Inter Europol dominates at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in IMSA thriller
It is a rare thing to see a race result look so clean on paper when the reality behind it was anything but. Tom Dillmann and Jeremy Clarke took the top step for Inter Europol Competition in the No. 43 ORECA LMP2 07, leading the field home at the Chevrolet Grand Prix. While they started first and finished first, the path to victory at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park was a frantic calculation of fuel and nerves.
With over 50 minutes left on the clock, the prospect of a late-race splash for fuel hung over every team in the LMP2 class. Teams were forced to gamble: push hard and commit to the stop, or pray for a yellow flag that would save them the trouble. As the race stayed green, the pressure shifted entirely to the pit wall. The No. 43 crew proved their mettle with a final stop of 34.269 seconds, a masterclass in efficiency that outpaced the 35.470-second stop from their rivals at CrowdStrike Racing by APR.
That difference in the pits was the deciding factor. It gave Dillmann the breathing room he needed to pull away from Alex Quinn, who crossed the line 9.796 seconds back in the No. 04 car shared with George Kurtz. Dane Cameron and PJ Hyett rounded out the podium for AO Racing in their No. 99 entry.
The GT classes were equally defined by the sharpness of the pit crews. Vasser Sullivan Racing put in a stunning performance to guide Jack Hawksworth and Ben Barnicoat to a second consecutive victory in the No. 14 Lexus RC F GT3, continuing their momentum from Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen. They were followed onto the GTD PRO podium by the No. 77 AO Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) and the No. 1 Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3 EVO.
In GTD, Winward Racing finally broke their difficult streak to claim their second win of 2026, matching their early-season glory at the Rolex 24 At Daytona. Philip Ellis was the man of the hour, executing a brilliant move past his rivals after a restart to secure the victory alongside Russell Ward in the No. 57 Mercedes-AMG GT3. Vasser Sullivan Racing’s No. 12 Lexus and the No. 96 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT3 EVO completed the podium, while the No. 4 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Corvette Z06 GT3.R finished as the top-placed Corvette in fourth in GTD PRO.