DANIEL TEIXEIRA DIGS DEEP TO SECURE GTC/TOURING CARS VICTORY

The opening GTC and Touring Cars race of the Supercars Endurance season, held today at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve, delivered wheel-to-wheel battles across all divisions, with Daniel Teixeira ultimately emerging victorious.

The JT59 Racing Team driver, at the wheel of the Hyundai Elantra N TCR and also responsible for the fastest lap of the race, had to work hard for the win after a Drive Through penalty for failing to respect the minimum pit-stop time delayed him during the second half of the race.

Despite being hindered by three Safety Car periods, Teixeira maintained consistently strong pace throughout the contest. Having started from pole position, he fought his way back into the lead in the closing stages, reclaiming first place with the chequered flag already in sight to secure victory in the opening race of the season.

In the GTC championship, more specifically in the GTX division, the Iberian pairing of Máximo Varela and Gabriel Caçoilo steadily climbed through the field in their Chefo Sport by Petrogold Ligier JS2R, eventually finishing second overall, just 5.183 seconds behind Teixeira.

Rafael Lobato and Pompeu Simões, driving the Speedy Motorsport Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 CS, at one stage led the division, but were eventually overtaken during the second half of the race and crossed the line in second place in class. Series newcomer Guillaume Huber, also in a Ligier but entered by the French Team CDRS outfit, secured third place and a deserved podium finish.

GTX Am produced its own intense contest around the Portimão circuit. Breno Arruda and Tiago Loureiro proved strongest in the TRS McLaren 570S GT4, taking the chequered flag sixth overall. Spanish newcomers Santiago Vallejo and Marcos de Jorge, in the Veloso Motorsport Ligier JS2R, finished second in class and eighth overall. Third place went to Ivo Prada and Frederico Castro in another TRS McLaren 570S GT4, allowing the team to place two cars on the division podium in its championship debut.

The Cup division delivered one of the busiest battles of the afternoon. Britons Marcus Fothergill and Dave Bennett brought the Protech Motorsport Porsche 911 Cup home in third place overall, establishing themselves as the fastest pairing in the category. Ramiro Garcia-Pumarino, in the Lan GP Racing Porsche 911 Cup, finished second, 23.426 seconds behind, while Craig Davies and Pedro Raposo completed the podium in another Protech Motorsport Porsche 911 Cup.

Reigning GTC champion Rui Miritta initially led the race, but was eventually forced to retire following technical problems with his Porsche 911 Cup.

Francisca Roby Queiroz, making the BMW M2 Racing’s competitive debut ahead of the launch of the BMW M2 Cup Iberia, completed the race in 17th position overall in what represented an important preparation outing for the LOB Motorsport driver.

The second GTC and Touring Cars race of the Supercars Endurance weekend, counting towards the Iberian Supercars, Campeonato de España de Supercars and Campeonato de Portugal de Velocidade, will take place tomorrow, Sunday 17 May, at 12:50 at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve in Portimão. The race will be broadcast live on DAZN Portugal and DAZN Spain, with additional coverage on the Race Ready YouTube channel in Spanish, English, German and Italian.