BMW M2 CUP IBERIA GETS UNDERWAY AT JARAMA WITH CLOSELY FOUGHT RACING

The BMW M2 Cup Iberia began its inaugural season last weekend at the Circuito de Madrid Jarama-RACE, and the outcome could hardly have been more encouraging. Integrated into the Supercars Endurance programme, the BMW España-backed competition made its debut with two intensely contested races, minimal gaps between competitors and clear evidence of the BMW M2 Racing’s potential both as a driver development platform for young talents and as an attractive option for Gentleman Drivers.

From the very first laps, it became clear that the one-make trophy’s philosophy was delivering exactly what it had promised. With three cars separated by the narrowest of margins throughout the event, the battle for positions was relentless, highlighting both the drivers’ talent and the teams’ ability to extract maximum performance from technically identical machinery.

The opening race was won by Bernardo Passanha and Nathan Corbet of the FPAK Junior Team, run by BeFast Motorsport. The pair crossed the finish line just 1.9 seconds ahead of team-mates Diego Sirgado and Gonçalo Moura, while Francisca “Kika” Queiroz of LOB Motorsport finished only 2.4 seconds behind the winners. The level of parity was such that the fastest laps recorded by the three BMW M2 Racing cars were separated by less than four tenths of a second.

The second race saw the order reversed. After displaying highly competitive pace throughout the weekend, Kika Queiroz delivered an outstanding second stint, overtaking the #102 car during the mandatory pit-stop window before engaging in a thrilling battle with Diego Sirgado and ultimately guiding the LOB Motorsport-prepared BMW M2 Racing to victory. Diego Sirgado and Gonçalo Moura finished second, while Bernardo Passanha and Nathan Corbet completed the podium.

Drivers finishing on the podium received prize money in each race, with €1,800 awarded to the winner, €900 to the runner-up and €300 to the third-placed finisher. In addition, the 2026 BMW M2 Cup Iberia champion will earn a test drive in a BMW M4 GT4. Thanks to her results at Jarama, Kika Queiroz collected €2,100 in prize money in front of the 20,000 spectators who attended the event over the weekend.

A Promising Beginning

The enthusiasm generated by the opening round extended far beyond the results themselves. Among the drivers, the prevailing feeling was that BMW M2 Cup Iberia had lived up to the expectations built during the months leading up to its debut.

Kika Queiroz was among the most enthusiastic voices at the end of the weekend. The LOB Motorsport driver believes the championship could hardly have started better, highlighting “a competitive grid and a fantastic atmosphere between teams and drivers”. For the Portuguese racer, the series immediately demonstrated “a very high level of competition”, creating “excellent prospects for the remainder of the season”.

Diego Sirgado also left Jarama convinced that the new championship has all the ingredients required for success. The BeFast Motorsport driver stressed that “the launch of BMW M2 Cup Iberia was extremely positive”, pointing to “a highly competitive and evenly matched weekend that demonstrated the potential of this new series”. In his view, the BMW M2 Racing “offers a very interesting level of performance and delivers closely fought racing”, while also providing “a very demanding experience for drivers”.

The project’s growth potential was another aspect highlighted by participants. Gonçalo Moura believes the championship could quickly expand, explaining that “it is a championship that could fill grids in the future”. The young Portuguese driver considers the fact that it is “a one-make series with identical cars” to be one of its greatest attractions, precisely because it enhances competitiveness.

The debut carried special significance for Bernardo Passanha. The BeFast Motorsport driver arrived at Jarama without any previous experience of the BMW M2 Racing but adapted quickly to the new challenge. “It was a demanding start because we arrived at the first race having never driven the car before,” he recalled, adding that he was able to adapt rapidly to “a new championship with plenty of potential”.

The experience was equally memorable for Nathan Corbet. At 17 years of age, he encountered a very different type of car from anything he had driven before. “After this weekend at Jarama driving the M2, I now understand why FPAK chose this car for the Junior Team drivers in circuit racing,” he said. Despite never having driven a road car, the young driver highlighted that the experience showed him that the BMW M2 Racing “will teach us many things throughout the season”.

The BMW M2 Racing Made a Strong Impression

If the atmosphere in the paddock offered positive indications for the future, what happened on track reinforced that impression even further. The narrow margins separating the three cars at Jarama and the constant position battles demonstrated that the BMW M2 Racing possesses characteristics ideally suited to producing close and competitive racing.

Diego Sirgado believes one of the championship’s greatest strengths lies precisely in the mechanical equality between competitors. “Throughout the weekend we witnessed highly competitive and evenly matched battles,” he observed. The fact that everyone uses the same platform means that “driver talent, consistency and strategy become decisive factors”, and he believes that as the grid expands, BMW M2 Cup Iberia could deliver “some of the most exciting entry-level GT racing available”.

Kika Queiroz shares that assessment. The winner of Race 2 believes that “the BMW M2 Racing is a very balanced car” that allows drivers to run closely together, contributing to “more competitive and exciting races”. The battles and overtakes seen throughout the weekend, she argues, demonstrate that the car possesses the ideal characteristics to “provide great entertainment and showcase driver talent”.

Bernardo Passanha also highlighted the qualities of the German machine. In his view, “the BMW M2 Racing is a balanced and accessible car”, a combination that naturally brings performance levels closer together and creates strong on-track battles. For that reason, he believes it has “all the characteristics required to produce excellent racing throughout the season”.

Gonçalo Moura sees similar advantages. For the Portuguese driver, “the M2 is a car capable of producing very entertaining and hard-fought racing”, both for those driving and for those watching. The fact that everyone competes with identical machinery naturally keeps performance levels close, making the battles even more intense.

Nathan Corbet experienced that reality first-hand. Even on a circuit traditionally considered difficult for overtaking, such as Jarama, the British driver found himself repeatedly defending his position. “The competition was incredibly close,” he recalled, adding that there were moments when he had “to defend my place against the other BMW M2 Racing cars on track”.

The Drivers’ Verdict

At the end of the opening round, the protagonists also reflected positively on their experiences at Jarama.

“I’m very proud that my first victory in motorsport came in a BMW, and I’m excited to see how the rest of the season unfolds,” said Nathan Corbet.

Bernardo Passanha highlighted the progress achieved throughout the event. “From the very beginning I felt comfortable in the car. In qualifying, pole position was within reach, but I caught two cars in the final corner on my best lap. In the first race we recovered from a less-than-ideal start and secured victory. The second race was more difficult, but we still have a great deal to learn about the car and we believe there is significant room for improvement,” he explained.

For Kika Queiroz, victory in the second race was the reward for a weekend of constant development: “We managed to improve throughout the weekend, enhancing our performance session after session and finishing with a victory, which is a very special result for both myself and the entire team. More important than the win itself, I’m pleased that it was a consistent weekend and that we demonstrated we have the potential to fight at the front throughout the championship.”

Diego Sirgado believes the team leaves Jarama stronger than ever. “The overall outcome is clearly positive. We were competitive from the first session and demonstrated very strong pace throughout the weekend. We leave Jarama confident in both the team’s and the car’s potential. We showed speed, consistency and the ability to fight for victories, which gives us great motivation heading into the next rounds of the season,” he said.

Gonçalo Moura valued the experience gained at the wheel of a car that was entirely new to him: “This first weekend at Jarama was above all a learning experience. I didn’t know the car, the tyres or the circuit. It was a genuine challenge. I was able to complete important mileage and gain a much better understanding of how the car works. Now we want to apply everything we have learned at the next race.”

Following a highly promising debut at Jarama, BMW M2 Cup Iberia will return to action from 25 to 27 September at Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, where the protagonists of BMW España’s new one-make championship will once again go head-to-head in a season that has begun under the banner of competitiveness and close racing, with an even larger grid already expected.