The official programme for the third round of the Iberian Supercars and Supercars Jarama RACE at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia begins tomorrow, but the track and paddock have already seen plenty of action today.
Team Cooperation
In the first test session, held mid-morning, Keith Gatehouse and Igor Sorokin weren’t fortunate, with the NM Racing Team's Mercedes AMG GT4 suffering engine problems that couldn’t be resolved at the circuit, putting the GT4 AM division pair’s participation at risk.
However, Team VRT, with a second car in their truck, promptly offered their spare Mercedes AMG GT4 to the compatriot team, ensuring the series newcomers, who currently lead the driver standings in the GT4 Am division, could still compete this weekend.
The team led by Jordi Vila, meanwhile, has its usual drivers Salvador Tineo and Luis González in the #48 Mercedes AMG GT4 currently sitting fifth in the GT4 Pro drivers' standings.
Vice-leader out
McLaren Barcelona SMC Motorsport, however, had no solution for the number 27 570S GT4, as Rafael Muncharaz was unable to attend the event due to personal issues.
Before the Valencia round, the Spanish driver was in second place in the GT4 Am drivers' standings, just twenty-three points behind Igor Sorokin and Keith Gatehouse, who lead the division.
Lourenço Monteiro Graduates
McLaren Barcelona - SMC Motorsport hasn't had an easy start to the week, with several setbacks constraining their participation in the Valencia round. Nevertheless, they found a solution for one of their cars.
In the #50 McLaren 570S GT4, Álvaro Gutierrez and Sebastién Merchán were supposed to team up, but the Ecuadorian couldn’t make the trip to Valencia, leaving the Spaniard initially without a teammate.
However, the team, led by Emilio de Villota, found a solution by bringing in Lourenço Monteiro to partner with Álvaro Gutiérrez.
The young Portuguese driver was part of last year’s FPAK Junior Team, and along with Duarte Pinto Coelho, who regularly competes in a Mercedes AMG GT4 for Lema Racing, is one of the first graduates from the Portuguese federation’s programme to compete in GT4.
Valencian Heat Will Be Demanding
As expected, the heat is making its presence felt in Valencia, with thermometers hitting 29°C during the second test session today.
Although temperatures are expected to drop slightly over the weekend, they are still likely to exceed 25°C on both Saturday and Sunday.
With such heat, cars tend to struggle as the engines don’t breathe as well, resulting in power loss, brakes overheating, and tyres becoming stressed. Tyre management could be a crucial factor throughout the weekend.
Drivers will also face increased physical demands, with cockpit temperatures exceeding 40°C, although some cars are equipped with air conditioning.
Friday’s Times Hint at Competitiveness
It’s difficult to draw conclusions from the test times, as many cars run under different conditions – some on new tyres, others on used ones, with some teams choosing to go out with a full tank of fuel, while others opt for lighter loads.
Nonetheless, everyone likes to see the times and gauge who appears to be in a strong competitive position, even if such information isn’t always reliable.
In the morning session, Carlos Vieira, who will line up alongside José Pedro Fontes in the # 99 Toyota Gazoo Racing Caetano Portugal GR Supra GT4, was the fastest, leaving the competition 1.2 seconds adrift. However, between Brazil’s Roberto Faria, the second-fastest in one of Racar Motorsport-run Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4s, and the sixteenth position, there was less than a one-second gap.
In the second session, Spanish ace Jan Durán was the quickest, in the Speedy Motorsport’s Toyota GR Supra GT4, beating Carlos Vieira by just two-tenths of a second.
The top fourteen were separated by only 1.058 seconds, with the top ten featuring cars from five different manufacturers.
Based on today's timesheets, the level of competition over the weekend is expected to be very high, as is customary in the Iberian Supercars and Supercars Jarama RACE series.
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