It had been a long wait since the last round of the Michelin Endurance Cup within the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, but late on Sunday, after a dramatic race, Inter Europol by PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports finished third at the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen, securing its first podium of the 2024 campaign.

For Nick Boulle, Tom Dillmann, Jakub’ Kuba’ Śmiechowski and the #52 crew, it was a race of two halves. The former, as the team’s bronze driver, qualified the Oreca and took the start of the race as per regulation.

It was impressive, too, as he lined up fourth in the LMP2 class but quickly moved his way to the front of the 13-car field. Nick’s second stint was especially strong, as he pulled 18 seconds to the good before handing the car over to Tom.

The gap continued to grow, ballooning to 45 seconds, with Tom significantly faster than his rivals. However, things were about to get more complicated.

Approaching the three-hour mark, a Full Course Yellow removed the time advantage at the front of the field and then a race restart penalty dropped Tom from the front of the field to eighth. This would soon prove academic.

The rain, which had threatened for so long, arrived as Kuba took over the car. This period of the race was all about survival, and with 80 minutes remaining, the race was halted with Kuba showing seventh.

With just over 30 minutes on the clock, the racing resumed, with Tom taking the car for the final run to the flag on a rapidly drying circuit and running in second position. With wave-arounds and further safety interventions, it got even more confusing, as the #52 was suddenly showing a lap adrift of the LMP2 class leaders.

The race played out, with Tom taking the chequered flag fourth. This was later revised to third and marks our season’s first IMSA podium. The team and drivers all showed class and incredible speed, and fully deserved the podium accolade.

The team is next in action in the European Le Mans Series, this time at Imola, where the #43 leads the standings after winning last time out at Le Castellet.

Nick Boulle
“Really happy to have a podium with Inter Europol and PR1 Motorsports! Especially after such an exciting race with crazy mixed conditions. We struggled some with setup in practice and the race, but once the race started, I knew we had an absolute weapon of a car.

“I pushed hard in my opening stint to try to get a gap for us and it went to plan. I tried not to take too many risks in traffic, but I’m glad it all worked! I’m really appreciative of all the work that went into getting us here. Everyone has worked hard!”

Kuba Śmiechowski
“It was a crazy race with so much happening. Rain, dry, rain, but I think we did a really good job staying out of trouble, and it’s satisfying that we had one of the best cars today, so I am happy.”

Tom Dillmann
“I’m happy to secure our first podium. I think it was a long time coming, given the pace we showed in the first two rounds, so it’s good to get it at Watkins Glen. The car was really good, really fast, and we led the most laps.

“When we were at the front, we could extend the gap. In this championship, though, it is always tricky as you cannot count on the gap, so this always keeps us on our toes. There was another curveball because, at the restarts, a couple of GTPs struggled to get up to speed, effectively blocking us, so sometimes we would lead, but I could not push as I wanted.”

“Then it rained. It was a tough, tricky race, as it always is in IMSA, but I’m happy we got the result everyone deserves within the team for their hard work.”