Inter Europol Competition secured a commanding one-two finish in the LMP2 class at the 2026 24 Hours of Le Mans, extending its remarkable record at the French endurance classic. Tom Dillmann, Jakub Śmiechowski and Nick Yelloly guided the No. 43 Oreca 07 Gibson to victory ahead of the sister No. 343 car driven by Nico Müller, Reshad de Gerus and Bijoy Garg.
The Polish team overcame sustained pressure from Duqueine Team and Forestier Racing by Panis to claim its second consecutive Le Mans class victory and its third success in four editions.
Duqueine sets the mid-race standard at the 2026 24 Hours of Le Mans
Inter Europol faced a formidable challenge from the No. 30 Duqueine Oreca during the first half of the race. Doriane Pin, Julien Andlauer and Richard Verschoor combined strong pace with efficient fuel consumption. Their performance allowed Duqueine to lead at the halfway stage and match both Inter Europol entries. Consequently, the class contest developed into a three-car fight involving the No. 30 Duqueine, No. 43 Inter Europol and No. 343 Inter Europol machines.
Duqueine appeared capable of taking the battle deep into the final hours. However, a sudden mechanical failure ended the team’s hopes shortly after Verschoor took over from Andlauer.
Verschoor suffered brake failure on the Mulsanne Straight with fewer than four hours remaining. The failure forced the car out of the race and left Duqueine as the only non-finisher among the 18 LMP2 starters.
Inter Europol takes control
Duqueine’s retirement placed Inter Europol in a powerful position, although the team still needed to manage its two cars and the renewed challenge from Forestier Racing. Müller initially led in the No. 343 before conceding first place to Dillmann in the sister No. 43. From that point, Dillmann controlled the race and gradually established an advantage.
The No. 43 crew combined speed with reliable execution throughout the final phase. Dillmann, Śmiechowski and Yelloly avoided major delays and maintained enough pace to protect their position during the final pit-stop sequence. Dillmann eventually crossed the line 28 seconds ahead of the No. 343 car. However, the official classification placed the winning entry one lap clear of its team-mate.
The victory gave Inter Europol its third LMP2 triumph at Le Mans since 2023. It also delivered consecutive class wins following the team’s success in 2025.
Forestier Racing returns to the podium fight
Forestier Racing by Panis recovered from a difficult evening to challenge Inter Europol after the race’s second safety-car period.
The No. 29 Oreca had dropped away from the leading battle earlier in the race. Nevertheless, Esteban Masson brought the car back into contention during the closing hours. Masson passed Müller’s No. 343 for second place shortly after the Swiss driver had surrendered the lead to Dillmann. That move briefly placed Forestier Racing between the two Inter Europol cars.
However, the No. 29 crew followed an offset fuel strategy and needed an additional pit stop. As a result, Müller regained second place before the finish. Masson eventually secured third alongside Ollie Gray and Le Mans debutant Louis Rousset. The crew finished only 13 seconds behind the second-placed Inter Europol entry.
Victorious drivers extend their Le Mans records
The result strengthened the winning crew’s individual records at La Sarthe. Śmiechowski claimed his third LMP2 victory after contributing to Inter Europol’s first success in 2023. Meanwhile, Dillmann and Yelloly each earned their second class wins.
The sister No. 343 crew also played a major role in the team’s success. Müller, de Gerus and Garg ensured that Inter Europol converted its pace into a maximum result rather than simply securing victory with one car.
Moreover, the one-two finish highlighted the team’s ability to manage two competitive entries during an unpredictable 24-hour contest.
Vector Sport and CLX complete the top five
Vector Sport claimed fourth place with Pietro Fittipaldi, Vladislav Lomko and Ryan Cullen. The No. 26 Oreca remained on the lead lap and emerged as one of only two cars outside the podium positions to achieve that feat.
Meanwhile, CLX Motorsport finished fifth with a young line-up consisting of 19-year-olds Adrien Closmenil, Theodor Jensen and Ian Aguilera.
IDEC Sport had started from class pole with the No. 28 Oreca and featured among the early contenders. However, Job van Uitert, Valerio Rinicella and Paul Lafargue lost ground during the evening and eventually finished sixth, one lap behind the winner.
CrowdStrike claims Pro-Am honours at Le Mans 2026
CrowdStrike Racing by APR won the LMP2 Pro-Am classification with George Kurtz, Laurin Heinrich and Alex Quinn. The No. 4 Oreca finished seventh in the overall LMP2 order and capitalised on setbacks for its main Pro-Am rivals.
AO by TF had controlled the opening half of the race with the No. 99 car. However, Dane Cameron went off at Indianapolis with slightly more than nine hours remaining, dropping the entry down the order.
Approximately one hour later, Kevin Estre suffered another incident at the same corner in the No. 14 TDS Racing Oreca. That mistake ended the realistic victory hopes of Estre, Mathias Beche and Tobias Lütke.
Those incidents allowed the No. 183 AF Corse entry of François Perrodo, Ben Barnicoat and Matthieu Vaxivière to recover to second in Pro-Am.
Meanwhile, the ‘Rockie the Pegasus’-themed AO by TF car salvaged third place in the subclass.
Reliability defines a remarkable LMP2 race at the 2026 24 Hours of Le Mans
Despite the demanding pace and several incidents, 17 of the 18 LMP2 starters reached the classification. The No. 3 DKR Engineering Oreca lost several laps while the team repaired suspension damage following early contact involving Sebastián Álvarez. Later, the No. 24 Nielsen Racing entry required an extended pit stop during the final two hours after suffering a broken gearbox compressor cooler.
Nevertheless, only Duqueine failed to finish. Its retirement dramatically changed the direction of the class battle and opened the way for Inter Europol to secure another landmark result.
With its third victory in four years and a one-two finish, the Polish team once again established itself as the leading force in Le Mans’ LMP2 category.
