CAÇOILO AND VARELA TRIUMPH IN JARAMA RACE FULL OF TWISTS AND TURNS

The first GTC and Touring Cars race of the second Supercars Endurance round, held as part of the Jarama Classic and counting towards the Campeonato de España de Supercars, delivered fifty minutes of intense competition at the Circuito de Madrid Jarama–RACE. Victory eventually went to Gabriel Caçoilo and Máximo Varela, who emerged on top after a race marked by several twists in the fight for the leading positions.

The final result does not fully reflect the story of the race. Daniel Teixeira started from pole position and immediately took control of proceedings with the JT59 Racing Team Hyundai Elantra N TCR, setting a pace that allowed him to keep the opposition at bay for much of the race. However, a clutch problem began to develop as the race progressed and ultimately forced the Portuguese driver to retire with just four laps remaining while comfortably leading.

At the time the Hyundai started to lose performance, Gabriel Caçoilo was enjoying one of the strongest phases of his race. The Portuguese driver had taken over the Chefo Sport by Petrogold Ligier JS2 R from Máximo Varela and was steadily reducing the gap to Daniel Teixeira. The leader’s retirement ultimately opened the door to victory, although the pace of Caçoilo’s recovery already suggested that an intense battle would have unfolded all the way to the chequered flag.

Series newcomer André Ferreira also delivered a very impressive performance. Driving the LOB Motorsport KIA Ceed TCR, he climbed as high as third overall, demonstrating the competitiveness of the Korean-made machine. However, an alternator failure ultimately forced him into retirement when he appeared on course for a strong result on his championship debut.

The battle for the overall podium positions remained alive until the finish. Behind the winners, Ángel Santos and Alejandro Iribas guided another Chefo Sport by Petrogold Ligier JS2 R to second place overall, completing a one-two finish for the Spanish team. Third overall went to Rui Miritta in the Monteiros Competições Porsche 911 Cup after a consistent and error-free drive, which also earned him victory in the Cup division.

Competing on home soil, Ramiro García-Pumarino of Lan GP Racing secured second place in Cup after a solid performance, having dominated the category until a penalty dropped him back. Vítor Costa placed another Monteiros Competições Porsche third in the division.

Chefo Sport by Petrogold completely dominated the GTX category, with Alba Vázquez and last minute arrival Txus Jaio completing the podium and underlining the competitiveness of the Spanish team's Ligier JS2 R package.

The BMW M2 Iberia Cup field once again produced one of the most entertaining battles of the race. FPAK Junior Team drivers Bernardo Passanha and Nathan Corbet eventually came out on top after a closely contested fight between all three BMW M2 Racing entries. Diego Sirgado and Gonçalo Moura finished second, less than two seconds behind the winners, while Francisca “Kika” Queiroz secured third place, crossing the line right on the tail of the second-placed car.

Nicole Drought and Lucas Fothergill finished in a commendable ninth place overall, securing victory in GTX Am for the Protech Motorsport Porsche Cayman GT4 CS.

The second GTC/Touring Cars race of the weekend will take place on Sunday from 13:05 and can be followed live on DAZN Portugal and DAZN Spain. International coverage will also be provided in Germany by Motorsport TV Deutschland, in Italy by Parc Fermé and in Brazil by Braking Zone TV.