Tom Dillmann accomplished a “cool story” of racing redemption at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP) on Sunday, anchoring Inter Europol Competitors to a commanding victory within the Chevrolet Grand Prix only one 12 months after a terrifying crash on the circuit left him with a damaged again.
The one Canadian spherical of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship noticed the two-hour, 40-minute dash race headlined by the LMP2 class.
Inter Europol’s weekend received off to a flying begin on Saturday when Bronze-rated driver Jeremy Clarke shattered a seven-year-old LMP2 lap file to safe pole within the #43 ORECA 07 Gibson.
Clarke carried that momentum into Sunday’s opening stint, main the primary 34 laps whereas cleanly managing visitors and gasoline targets.
“The primary aim for Stint 1 was to seize the lead proper in the beginning and preserve gasoline targets and distance our tempo and the visitors behind,” Clarke stated. “Actually the primary aim was bringing the automobile dwelling to Tom with no scratches, that manner he might go do his factor.”
A pair of transient security automobiles within the first hour threw off the crew’s preliminary technique, quickly costing them the result in automobiles that gambled on an alternate pit cycle. Nevertheless, as soon as Dillmann took the wheel, the crew’s underlying tempo proved unstoppable. With one hour and 14 minutes remaining, the Frenchman executed a clear on-track move on Alex Quinn within the #04 CrowdStrike Racing by APR machine to retake the lead.
The ultimate hour and 47 minutes of the competition ran fully caution-free, introducing an surprising fuel-mileage sweat for the leaders. As a result of a late-race yellow by no means materialized, the highest three automobiles – Dillmann, Quinn, and the #99 AO Racing entry of Dane Cameron – have been all compelled to make late splash-and-dash pit stops for gasoline.
“Once I received a late name to pit, I used to be, ‘Oh, did we make a mistake or one thing?’” Dillmann stated. “Then they rapidly instructed me it was all good.”
The stops in the end didn’t alter the operating order. Due to a superior closing pit cease by the Inter Europol crew, Dillmann crossed the end line a snug 9.796 seconds forward of Quinn, capping off a dominant efficiency wherein the #43 automobile led 93 of the 127 accomplished laps.
The victory provides to a spectacular 2026 marketing campaign for the multi-faceted Inter Europol group, which has now achieved race wins throughout IMSA, Asian Le Mans, European Le Mans, and the FIA World Endurance Championship – together with an LMP2 class victory on the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June.
Moreover, the newest triumph was a poignant distinction to 2025, when a mechanical failure brought about Dillmann’s throttle to stay extensive open whereas main late within the race, leading to a high-speed accident that fractured two of his vertebrae.
“Going into the weekend, it didn’t change something for me; I at all times wish to win,” Dillmann stated. “However now after the actual fact, I can see it’s a cool story.”
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