​Jeremy Clarke and Tom Dillmann earned victory for Inter Europol Competition in the Chevrolet Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. Starting from pole in the #43 ORECA LMP2 07, the duo earned redemption after last year’s missteps, closing with a splash of fuel in the final minutes to clinch the 2 hour 40 minute sprint by 9.796 seconds on the 10-turn, 2.459-mile natural terrain road course.
Dillmann, who endured a severe crash last year that left him with a fractured vertebra and required surgery, finished the race with an emotional result. “Coming into this weekend, it didn’t change me. I want to win every race,” Dillmann said, noting he had already claimed a win at Mosport in 2024. “The fact that I had the problem I did last year didn’t change the desire to win, but this is a cool story. Returning from a back injury to win again, I think without that crash we could have made it three wins in a row here.” CrowdStrike Racing by APR’s George Kurtz and Alex Quinn finished second, while AO Racing’s PJ Hyett and Dane Cameron were third.
In GTD Pro, Vasser Sullivan’s Ben Barnicoat and Jack Hawksworth claimed the class victory, marking back-to-back wins following their success at the previous round at Watkins Glen International. Winward Racing’s Russell Ward and Philip Ellis earned the GTD class win. Clarke led the field to green as the LMP2 cars filled behind, and GTD Pro also had a clean start with Neil Verhagen of Paul Miller Racing making a solid launch from pole.
Early drama arose in the GTD fight for second as Lorenzo Patrese of Conquest Racing attempted a late inside move on Benjamin Pedersen of Vasser Sullivan in Turn 10. The contact was brief but the drivers continued, with Pedersen maintaining second while Patrese slipped to fourth. About ten minutes into the race, Verhagen’s GTD Pro lead faced pressure from Max Esterson of RLL Team McLaren, with Alexander Sims of Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports staying within striking distance in third.
Clarke held a 2-second lead in LMP2 as Dudu Barrichello, leading the GTD class for Heart of Racing, stood 0.44 seconds ahead of the field. The race’s first caution arrived when John Farano of Tower Motorsports went wide and off course in Turn 3, sustaining damage to the right-front of his #8 ORECA LMP2 07 and ultimately forcing him to retire behind the wall.
Clarke led the field to the restart with 2 hours and 20 minutes remaining, pulling a few car-lengths ahead of second-place Misha Goikhberg of Bryan Herta Autosport with PR1/Mathiasen. Pit stops began about 13 minutes later, with AO Racing’s PJ Hyett the first to dive in for service, though no driver change occurred. Barrichello’s GTD lead was affected by a slow stop, allowing Pedersen to assume the top spot in GTD.
As the race progressed toward the final stages, the Inter Europol pairing maintained a strong rhythm, ultimately sealing the victory in an in-race fuel strategy gambit that paid off in the closing minutes. The result underscored a strong run for Clarke and Dillmann, who converted pole into a dominant performance and earned a storied triumph at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.