ELMS Spa-Francorchamps Review: Victory for Inter Europol as Championship Standings Tighten

Inter Europol Competition broke their long-standing win drought in dramatic fashion at the 4 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, as Jakub Smiechowski, Nick Yelloly, and Tom Dillmann executed a flawless drive through a chaotic fourth round of the 2026 European Le Mans Series. In front of an event-record crowd of over 33,500 spectators in the Belgian Ardennes, the Polish squad navigated safety cars, track-limits penalties, and relentless pressure to claim a long-awaited victory.

Starting from second on the grid behind pole-sitter Valerio Rinicella in the #18 IDEC Sport ORECA, Inter Europol spent the early phase of the race keeping out of trouble. Jamie Chadwick took the wheel of the #18 IDEC entry for the opening stint, expertly maintaining the lead through a frantic opening hour disrupted by multiple Full Course Yellows and Safety Car deployments. While much of the LMP2 field picked up track-limits warnings or became tangled in skirmishes across the notoriously punishing 7-kilometer layout, the #43 Inter Europol crew avoided every pitfall.

The defining moment of the race came during a swift pit stop strategy in the second hour. Inter Europol vaulted their #43 ORECA 07 Gibson into an effective lead as the pit window cycled through. Nick Yelloly took over and established a comfortable margin before handing the car to Tom Dillmann for the final stint. Dillmann absorbed immense pressure late in the race from Vector Sport’s Pietro Fittipaldi, who had closed in on fresher Goodyear rubber on an alternate strategy.

While Vector Sport crossed the line just under four seconds behind the #43 car in what looked like a remarkable second-place finish, post-race scrutiny brought heartbreak for the British team. Driver Vladislav Lomko had pitted one lap late at the end of the third hour, leaving Fittipaldi short of his required minimum drive time by 1 minute and 15 seconds. The resulting time penalty demoted Vector Sport out of the podium positions down to 17th.

The post-race penalty reshuffled the overall podium behind Inter Europol. Championship leaders Forestier Racing by Panis—piloted by Louis Rousset, Esteban Masson, and Oliver Gray—were promoted to second place. The result moves the French squad back into a joint lead of the LMP2 drivers’ championship alongside United Autosports’ #22 crew (Grégoire Saucy, Griffin Peebles, and Ben Hanley), with both teams tied on 70 points.

Third place overall was inherited by pole-sitters IDEC Sport. For Jamie Chadwick, Valerio Rinicella, and Laurents Hörr, the result represented a well-deserved breakthrough—their first podium finish of the 2026 season following three consecutive fourth-place finishes in Barcelona, Paul Ricard, and Imola. The haul of points elevates the #18 crew to third in the championship standings.

The sub-classes delivered equal intensity. In LMP2 Pro/Am, AF Corse secured class victory with the #83 ORECA driven by François Perrodo, Matthieu Vaxiviere, and Antonio Fuoco, moving them into a tie at the top of the Pro/Am standings with Algarve Pro Racing. In LMP3, CLX Motorsport took their second consecutive class win in the #17 Ligier after the #5 Rinaldi Team entry was disqualified post-race for a fuel capacity violation. Finally, LMGT3 honors went to GR Racing, with Mike Wainwright, Mex Jansen, and Lorcan Hanafin taking a hard-earned victory in their #86 Ferrari.

With four rounds complete, the 2026 ELMS title fights across all four classes remain finely poised as the championship prepares to head to the UK for the Goodyear 4 Hours of Silverstone on September 13.