Inter Europol Competition is planning to enter the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in 2024 in addition to continuing its participation in the European Le Mans Series.
The Polish team currently participates in the FIA World Endurance Championship, however due to the popularity of Hypercar and LMGT3, the LMP2 class will be eliminated from the grid for the upcoming season.
Inter Europol will continue to participate in LMP2 and LMP3 in the ELMS, according to team principal Sascha Fassbender and will also make a comeback to IMSA-sanctioned racing for the very first time in a little over four years.
The focus of its LMP2 campaign will still be Silver-rated driver Jakub “Kuba” Smiechowski who is the son of team owner Wojciech Smiechowski, despite the necessity to sign a Bronze driver in order to conform to WeatherTech Championship rules.
The last time Inter Europol participated in a race in the United States was in 2020, and the team placed third in its class at the Motul Petit Le Mans and fourth at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring.
“We will do ELMS and at least the four long-distance races in IMSA, maybe a full IMSA program,” said Fassbender. “I am talking at the moment with the Bronze [drivers] which is the base.
“I am talking with different Bronzes. But I am starting after Le Mans – now I’m starting to prepare for next year. But from the team’s side, the direction is IMSA.
“We will do Daytona with Kuba because it’s missing for him now after winning Le Mans.
“Kuba will do ELMS as well if he stays Silver. We are building a program around [him].
“The setup will be ELMS with two LMP2s. I would love to have two LMP3s but I do not believe I will get the second LMP3 entry back that I lost this year.”
The Asian Le Mans Series is another target for Inter Europol. The Asian season will begin on Dec. 2-3 at Sepang in Malaysia under the new calendar before moving west to Dubai and Abu Dhabi for three races in February.
At the end of January, when the WeatherTech Championship season begins, Fassbender believes it will be able to take charge of the new Sepang Asian LMS event and a debut in the Rolex 24 at Daytona.
“It depends on the whole program, what we are doing,” he said. “Our structure is ready to be there and there. We do it [in WEC] as well: we have the containers already loaded and nothing from Monza goes to Fuji.
“The structure is there. I can send one container to the U.S. and one to Sepang.”
Inter Europol is one of several European LMP2 teams interested in competing in the WeatherTech Championship, which has recently attracted a lot of attention from abroad.
Algarve Pro Racing, TDS Racing, and High Class Racing are currently on the LMP2 grid while AF Corse has participated in several of this season’s Michelin Endurance Cup events. Additionally, United Autosports recently disclosed that besides its ELMS program, it will move its WEC LMP2 program to the WeatherTech Championship in 2024.
After winning the LMP2 category at last month’s 24 Hours of Le Mans, Inter Europol began making plans for the 2024 season. However, those results are still tentative pending the outcome of an FIA and ACO inquiry into impounded parts.
The electronic control unit from the No. 34 Oreca was taken during post-race inspections, however it was later recovered and used in the 6 Hours of Monza WEC event.
Though it is unknown when that will occur or what the FIA and ACO’s ultimate decision will be, it is believed that the wiring harness is the only component that has not yet been returned.
“For us there is no cloud hanging because we know we are safe,” Fassbender was confident of the ongoing process. “I don’t know what you can manipulate on the loom.
“I understand checking ECUs because they manage the power and fuel, but with a loom, I have really no doubts.”
Inter Europol drivers Smiechowski, Fabio Scherer and Albert Costa are ten points behind the No. 41 Team WRT team in the WEC standings with two races remaining.
