Nick Boulle and Tom Dillmann recorded the team’s first victory in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship at the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park this month. It was a dominant performance, with Nick moving quickly to the front of the field, pulling a margin and putting Tom in the best possible position to capitalise on the position and pace from the #52 Oreca.
The victory, by less than a second, followed up from the team’s first podium position, secured a few weeks earlier at Watkins Glen. Heading to Road America this week, the team is second in the standings with 1296, just 12 shy of the title leaders. Full report here>>
Recognising the massive contribution that Bronze-graded drivers make to the series, IMSA runs the Jim Trueman Award. As well as the accolade itself, the winning driver also earns the team a place on the grid for the 24 Hours of Le Mans, so for Nick to be second, 20 points away from the leader, is very special. He will be going all out again this week in the #52.
Heading to Road America
The second IMSA race in a month takes place this weekend at Road America, Wisconsin. It’s a great track, too, at over six kilometres in length, high speed, elevation changes and a firm driver favourite.
The Inter Europol by PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports driver pairing of Nick Boulle and Tom Dillmann have momentum on their side after a dominant performance at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, but despite their combined wealth of experience, it’s a new circuit to both!
Friday 2 August
14:55 – 16:25 Free Practice 1
Saturday 3 August
10:55 – 12:25 Free Practice 2
17:20 – 18:25 Qualifying
Sunday 4 August
15:10 – 17:50 IMSA Sports Car Weekend (160 minutes)
*All times listed as ET - More detail here>> and the races are now all live and for free on YouTube outside of the US.
Nick Boulle on the IMSA challenge and more…
Heading to Road America, Nick is in the limelight, not just for his impressive season to date but also for his championship position with teammates Tom Dillmann and Kuba Smiechowski, the Jim Trueman Award, and his race debut at the Wisconsin circuit! He talks us through the past, present, and future.
Q) Nick, it’s turning into quite a season with Inter Europol by PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports. You have moved to the front in your opening stints in every race, helping the team achieve success last time out at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. Tell us about the race win and the season to date.
“What a special result—especially to win an IMSA race overall. I’m still excited about it, and I hope we can take that momentum to Road America. It felt really good to ‘get the monkey off our back’, if you will, and finally score a win with the crew.
“I have to say that I did not realise I was out front until the first caution. I thought I was chasing P1, so I definitely relaxed after that!
“The season has progressed really well so far, and I think we are all getting more and more comfortable working together and hopefully we can continue to get stronger. The team has been working so hard to make it come together over the past few races and it seems we have made a step in those crucial pressure race decisions.”
Q) The team is second in the standings ahead of Road America, one of the classics on the IMSA race calendar. This is a new circuit for you, so tell me about your preparations for this event, given the clear expectations.
“Road America will be new! I have to say this is an area where having such a strong teammate in Tom Dillmann has been a massive help. I don’t get to drive very often due to work commitments between our jewellery stores and work events, so being able to lean on him for advice and some help has been massive. I can work on the sim in my free time and get a lot out of it that way so that I don’t show up completely blind.
“Hopefully, this hard work pays off, and we are fast out of the box for Road America.”
Q) As the team’s bronze-rated driver, the Jim Trueman Award recognises your impressive contributions to the IMSA campaign. You’re second in this mini battle, and were you to win it, is Le Mans 2025 on the radar?
“100%! My goal has always been to be able to go to Le Mans and fight for a class victory. My hope is we can have a strong result this year in IMSA and show up next year at Le Mans with a chance at victory!
“It won’t be easy; I need to juggle my first priority, which is always our family business. I am still staying fit and race-ready throughout the year, but hopefully, we are all pushing hard enough for a few more results on the top step of the podium soon.”
Q) It’s the time of the season where drivers look ahead to the conclusion of the current campaign. There can only be one objective for you now, tell us about the final rounds ahead, the Michelin Endurance Cup and the race for the title.
“There is a lot to be excited for this year… We have three special races ahead – Road America is a special challenge in that it feels like you are going somewhere as you race around the track.
“After that, Indianapolis – the name speaks for itself… Winning at the Brick Yard would be dream come true. And for Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta – this track is so special. I have driven there once, and it is such high commitment. I am super excited to drive there in a P2 car. I’m already imagining turn 1 in qualifying…!
“As for the title race, I am trying to stay focused on getting all of the details right in every session. At the end of the day, that is all I can control—my part of the race and making sure Tom and Kuba get a car they can race hard and finish with.
“They’ve both been super supportive of my learning as I get more comfortable with the car and have so much experience for me to learn from that I have really enjoyed every session. I build up maybe a bit slowly in terms of pace, but I feel like I am finding my footing sooner now by the time the race comes.
“Now we got to put it all on the line for the last few races and try to end on top!”
