Inter Europol Takes Dramatic LMP2 Sebring Win

Photo: Brandon Badraoui/IMSA

Inter Europol Competition triumphed in LMP2 at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring after surviving late pressure from Sebastien Bourdais when the class-leading CrowdStrike by APR entry fell out on contention in the final minutes.

Tom Dillmann inherited the class lead in his No. 43 Oreca 07 Gibson when Malthe Jakobsen lost positions and then served a penalty for contact with the No. 13 AWA Racing Corvette Z06 GT3.R in the final 15 minutes of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship enduro.

Dillmann successfully fended off pressure from two-time Sebring winner Bourdais to take the checkered flag with a 1.117-second margin of victory in the car he shared with Bijoy Garg and series debutant Jeremy Clarke.

Dillmann and Jakobsen both elected to stay out as the race’s seventh full-course caution fell for debris, allowing them to jump ahead of then class-leader Bourdais before the final restart.

Bourdais secured second for Tower Motorsports after a late push for the Frenchman in the evening hours brought the Ricky Capone-led squad back into the fight for the class win.

TDS Racing claimed the final step of the LMP2 podium after controlling the first half of the race.

The French squad fought back in the last stages after falling from the podium spots after serving a drive-through penalty and surviving a late incident with Paul Di Resta’s No. 22 United Autosports Oreca.

Felipe Fraga brought the No. 74 Riley entry to a fourth-place finish ahead of Ben Hanley’s No. 2 United Autosports machine in fifth.

After serving a penalty for his late contact with Bell’s Corvette, Jakobsen in the CrowdStrike by APR Oreca finished sixth with the No. 99 AO Racing machine of Dane Cameron as the final LMP2 machine on the lead lap in seventh.

Four LMP2 cars did not make the finish, with the No. 18 Era Motorsports Oreca being the first to fall by the wayside after 37 laps due to contact with the No. 88 AF Corse machine, who also failed to make it to the checkered flag after a tumultuous race.

Pratt Miller Motorsports’ LMP2 challenger also retired with an unknown mechanical issue in the first half of the race, while Mathias Beche parked his PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports machine in the closing stages with an unknown issue.

RESULTS: Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring