In the lead-up to the Imola round of the European Le Mans Series, Inter Europol Competition’s #43 car made a special appearance at Imola Di Mercoledi on Wednesday, 2nd July. Fresh from their historic 24 Hours of Le Mans victory, the team brought the #43 LMP2 car to Piazza Matteotti in the heart of Imola. Drivers Nick Yelloly, Jakub Smiechowski, and Tom Dillmann were on hand to meet fans, sign autographs, and give everyone a chance to see the car up close. It was a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the achievement with the local community ahead of the weekend’s action on track.

Race Report – ELMS Round 3: Imola

Inter Europol Competition returned to the European Le Mans Series for Round 3 at the iconic Imola circuit with a strong three-car line-up: the #34 and #43 entries in LMP2, and the #88 in LMP3. After a historic Le Mans win just three weeks earlier, the team came into the weekend with high momentum and confidence — and they showed strong pace throughout a challenging, eventful few days.

Testing
Thursday’s test sessions allowed all three cars to focus on tyre and fuel strategies, with the crew using the time to fine-tune setups and simulate various race scenarios. All cars showed promising pace

 from the outset, and feedback across the board was positive, putting the team in a strong position heading into official sessions.

Free Practice
Friday brought sweltering heat to the track, with ambient temperatures hitting 37°C and the track soaring past 50°C. Despite the tough conditions, all three cars delivered competitive results in Free Practice 1:

• #43 (LMP2): P3
• #34 (LMP2): P8
• #88 (LMP3): P4

Bronze driver Tim Creswick also took part in the dedicated Bronze Test session in the #88, finishing a solid P7 as he built valuable experience around the demanding Imola circuit.
In Free Practice 2, the team continued to build momentum, with the #88 showing particularly impressive pace to go quickest in class.

Qualifying
Saturday’s qualifying sessions were impacted by a dramatic change in weather. For LMP2, storms delayed the session by over an hour, and all cars went out on wet tyres. A late red flag with just three minutes to go meant only one final chance to set a lap. The #34 team made a strategic call to pit for fresh wets, and Luca Ghiotto delivered an excellent lap to secure P2. The #43 stayed on used tyres, but Nick Yelloly pushed hard and managed P4 — placing both LMP2 cars in strong grid positions.
In LMP3 qualifying, the #88 initially went out on slicks as the rain hadn’t fully set in, but worsening conditions forced a late switch to wets. Unfortunately, multiple yellow flags and traffic prevented Reece Gold from setting a clean lap, with the car qualifying P5.

Race
Sunday’s four-hour race was a rollercoaster, featuring multiple safety cars, a red flag, and changing weather. The track temperature settled at 44°C with 30°C air temp — still physically demanding conditions for all drivers.

#43 – LMP2
Kuba Smiechowski started from P4 and quickly moved up to second, holding strong pace and position throughout his stint. Nick Yelloly took over next, choosing to stay on slicks despite light drizzle — a call that paid off as he kept the car in podium contention. Tom Dillmann drove the final stint and found himself in a nail-biting battle with Panis Racing and Proton Competition. With just 12 minutes to go, Tom made contact with the Vector car, damaging the nose. The team opted not to replace it, and Tom brought the car home in an impressive P2 — a hard-fought podium and another strong result for the championship campaign.

#34 – LMP2
Pedro Perino took the start from P2, but lost a few places in the opening corners and completed his stint in P9. Jean-Baptiste Simmenauer took over in changing conditions and was initially on wets, before switching back to slicks. Unfortunately, contact with an LMP3 car sent him into the gravel, causing rear damage and a tyre change that dropped the car to P12. JB recovered well to climb back to P7 before handing over to Luca Ghiotto. Luca showed consistent pace in the final stint, bringing the car home in P6 — a solid recovery after a tough mid-race setback.

#88 – LMP3
 Tim Creswick took the start but was caught up in early-lap contact when a car spun ahead, forcing him into the gravel and damaging the front wing. After a nose change and tyre swap, the car rejoined at the back, caught behind GT3 traffic. Tim managed to fight back to P8 before handing over to Douwe Dedecker, who held position without issue. Reece Gold completed the final stint, maintaining strong, clean pace and securing a P7 finish for the #88 crew.

It was a challenging but rewarding weekend for Inter Europol Competition, with podium success in LMP2 and strong recoveries from both the #34 and #88 cars. The Michelin Le Mans Cup did not race at Imola, but will return at Spa-Francorchamps at the end of August.

Inter Europol Competition is gearing up for a busy and exciting summer, with back-to-back racing action on both sides of the Atlantic. The team returns to IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship competition at the Chevrolet Grand Prix on 13th July at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, where they’ll aim to build on their recent momentum in the fiercely competitive LMP2 category. Just a few weeks later, the IMSA campaign continues at Road America on 3rd August. Attention then shifts back to Europe for Round 4 of the European Le Mans Series and the return of Le Man Cup at Spa-Francorchamps on 24th August. As the season enters its second half, the team is fully focused on delivering strong results at the iconic Belgian circuit.

Chevrolet Grand Prix Timetable
Friday 11th July
Practice 1: 1:55pm – 3:25pm ET

Saturday 12th July
Practice 2: 10:35am – 12:05pm ET
Qualifying: 3:55pm – 5:05pm ET

Sunday 13th July
Race: 2:00pm – 5:00pm ET