Inter Europol Competition ended the 2025 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship with a second-place finish in LMP2 at the Motul Petit Le Mans. Despite leading early and showing front-running pace throughout the ten-hour race, the team’s efforts weren’t quite enough to clinch the Michelin Endurance Cup title, which went to TDS Racing after a tense final-hour showdown.

Starting from LMP2 pole, thanks to Jeremy Clarke’s superb qualifying run, the #43 Oreca 07 made a strong start to the season finale. Clarke handled the opening Bronze driver requirement flawlessly, keeping the car at the front during the opening two and a half hours — even through an early safety car and multiple full-course yellows. His consistent pace and composure ensured Inter Europol remained P1 at each major interval in the early phase.

Seven and a half hours from the finish, however, the team’s race took a dramatic turn when Clarke made contact with the #11 TDS car, resulting in a spin that dropped the #43 down to P11. The team regrouped quickly, with Tom Dillmann taking over to begin the recovery drive. Dillmann immediately showed his pace, charging through the field to climb back into P5, then P3 with six hours remaining as he navigated traffic and multiple yellow flag interruptions.

Bijoy Garg then took over and delivered a composed and consistent stint, maintaining strong pace as the sun set and traffic intensified. Although a drive-through penalty for a tyre operational infraction cost the team time and track position, Bijoy’s calm management and steady laps ensured the #43 remained in contention heading into the final hours.

As darkness fell, Dillmann returned for the closing stints. Demonstrating relentless speed and precision, he lifted the team back into P4 with just over an hour remaining before pushing on to reclaim P2 at the chequered flag — a brilliant comeback after earlier adversity.

Despite the impressive recovery and podium finish, Inter Europol narrowly missed out on the Michelin Endurance Cup title. The team finished level on points with TDS Racing, who claimed the championship on countback with two wins to Inter Europol’s one.

Team Quotes

Sascha Fassbender – Team Manager 

“In general, we’re happy to finish the season second in the Endurance Championship and third overall in the team standings. It’s been a very exciting year for us, standing on our own feet in IMSA. We’ve had some ups and downs, but overall, our performance has been very strong, supported by a great driver lineup.

We’ll continue with the same driver crew in 2026, aiming to achieve our goals of winning both the Endurance and overall championships. Finishing the Endurance Championship level on points with TDS really shows the capability of Inter Europol Competition and the strength of our lineup with Tom, Jeremy, and Bijoy.

Of course, it hurts to be tied on points and still come second, but we can all be proud of this achievement. We’ve shown consistency and competitiveness all year, and we’re heading into Portimão with strong motivation to fight for the title.”

Tom Dillmann

“I really wanted to win and gave it everything. Unfortunately, we didn’t have a smooth first half to the race, and with so few yellows, it didn’t give us anything for free like it usually does in IMSA. To recover with a P2 is a sight of what could have been. 1 lap down and P8 with 4 hours to go at the final restart.
We clearly had the pace this year, but not enough consistency. The aim will be to come back stronger and claim back the title in 2026.”

Jeremy Clarke

“I am very proud of the team. We had a great start to the race with solid pace. Some bad luck fell on us mid race but we were able to make a magical recovery.  Not quite the end to the season we were hoping for but a great season all things considered. Excited to continue the momentum in 2026.”

Bijoy Garg

“Happy to end the season with another podium! Given the amount of setbacks we faced in the middle of the race, P2 was a solid result. Although we didn’t win the Endurance Cup, I’m still extremely proud of the team. They have given us opportunities to win at every event this year, which is not easy in this championship. Thanks to the team and to my co-drivers Tom and Jeremy for an amazing year!”