The preparation for the season showdown of the Iberian Supercars and Supercars Jarama RACE, which also counts towards the Campeonato de Portugal de Velocidade, has already begun. However, for now, it seems that keeping tactics under wraps is the chosen strategy at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve
With forty-one cars on a 4.692 km track, traffic was one of the main challenges that all drivers faced during the one-hour session. Many chose to consistently stay on the track, even if it impacted their lap times, rather than risk an incident that could jeopardise the entire weekend.
Nevertheless, some solid lap times were posted, giving an early indication of close competition, as the seven fastest drivers were separated by only seven-tenths of a second. Topping the time sheet was the Veloso Motorsport-run Porsche Cayman RS CS driven by Gonçalo Fernandes and Francisco Mora.
Racar Motorsport ’s José Carlos Pires drove his Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 closest to the quickest duo, finishing the session at just 0.3 seconds behind, making him the fastest in the GT4 Bronze class, outperforming Alberto de Martín and Nil Montserrat in the NM Racing Team’s Mercedes AMG GT4, one of the contenders for the class title in both series.
Their main GT4 Bronze title rivals, Patrick Cunha and Jorge Rodrigues in Veloso Motorsport's Audi R8 LMS GT4 posted the sixth-fastest time, staying within striking distance of the best of NM Racing Team Mercedes-AMG armada.
In the GT4 Pro division, Manuel Gião and Mathieu Martins, also in a Racar Motorsport Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4, led with the eighth-fastest time, closely followed by leaders César Machado and Jan Durán in Speedy Motorsport’s Toyota GR Supra GT4.
Miguel and André Nabais made their intentions clear in the Algarve for the GT4 Am title by setting the fastest time in their division, bringing their Speedy Motorsport Porsche Cayman RS CS up to sixteenth on the timing sheet.
Rui Miritta, who has virtually secured the GTC title in the Iberian Supercars, posted an impressive lap with the tenth-fastest time overall, leading in both his category and division.
Steve Kirton and Henrique Cruz in a Tockwith Motorsports Ginetta G55, dominated the GTX class with the twenty-seventh-fastest time, edging out season newcomers Pompeu Simões and Duarte Camelo in a Porsche Cayman GT4 CS prepared by Speedy Motorsport.
In the Touring Car division, series returnees Beatriz Correia, in a JC Group Racing Team-run Cupra TCR, took advantage of the absence of the JT59 Racing Team Hyundai Elantra N TCR, to post the fastest time, ahead of the FPAK Junior Team’s Ginetta G40 shared by Ruben Silva and Rodrigo Ferreira. However, not everything went smoothly for the Spanish car driver, as she stopped on track near the end with a technical issue.
Another test session will be held later today (15:00), with the official programme starting on Saturday with practice and qualifying, which can be followed on the competition’s official Instagram. The races will take place on Sunday, with the first at 9:00 and the second at 16:55, both broadcast on the series social media channels.
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