Jakub Śmiechowski

Jakub Śmiechowski
Born	Jakub Jerzy Śmiechowski (1991-10-11) October 11, 1991 Poland
Other names	Kuba Śmiechowski
Occupation(s)	Racing driver, team principal
Years active	2009–present
Known for	Winning the LMP2 class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans twice

Jakub Jerzy "Kuba" Śmiechowski (born 11 October 1991) is a professional racing driver from Poland, recognized for winning the LMP2 class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans twice. He is actively competing in the 2025 European Le Mans Series and the 2025 edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, representing Inter Europol Competition, where he also holds the position of team principal.

Early career

Śmiechowski's motorsport journey began with karting before making his single-seater debut in the 2009 Italian Formula Renault championship with Kochanski Motorsport, participating in three race weekends. The following year, he advanced to the Formula Renault Northern European Cup (NEC), finishing seventh overall while driving for Kochanski. In 2011, he joined his family-run team, Inter Europol Competition, returning to NEC and concluding the season in twelfth place. However, his performance declined over the subsequent two seasons, placing 25th in 2012 and dropping further to 39th in 2013. Simultaneously in 2013, Śmiechowski secured the Remus Formula Renault 2.0 Cup title by winning all six races he contested.

In 2014, he shifted focus to the BOSS GP series with Inter Europol, competing in the Open class behind the wheel of a Dallara GP2/05. His campaign included two victories and eleven podium finishes, culminating in winning the championship. The next year saw him move up to the Formula class within BOSS GP, where he claimed second place overall with five wins.

ELMS and V de V Endurance split

Śmiechowski transitioned to sportscar racing in 2016, joining forces with Jens Petersen in the LMP3 division of the European Le Mans Series (ELMS). Their best result was a fifth-place finish at Algarve International Circuit, which contributed to a tenth-place finish in the championship standings. He experienced greater triumphs in the V de V Challenge series that year, capturing the LMP3 title alongside Martin Hippe.

In 2017, both Śmiechowski and Inter Europol competed again in ELMS and V de V. They achieved improved outcomes including a first podium at Circuit Paul Ricard (Le Castellet), finishing fifth overall in ELMS with Hippe as co-driver. In the V de V Endurance Series, Śmiechowski successfully defended his title by securing four podiums and two wins alongside Hendrik Still. Additionally, he earned second place in the LMP3 category of the GT & Prototype Challenge during that season.

For the 2018 ELMS campaign, Śmiechowski continued his partnership with Hippe at Inter Europol. The team recorded its inaugural class victory at Portimão and added a podium finish at Red Bull Ring, ultimately placing second overall in LMP3. This year also marked Śmiechowski’s final participation in V de V, where he concluded fifth with one win. Transitioning to the Asian Le Mans Series (AsLMS) for 2018–19, he and Hippe achieved two wins and two runner-up finishes en route to claiming the championship title and earning an entry into the 2019 24 Hours of Le Mans.

First LMP2 years

Śmiechowski stepped up to LMP2 competition in 2019 with Inter Europol during the European Le Mans Series season. The No. 34 entry faced challenges throughout the year, with a best race result of twelfth place and finishing seventeenth in the team standings. At Le Mans that year, Śmiechowski partnered with Nigel Moore and James Winslow; despite technical difficulties with their Ligier JS P217 car, they managed to complete the race in sixteenth position within LMP2.

During the winter of 2019–20, Inter Europol returned to compete in LMP2 at the Asian Le Mans Series. Despite strengthening their lineup by adding seasoned LMP2 driver Mathias Beche alongside Winslow, Śmiechowski and his teammates finished fifth overall, narrowly trailing their sister Inter Europol entry.

In the abbreviated 2020 ELMS season, Śmiechowski raced alongside René Binder and Matevos Isaakyan; Mathias Beche was initially planned but did not participate. Their strongest performances occurred at Circuit Paul Ricard with seventh and sixth-place finishes, resulting in a twelfth-place finish in the championship standings. Additionally, Śmiechowski took part in the 2020 24 Hours of Le Mans alongside his ELMS teammates, finishing seventeenth in class. He also made his debut in the IMSA SportsCar Championship that year by competing in two events driving an Oreca 07 prototype.

WEC campaigns and Le Mans triumphs

Prior to the 2021 season, Inter Europol officially entered the FIA World Endurance Championship full-time, running a single Oreca 07 driven by Śmiechowski, Cadillac factory driver Renger van der Zande, and Alex Brundle. The squad demonstrated steady performance throughout the year, securing top-five finishes in all but one event, including a fourth-place result at Monza and fifth at Le Mans, ultimately ranking fifth in the team championship.

In the 2022 campaign, Śmiechowski assumed the role of team principal and competed alongside Brundle and former Formula One driver Esteban Gutiérrez. The year proved difficult due to technical failures and accidents; nevertheless, a notable highlight was their fourth-place finish at Monza. Despite moments of promise, the team concluded the season 11th in the LMP2 classification.

For the 2023 season, Śmiechowski teamed up with ex-Lamborghini factory racer Albert Costa and third-year LMP2 competitor Fabio Scherer. Early points finishes signaled progress, culminating in a podium at Spa. Their defining achievement occurred at Le Mans, where they secured victory despite obstacles such as Scherer's foot injury and communication difficulties. Consistent performances throughout the remainder of the season earned them second place in the overall standings.

In 2024, Śmiechowski scaled back to focus on endurance events within the IMSA SportsCar Championship Endurance Cup rounds. His teammates Tom Dillmann and Nick Boulle clinched the overall LMP2 championship, with Śmiechowski contributing podium finishes at Watkins Glen and Indianapolis. Additionally, he successfully defended his Le Mans title alongside Clément Novalak and Vladislav Lomko, finishing runner-up despite facing setbacks.

Returning full-time in 2025 to the European Le Mans Series, Śmiechowski partnered with Dillmann and Nick Yelloly. After experiencing a mechanical issue at Barcelona, they rebounded to secure second place in class at Paul Ricard. During the 2025 24 Hours of Le Mans, despite on-track incidents and penalties, they capitalized on rivals' misfortunes to claim their second Le Mans victory. This was followed by a runner-up finish at Imola. Moreover, Śmiechowski made his debut in the Nordschleife series during this year.

Career summary

Season	Series	Team	Races	Wins	Poles	Fastest laps	Podiums	Points	Final position
2009	Formula Renault 2.0 Italy	Kochanski Motorsport Project	6	0	0	0	0	29	21st
2010	Formula Renault 2.0 NEC	Kochanski Motorsport	19	0	0	0	0	193	7th
	Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0		4	0	0	0	0	0	NC†
2011	Formula Renault 2.0 NEC	Inter Europol Competition	20	0	0	0	0	121	12th
	Formula 2000 Light Winter Trophy		2	0	0	0	1	36	4th
2012	Formula Renault 2.0 NEC	Inter Europol Competition	19	0	0	0	0	75	25th
2013	Formula Renault 2.0 NEC	Inter Europol Competition	15	0	0	0	0	15	39th
	Remus Formula Renault 2.0 Cup	Inter Europol Competition	6	'–'|'–'|'–'|'150'|'style="background:#FFFFBF;"' 1st
2014	BOSS GP - Open	Inter Europol Competition	'2'|'1'|'0'|'11'|'276'|'style="background:#FFFFBF;"' 1st
	Central European Zone Championship E2-2000	'?'|'?'|'?'|'?'|'112'|'style="background:#FFDF9F;"' 3rd
	Remus F3 Cup	'3'|'?'|'3'|'7'|'156'|'style="background:#DFDFDF;"' 2nd
2015	BOSS GP - Formula Class	Inter Europol Competition	'5'|'3'|'5'|'14'|'277'|'style="background:#DFDFDF;"' 2nd
	Remus F3 Cup	'2'|'2'|'2'|'4'|'121'|'4th'
	Central European Zone Championship E2-2000	'?'|'?'|'?'|'?'|'193'|'style="background:#DFDFDF;"' 2nd
	Austrian Circuit Championships - Division 1	'?'|'?'|'?'|'?'|'227'|'style="background:#DFDFDF;"' 2nd
	ESET V4 Cup - Formula	'?'|'?'|'?'|'?'|'127'|'style="background:#DFDFDF;"' 2nd
2016	Challenge Endurance LMP3 LMP2 V de V	Inter Europol Competition	"5"|"3"|"0"|"6"|"294.5" style="background:#FFFFBF;" 1st
	"European Le Mans Series - LMP3"	"0"|"0"|"0"|"0"|"24.5"|12th
2017	"V de V Endurance Series - LMP3"	"rowspan=3" align=left Inter Europol Competition	"2"|"0"|"0"|"4"|"218.5"| style="background:#FFFFBF;" 1st
	"European Le Mans Series - LMP3"	"0"|"0"|"0"|"1"|"56"|5th
	"GT & Prototype Challenge - LMP3"	"4"|"6"|"6"|"9"|208 style="background:#DFDFDF;" 2nd
2018	rowspan=2 align=left Inter Europol Competition|"6"|1|"0"| " " " "| " " " "|70.25 style=background:#DFDFDF; 2nd |- |- "V de V Endurance Series - LMP3"|7|"1"| " " " "| " " " "|145.5"|5th |- ! rowspan=2 |2018–19 |- FIA World Endurance Championship - LMP2 |- Asian Le Mans Series - LMP3 |- Inter Europol Competition |- Inter Europol Competition |- 1 |- 4 |- 0 |- 2 |- 87 |- NC† |- style=background:#FFFFBF; 1st |- ! rowspan=2 |2019 |- European Le Mans Series - LMP2 |- 24 Hours of Le Mans - LMP2 |- Inter Europol Competition |- Inter Europol Competition |- 6 |- 1 |- 28 |- N/A |- 28th |- 16th |- ! rowspan=2 |2019–20 |- FIA World Endurance Championship - LMP2 |- Asian Le Mans Series - LMP2 |- Inter Europol Competition |- Inter Europol Endurance |- 1 |- 4 |- NC† |- 28 |- NC† is non-classified as a guest driver, ineligible for points. ! rowspan=3 |2020 ! European Le Mans Series - LMP2 ! IMSA SportsCar Championship - LMP2 ! 24 Hours of Le Mans - LMP2 ! Inter Europol Competition ! Inter Europol Competition ! Inter Europol Competition ! 5 ! 2 ! 1 ! 15.5 ! 58 ! N/A !16th !11th !17th ! rowspan=2 |2021 ! FIA World Endurance Championship - LMP2 !24 Hours of Le Mans - LMP2 !Inter Europol Competition !Inter Europol Competition !6 !1 !84 !N/A !6th !5th ! rowspan=2 |2022 ! FIA World Endurance Championship - LMP2 !24 Hours of Le Mans - LMP2 !Inter Europol Competition !Inter Europol Competition !6 !1 !20 !N/A !15th !13th ! rowspan=2 |2023 ! FIA World Endurance Championship - LMP2 !24 Hours of Le Mans - LMP2 !Inter Europol Competition !Inter Europol Competition !7 !1 !114 !"N/A !"style=\"background:#DFDFDF;\" 2nd" !"style=\"background:#FFFFBF;\"1st" |- rowspan=3 |2024	IMSA SportsCar Championship - LMP2	Inter Europol by PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports	5	0	0	0	2	1581	17th	-	24 Hours of Le Mans - LMP2	Inter Europol Competition	1	0	0	0	1	N/A	style=\"background:#dfdfdf;\" 2nd	} * Current season. † Guest entry without points eligibility. Full Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 Results (key) (Races highlighted in bold denote pole position; those in italics represent the fastest lap) Year Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Final Position Points 2010 Kochanski Motorsport ALC 1 ALC 2 SPA 1 SPA 2 BRN 1 BRN 2 MAG 1 MAG 2 HUN 1 HUN 2 HOC 1 16 HOC 2 13 SIL 1 SIL 2 CAT 1 16 CAT 2 Ret NC† 0 2011 Inter Europol Competition ALC 1 ALC 2 SPA 1 22 SPA 2 17 NÜR 1 NÜR 2 HUN 1 HUN 2 SIL 1 SIL 2 {{small|} † Smiechowski participated as a guest driver and was therefore not eligible to score points. Complete Formula Renault 2.0 NEC Results (key) (Entries in bold signify pole position; entries in italics indicate fastest lap) Year Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Final Standing Points 2010 Kochanski Motorsport style="background:#DFFFDF;" |7 style="background:#FFDF9F;" |4 style="background:#DFFFDF;" |20 style="background:#DFFFDF;" |20 style="background:#DFFFDF;" |7 style="background:#DFFFDF;" |9 style="background:#DFFFDF;" |6 style="background:#DFFFDF;" |6 style="background:#DFFFDF;" |8 style="background:#DFFFDF;" |11 style="background:#DFFFDF;" |9 style="background:#EFCFFF;" |Ret style="background:#DFFFDF;" |17 style="background:#DFFFDF;" |22 style="background:#EFCFFF;" |Ret style="background:#EFCFFF;" |Ret style="background:#DFFFDF;" |16 style="background:#DFFFDF;" |9 style="background:#DFFFDF;" |9 style="background:#FFFFFF;" |C 7th 193 2011 Inter Europol Competition style="background:#DFFFDF;" |8 style="background:#EFCFFF;" |Ret style="background:#DFFFDF;" |7 style="background:#DFFFDF;" |22 style="background:#DFFFDF;" |17 style="background:#EFCFFF;" |Ret style="background:#DFFFDF;" |14 style="background:#DFFFDF;" |11 style="background:#EFCFFF;" |Ret style="background:#DFFFDF;" |8 style="background:#DFFFDF;" |19 style="background:#DFFFDF;" |15 style="background:#DFFFDF;" |14 style="background:#DFFFDF;" |15 style="background:#DFFFDF;" |16 style="background:#EFCFFF;" |Ret style="background:#DFFFDF;" |13 style="background:#EFCFFF;" |Ret style="background:#DFFFDF;" |18 style="background:#DFFFDF;" |17 12th 121 2012 Inter Europol Competition style="background:#DFFFDF;" |9 style="background:#EFCFFF;" |Ret style:" background: #dfffd f" | 16 15 DNS 22 10 13 23 16 19 17 27 19 19 13 Ret 11 Ret 10 25th 75 2013 Inter Europol Competition 20 22 31 18 23 DNS 20 13 21 24 19 Ret DNS 25 21 Ret C 40th 15 Full BOSS GP Results (key) (Events in bold denote pole position) (Events in italics signify fastest lap) Year Team Category 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Final Position Points Accumulated 2014 Inter Europol Competition Open Class HOC 1 1 HOC 2 12 MUG 1 4 MUG 2 2 RBR 1 5 RBR 2 5 MNZ 1 Ret MNZ 2 3 ZAN 1 2 ZAN 2 3 BRN 1 3 BRN 2 3 IMO 1 1 IMO 2 2 LEC 1 2 LEC 2 2 1st Overall 276 Points 2015 Inter Europol Competition Formula Class HOC 1 2 HOC 2 3 LEC 1 3 LEC 2 3 MNZ 1 2 MNZ 2 2 ZOL 1 1 ZOL 2 1 ASS 1 1 ASS 2 2 BRN 1 2 BRN 2 2 DIJ 1 1 DIJ 2 1 2nd Place Overall 277 Points Complete European Le Mans Series Performance Year Team Name Category Vehicle Model Engine Type Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Round 4 Round 5 Round 6 Final Standing Points Earned 2017 2018 2019 2020 2025* 2016 Inter Europol Competition LMP3 Category Ligier JS P3 (Nissan VK50VE) 5.0 L V8 style= "background: #EFCFFF;" Did Not Finish style= "background: #DFFFDF;" 15th Place style= "background: #EFCFFF;" Did Not Finish style= "background: #DFFFDF;" 7th Place style= "background: #DFFFDF;" 6th Place style= "background: #DFFFDF;" 5th Place 12th Overall 24.5 Points Inter Europol Competition LMP3 Category Ligier JS P3 (Nissan VK50VE) 5.0 L V8 6th Place 6th Place 5th Place Runner-up (2nd) 4th Place Retired (DNF) 5th Place Overall 56 Points Inter Europol Competition LMP3 Category Ligier JS P3 (Nissan VK50VE) 5.0 L V8 6th Position 4th Position Third Place (3rd) 5th Position 12th Position Winner (1st) Second Place (2nd) 70.25 Points Inter Europol Competition LMP2 Category Ligier JS P217 (Gibson GK428) 4.2 L V8 15th Position 13th Position Did Not Finish 14th Position 12th Position Did Not Finish 28th Overall 2 Points Inter Europol Competition LMP2 Category Ligier JS P217 (Gibson GK428) 4.2 L V8 7th Position 11th Position 6th Position 12th Position Did Not Finish 16th Position 15.5 Points Inter Europol Competition LMP2 Category Oreca 07 (Gibson GK428) 4.2 L V8 10th Position Second Place Second Place - - - Third Overall* 38 Points* Current season ongoing. Asian Le Mans Series Complete Results (key) (Pole positions are highlighted in bold; fastest laps are shown in italics) Season Team Category Vehicle Power Unit Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Round 4 Final Standing Total Points 2018–19 Inter Europol Competition LMP3 Ligier JS P3 Nissan VK50 5.0 L V8 SHA 1st FUJ 2nd BUR 2nd SEP 1st Champion 87 2019–20 Inter Europol Endurance LMP2 Ligier JS P217 Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 SHA 4th BEN Retired SEP 5th BUR 7th 5th Overall 28 FIA World Endurance Championship Full Results (key) (Bold indicates pole position; italics denote fastest lap) Season Entry Category Chassis Model Engine Type Race 1 Race 2 Race 3 Race 4 Race 5 Race 6 Race 7 Race 8 Final Rank Points Accumulated 2018–19 Inter Europol Competition LMP2 Ligier JS P217 Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 SPA LMS SIL FUJ SHA SEB SPA LMS NC† 0 2019–20 Inter Europol Competition LMP2 Ligier JS P217 Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 SIL FUJ SHA BHR COA style="" | SPA style="background:#EFCFFF;" | LMS style="" |BHR NC† 0 Inter Europol Competition LMP2 Oreca 07 Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 style= "background: #DFFFDF;" |SPA style= "background: #DFFFDF;" |ALG style= "background: #DFFFDF;" |MNZ style= "background: #FFDF9F;" |LMS style= "background: #DFFFDF;" |BHR style= "background: #DFFFDF;" |BHR !6th - Inter Europol Competition LMP2 Oreca 07 Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 style= "background: #CFCFFF; "|SEB style= "background: #EFCFFF; "|SPA style= "background: #DFFFDF; "|LMS style= "background: #DFFFDF; "|MNZ style= "background: #CFCFFF; "|FUJ style= "background: #CFCFFF; "|BHR - Inter Europol Competition LMP2 Oreca 07 Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 style= "background: #FFDF9F; "|SEB style= "background: #DFFFDF; "|PRT style= "background: #FFDF9F; "|SPA style= "background: #FFFFBF; "|LMS style= "background: #DFFFDF; "|MNZ style= "background: #DFFFDF; "|FUJ style= "background: #DFFFDF; "|BHR Runner-up !!114 |-|} * Current season ongoing. Full 24 Hours of Le Mans results Year Team Co-Drivers Vehicle Category Completed Laps Overall Position Position in Class 2019 Template:Country data POLTemplate:Namespace detect showall Inter Europol Competition Template:Country data GBRTemplate:Namespace detect showall Nigel Moore Template:Country data GBRTemplate:Namespace detect showall James Winslow Ligier JS P217-Gibson LMP2 325 45th 16th 2020 Template:Country data POLTemplate:Namespace detect showall Inter Europol Competition Template:Country data AUTTemplate:Namespace detect showall René Binder Template:Country data RUSTemplate:Namespace detect showall Matevos Isaakyan Ligier JS P217-Gibson LMP2 316 42nd 17th 2021 Template:Country data POLTemplate:Namespace detect showall Inter Europol Competition Template:Country data GBRTemplate:Namespace detect showall Alex Brundle Template:Country data NEDTemplate:Namespace detect showall Renger van der Zande Oreca 07-Gibson LMP2 360 10th 5th 2022 Template:Country data POLTemplate:Namespace detect showall Inter Europol Competition Template:Country data GBRTemplate:Namespace detect showall Alex Brundle Template:Country data MEXTemplate:Namespace detect showall Esteban Gutiérrez Oreca 07-Gibson LMP2 360 17th 13th 2023 Template:Country data POLTemplate:Namespace detect showall Inter Europol Competition Template:Country data ESPTemplate:Namespace detect showall Albert Costa Template:Country data CHETemplate:Namespace detect showall Fabio Scherer Oreca 07-Gibson LMP2 328 9th 1st 2024 Template:Country data POLTemplate:Namespace detect showall Inter Europol Competition Template:Country data GRDTemplate:Namespace detect showall Vladislav Lomko Template:Country data FRATemplate:Namespace detect showall Clément Novalak Oreca 07-Gibson LMP2 297 16th 2nd 2025 Template:Country data POLTemplate:Namespace detect showall Inter Europol Competition Template:Country data FRATemplate:Namespace detect showall Tom Dillmann Template:Country data GBRTemplate:Namespace detect showall Nick Yelloly Oreca 07-Gibson LMP2 367 18th '1st' Full IMSA SportsCar Championship results (key) (Bold indicates pole position; italics signify fastest lap) Year Entrant Name Category Car Model Engine Type Race 1 Race 2 Race 3 Race 4 Race 5 Race 6 Race 7 Final Ranking Accumulated Points 2020 Inter Europol Competition LMP2 Oreca 07 Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 11th 58 2024 Inter Europol by PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports LMP2 Oreca 07 Gibson GK428 V8 17th 1581 † Points are allocated solely for the Michelin Endurance Cup and do not contribute to the overall LMP2 Championship standings. Full Le Mans Cup results (key) (Bold denotes pole position; italics represent fastest lap) Year Team Entry Category Class Chassis Model Event 1 Event 2 Event 3 Event 4 Event 5 Event 6 Event 7 Final Standing Total Points 2025 Inter Europol Competition LMP3 Ligier JS P325 CAT LEC LMS 1 LMS 2 SPA SIL ALG * * External links