Inter Europol Competition Dominates Final Practice at Barcelona
Barcelona, Spain — Inter Europol Competition claimed the top two spots in Free Practice 2 for the European Le Mans Series season opener at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. The session highlighted the team’s performance ahead of qualifying.
Defending pole sitter Reshad De Gerus led with a lap time of 1:29.622, surpassing teammate Tom Dillmann, who previously held the fastest time at 1:30.072. The #34 ORECA 07 – Gibson LMP2 entry showcased impressive speed and precision, reaffirming the team’s competitive edge.
Top Results:
- #34 Inter Europol Competition – Reshad De Gerus – 1:29.622
- #43 Inter Europol Competition – Tom Dillmann – 1:30.072
- #18 IDEC Sport ORECA
- #25 Algarve Pro Racing
- #29 Forestier Racing by Panis
- #28 IDEC Sport ORECA
Besting the LMP2 Pro/Am category, the #83 AF Corse ORECA driven by Matthieu Vaxiviere secured seventh overall with a time of 1:30.584, leading ahead of Rossa Racing by Virage’s Rik Koen.
In the LMP3 class, Max van der Snel clocked 1:40.465 in the #11 Ligier JS P325 – Toyota, 0.273 seconds ahead of Chun Ting Chou.
LMP3 Results:
- #11 Eurointernational – Max van der Snel – 1:40.465
- #13 Inter Europol Competition – Chun Ting Chou
- #17 CLX Motorsport Ligier
- #5 Rinaldi Racing Ligier
- #8 Team Virage Ligier
For the LMGT3, Valentin Hasse-Clot drove the #59 Racing Spirit of Leman Aston Martin Vantage AMR to a session-best of 1:41.610. Despite a late challenge from Laurin Heinrich in the #54 High Class Racing Porsche, Hasse-Clot maintained a narrow lead.
LMGT3 Results:
- #59 Racing Spirit of Leman – Valentin Hasse-Clot – 1:41.610
- #54 High Class Racing – Laurin Heinrich
- #74 Kessel Racing
- #75 Proton Competition
- #63 Iron Lynx Mercedes-AMG
The practice session was marred by two red flags caused by oil spills and an incident involving the #51 AF Corse Ferrari 296 LMGT3 Evo, which sustained significant damage after contact with an LMP2 car. Teams are currently working intensively to ensure participation in qualifying, scheduled for 15:05 CEST.
Quotes:
- Reshad De Gerus remarked, “We’ve found a great balance and I’m confident for qualifying and the race ahead.”
- Matthieu Vaxiviere commented on the competitiveness, saying, “The Pro/Am battle is tight; every lap counts.”
As teams finalize setups for the 4 Hours of Barcelona, the anticipation builds for today’s qualifying session.
