LUCK SMILES ON THE UNLUCKY

The second races of the Iberian Supercars, Campeonato de Portugal de Velocidade and Supercars España were held on Sunday afternoon, and fittingly, it was the morning’s unlucky contenders who emerged victorious.

GT4: ABREU AND MORA BOUNCE BACK TO CLAIM VICTORY IN RACE TWO

After the disappointment of Race 1, Francisco Abreu and Francisco Mora bounced back to claim a hard-fought victory in the afternoon’s GT4 contest, which was split into two very different halves.

The race began on a damp circuit, but as the cars left the pit lane for the grid, it became evident that the track would dry rapidly, with the sun beginning to break through the clouds. As a result, all teams opted to switch from wets to slicks on the pre-grid.

In these transitional conditions, Mora (Toyota GR Supra GT4 – Toyota Gazoo Racing Caetano Portugal) struggled to bring his tyres up to temperature, slipping from pole to third after a fierce opening battle with Mathieu Martins (Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 – Racar Motorsport), who seized the lead, and Filip Vava (Mercedes-AMG GT4 – NM Racing Team).

Martins, the Franco-Portuguese driver, then laid down a rapid pace, building a commanding gap at the front and looking set to take a dominant win.

However, just before the pit window opened, a recovery vehicle became bogged down in the gravel while retrieving the stranded McLaren Artura GT4 of Álvaro Lobera and Gonzalo de Andrés (McLaren Barcelona – SMC Motorsport), prompting a Safety Car which was soon followed by a red flag – wiping out the advantage held by the Aston Martin.

When racing resumed, pit stops commenced immediately, and with a five-second success handicap to serve, the Aston Martin duo dropped back, allowing Abreu and Mora in the Toyota to take control at the front.

In the closing laps, Roberto Faria mounted a charge, but couldn’t find a way past Francisco Mora, who crossed the line 3.5 seconds ahead.

Mark Kastelic and Bruno Pires claimed third overall in a Mercedes-AMG GT4 entered by Lema Racing, also securing top honours in the GT4 Pro-Am Bronze class with a strong showing.

There was also a standout performance from Vasco Oliveira and Francisco Carvalho, who took the GT4 Bronze victory in their Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 EVO run by Araújo Competição.

The only crew to double up with back-to-back class wins were Rúben Vaquinhas and Pedro Bastos Rezende, who once again triumphed in GT4 Am with their Gianfranco Motorsport-prepared Aston Martin.

GTC + TC: DANIEL TEIXEIRA ENDS THE WEEKEND ON A HIGH

Daniel Teixeira claimed victory in the second race of the GTC and Touring Car categories after a fierce battle among several front-runners.

The race began on a wet track, and although conditions improved throughout the 50-minute contest, the surface never dried enough for slicks to become viable.

Duarte Camelo adapted quickest, climbing from third on the grid to take the early lead. He built up a commanding margin in the Porsche Cayman CS, prepared by Speedy Motorsport and shared with Pompeu Simões.

However, the promising run was undone by a 51-second time penalty for a handicap procedure infringement, dropping the duo out of overall contention - although they still won the GTX class.

That opened the door for Teixeira, who avenged his misfortunes from Race 1 by powering his Hyundai Elantra N TCR (JT59 Racing Team) to overall victory, finishing 10.5 seconds clear of the penalised Porsche.

Rui Miritta, still battling lingering issues in his Monteiros Competições-prepared Porsche 911 Cup, brought the car home third overall and claimed the win in the Cup class in front of Marcus Fothergill/Dave Benett and rookie João Castanheira's 911 Cup.

Among the FPAK Junior Team's young hopefuls, Rodrigo Vilaça and Tomás Martins emerged victorious, beating Martim Romão and João Faria. Race 1 winners Diogo Castro and Tomás Gomes rounded out the podium in third.

WHAT’S NEXT FOR THE IBERIAN SUPERCARS

With the season opener now in the books, the next round of the Iberian Supercars Championship will take place at Circuito de Jerez on 13–14 September.

In the meantime, the Supercars España grid heads to Circuito de Jarama from 30 May to 1 June, while the Campeonato de Portugal de Velocidade resumes at the iconic Circuito Internacional de Vila Real on 4–6 July.