The Supercars Endurance’s Campeonato de Portugal de Velocidade concluded last weekend at the Autódromo do Estoril, with plenty of behind-the-scenes chatter, mostly already looking ahead to 2025.
Gracie Mitchell – A Debut Looking Towards 2025
The Iberian Supercars, Campeonato de Portugal de Velocidade, and Supercars Jarama RACE have seen a consistent presence of female drivers, with Spanish drivers Nerea Martí and Alba Cano competing in the Iberian series, while Portuguese sisters Beatriz Correia, and Gabriela Correia, and Great Britain’s Jemma Moore participated sporadically.
At Estoril, there was the debut of a new female driver, Gracie Mitchell, who teamed up with Henrique Cruz to drive a Ginetta G55 for Tockwith Motorsport. The young driver, who had never raced outside the UK, made an impressive international debut, winning the second race of the day in the GTX class.
Gracie Mitchell thoroughly enjoyed the competition and is determined to compete fully in the next season with Tockwith Motorsport.
Visit from Afghan Students
The final round of the Campeonato de Portugal de Velocidade had four very special spectators – four Afghan students.
These young women were welcomed to Portugal when the Taliban regained power in Afghanistan, a fundamentalist religious movement that severely restricts nearly all women's rights, including preventing them from studying.
The four Afghan students attended the event at the Autódromo do Estoril, invited by Portuguese ace Manuel Gião, FPAK Junior Team driver Henrique Oliveira, and Racar Motorsport, and they enjoyed the experience.
Tiago Gonçalves Smitten by the Championship
Tiago Gonçalves returned to compete in the Campeonato de Portugal de Velocidade, teaming up with Rui Miritta in a Porsche 911 Cup run by Monteiros Competições.
The Luso-Brazilian duo, as they had done in their first appearance at Estoril in July, won both races in the Cup division. Tiago Gonçalves expressed great satisfaction with the organisation and the high level of the championship.
The Brazilian driver is now keen to compete in the entire championship, actively seeking a GT4 car to face the 2025 season.
FPAK Junior Team Drivers Eye 2025
In its second edition in the Speed format, the FPAK Junior Team was once again a success, giving young karting prospects their first taste of racing cars throughout a season in which they showed much potential.
Some members from the 2023 team have already made the leap to other categories – such as Duarte Camelo (GTC), Duarte Pinto Coelho (GT4), Lourenço Monteiro (GT4) and Henrique Cruz (GTC) – and this year’s group could follow the same path.
João Oliveira, winner of the TC division in both the Iberian Supercars and the Campeonato de Portugal de Velocidade, along with Henrique Moura Oliveira, Rodrigo Ferreira, Ruben Silva, Henrique Ventura Oliveira, and Gabriel Caçoilo, are all interested in ‘taking the next step’, actively seeking opportunities to move up to GT4 or the GTX division. Henrique Ventura Oliveira had the chance to test the Racar Motorsport Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 at the Autódromo do Estoril this week.
HY Racing Faces a Challenging Debut
HY Racing had a challenging debut in the Campeonato de Portugal de Velocidade with their Porsche Cayman GTS. The Belgian team put a car on track for Bruno Barbaro and Jacques Derenne, and the drivers posted promising times in qualifying among the GTX cars.
However, a seized bearing ultimately prevented them from racing, forcing them to withdraw. Despite the offers of parts and technical support from Speedy Motorsport and Veloso Motorsport, both of which field cars similar to the HY Racing Porsche Cayman GTS, the Belgian team was unable to take part.
Nevertheless, the team, which races in Nordschleife events and is a regular entry in the Iberian Historic Endurance series, remains interested in competing in select rounds of the Iberian Supercars / Campeonato de Portugal de Velocidade in the coming future.
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