The anticipation was palpable at the Autódromo do Estoril as the qualifying sessions for the Iberian Supercars and Campeonato de Portugal de Velocidade unfolded this afternoon. True to expectations, the competition was fierce, with twelve cars posting times within the same second.
Qualification 1 – GT4: Toyota Dominance
In the first GT4 qualifying session, there was an intense duel between two Toyota Supra GR GT4 Portuguese drivers – César Machado from Speedy Motorsport and Bernardo Sousa from Toyota Gazoo Racing Caetano Portugal.
The northern driver set the initial pace, but the Madeira nativa closed in, matching his opponent's time. César Machado ultimately secured his second pole position of the season, leaving Bernardo Sousa seven-tenths of a second behind.
Manuel Gião, driving an Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 for RACAR Motorsport, recorded the third-fastest time of the session but couldn't challenge for the pole position.
Following the 2022 champion were the top two in GT4 Bronze. Stepan Suslov, debuting at the Estoril Autodrome, took pole position by narrowly beating a surprising Bronze driver Luís Pedro Liberal. The Aston Martin Vantage GT4 of Mirage Racing and the Toyota Supra GR GT4 of Speedy Motorsport were separated by just two-tenths of a second, highlighting the competitiveness of the field.
Miguel Nabais drove the Porsche Cayman GT4 RS CS to the GT4 Am pole position, achieving an excellent fourteenth place overall. The Speedy Motorsport driver comfortably beat Javier Macias, who was second fastest in the division in a BMW M4 GT4 from Promotion Motorsport.
Qualification 2 – GT4: Pole Position in the Final Moments
The second GT4 qualifying session was even more intense, with the top twelve separated by less than a second. Once again, the Speedy Motorsport Toyota was in the pole position battle, this time driven by Spain’s Jan Durán.
The Spanish driver seemed poised to replicate his teammate's success but ultimately had to concede to Filip Vava in a Mercedes AMG GT4, who edged him out by just 0.107 seconds near the end, marking his debut as the fastest qualifier in the Iberian competitions.
NM Racing Team performed at a high level in the second qualifying, with Nil Montserrat securing the GT4 Bronze pole with the third-fastest time, an excellent performance that will see him share the second row with Carlos Vieira in a Toyota.
In GT4 Am, another Nabais secured the fastest time, this time André. The Porsche Cayman RS CS driver set the twentieth-fastest time overall, beating Rúben Vaquinhas, who was second in his division in an Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 from Racar Motorsport.
Qualification 1 – Touring/GTC: Battle Between a Cup and a TCR
Rui Miritta and Daniel Teixeira engaged in an interesting battle for supremacy in the first Touring/GTC qualifying session. The Porsche 911 driver from Monteiros Competições, competing in the Cup category, leveraged the power of the German car against the Hyundai Elantra N TCR of JT59 Racing Team, with the two separated by eight-tenths of a second.
Former FPAK Junior Team driver Henrique Cruz, returning to the wheel of a Ginetta G55 from Tockwith Motorsports at Estoril after his debut in Jarama, was the strongest in GTX, leaving Álvaro Vela in a Ligier JS2R from Chefo Sport just three-tenths behind.
Among the FPAK Junior Team youngsters, Rodrigo Ferreira showed the most ease, achieving ninth place with an excellent time of 1:59.676.
Qualification 2 – Touring/GTC: Rematch
In the second qualifying session for these two divisions, the first duel was reprised, but this time Daniel Teixeira faced Tiago Gonçalves in the Porsche 911 from Monteiros Competições.
The Murça native driver, who lost a part from his car during the first qualifying session, significantly improved his time, but the Brazilian Porsche driver managed to fend off the challenge, securing the top spot by half a second.
Jonathan Elsworth, in a Ginetta G55 from Tockwith Motorsports, stood out by being the fastest in GTX, claiming his first pole position in the competition.
Among the promising drivers of the FPAK Junior Team, Henrique Moura Oliveira emerged on top, with the Vila Nova de Gaia driver excited for Sunday's races.
The races will be held tomorrow, the first at 11:05 AM and the second at 4:55 PM (GMT+1). Both can be watched live on YouTube and on television - on A Bola TV in Portugal and DAZN in Spain.
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