Inter Europol Competition made a strong start to the 2025/26 Asian Le Mans Series, securing victory in the LMP3 class with the #13 entry in the opening race of the season at Sepang International Circuit.

The build-up to the race was far from straightforward for the Polish squad. Free practice proved difficult, while qualifying for the #13 car ended almost as soon as it began. An early spin on the out lap within the opening minutes of the session prevented the car from setting a representative lap time, leaving the LMP3 crew facing a daunting task from the back of the grid for the race.

In dry race conditions, Jimmy Chou immediately began to recover positions, keeping clear of early incidents and multi-car collisions that affected several LMP3 competitors. A clean and composed opening stint allowed the #13 car to move steadily through the field, climbing into second place and placing the team firmly back into contention.

Alex Bukhantsov took over for the middle stint of the race and continued the recovery with a strong and consistent stint. Showing impressive pace and control, Bukhantsov briefly moved the #13 entry into the class lead as strategies began to play out across the LMP3 field. A well-timed pit stop under safety car conditions proved crucial, allowing Inter Europol Competition to optimise track position ahead of the final hour.

Henry Cubides Olarte took over for the closing stint and delivered a calm, controlled and decisive drive to secure the LMP3 victory. Managing traffic and maintaining a strong pace to the chequered flag, Cubides Olarte completed an impressive team effort to convert a last-place starting position into a class win in the season opener.

In LMP2, the #43 Inter Europol Competition entry showed strong pace throughout both qualifying and the race. Despite demonstrating front-running speed in dry conditions, a combination of changing weather conditions, contact with other cars and unfortunate timing during virtual safety car periods compromised the team’s progress. Bronze driver Georgios Kolovos delivered an excellent opening performance, leading the field during his first two stints and underlining the car’s potential. Nolan Siegel and Nick Cassidy continued to push hard in the latter stages, but despite their efforts the #43 crew was unable to recover into the leading positions. The team now turns its focus to Race 2, where the car will start from the front row looking to convert its underlying pace into a strong result.

QUOTES 

Sascha Fassbender – Team Principal 
“It’s a well-deserved victory for the LMP3 crew. It was an extremely challenging start to the weekend with several issues through practice, but the team overcame them all to deliver a perfect result. We knew we had a very strong driver lineup, and that proved to be the case, with everyone playing a key role in the win.”

Jimmy Chou
“It has been a great race, we came from last to first! Excellent driving for all my teammates, leading the championship now, we’ll come back tomorrow for another one!”

Henry Cubides Olarte
“It was a difficult start to the weekend. A small issue early on meant we had to change the engine, which caused us to miss almost all of the practice sessions. In qualifying we started last in tricky conditions, so to finish P1 is definitely the best result we could have hoped for. Alex and Jim showed amazing racecraft, and the team delivered a great strategy to secure our first win.”