Inter Europol Competition have confirmed that Jakub (Kuba) Śmiechowski will be joined by Fabio Scherer and Albert Costa Balboa for the seven-round 2023 FIA World Endurance Championship.
It will be the team’s third year of LMP2 competition in the WEC.
Śmiechowski has competed in the class since 2021 while Scherer steps up from an impressive European Le Mans Series programme last year. Two victories in the WEC from 2021 (with United Autosports) underline his raw pace.
Costa is new both to the team and the series after a spell as a Lamborghini Squadra Corse factory GT driver. His racing cv includes too titles in Formula Renault, Mégane Trophy Eurocup, and International GT Open.
Most recently, the Platinum-graded Spanish racer has competed in ADAC GT Masters and the GT World Challenge Endurance Cup with Emil Frey Racing, securing his most recent victory at Zandvoort last year.
Since joining the FIA World Endurance Championship, Inter Europol Competition has completed all but two of the 12 rounds and finished in the top five in 50 per cent of those races.
With a new look and a Platinum, Gold, and Silver driver line-up, the 2023 season gets underway at Sebring in early March, with the centenary edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans in its traditional mid-June slot and concludes once again in November at the Bahrain International Circuit.
Sascha Fassbender, Team Manager
“It’s our third season in WEC as a team and also for Kuba. We have done a lot of work over the winter to prepare for the season ahead and we have two new teammates in Fabio and Albert. We’re very excited to have them as a pairing and delighted for Albert in this, a new chapter, of his career in Prototypes. It’s great also to continue the work with Fabio who drove for us in the ELMS last year; to create a strong WEC season three for us, our last in LMP2. We want to be on the podium and win a few races!”
Fabio Scherer
“I’m really excited about the WEC programme and it’s great to move up to the series following a season with the team in European Le Mans. Last year we made great improvements as a team, even moving from the back of the field to the front at Spa Francorchamps. We proved we have good speed in the car, we built great momentum, and everyone was pushing so hard together. So, it’s great to be staying with the team and I still think we have a great deal of further potential to exploit. It’s exciting and I think we’ll have a competitive year ahead as we fight for podiums and make the best use of the momentum gained in 2022. That’s the target.”
Albert Costa
“For me, this is a fantastic step, to race in the FIA World Endurance Championship with Inter Europol Competition and the LMP2 car is a dream come true! Since I started racing, it’s always been my ambition to race in Prototypes, so I can’t wait to get started and to learn as much as I can and enjoy this chapter in my life. Thank you to the team for giving me this opportunity, and I will do my best to repay the faith they have taken in me!”
