Disappointment for Inter Europol Competition at the Rolex 24
26 January 2025
The latest chapter in the history of Inter Europol Competition team is underway, with the Polish team making its first start in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in its own right.
With a new US base in progress, the #43 Oreca 07 ran well with Jon Field, Tom Dillmann, Bijoy Garg and António Félix da Costa – a Bronze, Gold, Silver, Platinum lineup – for the first half of the 24-hour race, before an ongoing gearbox issue unfortunately ended the challenge prematurely.
The two-week event began with the Roar Before the Rolex 24, a pre-season test consisting of seven timed sessions. Having tested at the speedway for just two days in December, this provided the team with significant track time and mileage on the #43 Oreca. Having topped two sessions, the team headed into race week proper, fourth fastest and with 248 laps completed.
There were just three further official practice sessions and a short 15-minute qualifying run for Jon, who was tenth fastest in the LMP2 class. After the chilly conditions during the build-up, race day dawned bright and a great deal warmer, with Jon all set to make his first Rolex 24 start since 2002.
Having finished fourth last year and clinched the 2024 IMSA LMP2 title, expectations within the team at Daytona International Speedway were understandably high. It was a classy, trouble-free start, too, from Jon, quickly slotting into P8 at the start.
The team maximised his drive time in the opening eight hours before rotating through its remaining drivers. However, as early as the fourth hour, a gearbox problem was apparent, and it was this subsequent failure that halted Tom with 430 laps and 14 of the 24 hours completed. The Oreca was returned to the pit, but the team’s 2025 challenge was over.
“That one really hurts,” Tom stated. “We had a very, very good car, winning pace… but it was not to be this time. Thank you to the whole team, it was a lot of work since the ROAR and even before to be ready to tackle the season. We will try again!”
It has been a disappointing start to the IMSA season at Daytona. Still, it is only January, and the team aims to hit the ground running next time out at Sebring.