão, both LMP2 entries remain firmly involved in the championship battle, while the #13 continues its fight in LMP3 as the season enters its decisive final stages.

QUOTES 

Kuba Smiechowski
“Great job from everyone in the office, the pit box and the whole team to give us a competitive car and not make any mistakes throughout the whole race. I think we have deserved an ELMS win for a long time, so I’m super glad it has finally happened.”

Nick Yelloly
“It’s been a long time coming for us to get a win in ELMS after a couple of seasons together. This is my third win in the ELMS category, with two at Le Mans and now one here at Spa, so it’s a great result for us. We struggled a little at the start of the season, but now we go to our home race in a few weeks’ time and hopefully we can repeat it there.”

Tom Dillmann
“It’s been a long time coming for us. We have always been competitive as a trio, but this is our first ELMS win together, so I’m really glad about that. The whole team executed perfectly in the pits and on track, so I’m super happy. We scored a lot of points today and now we’ll see what else we can do in the championship.”