César Machado and Jan Durán dominated the Qualifying sessions for the Campeonato de Portugal de Velocidade season finale at the Autódromo do Estoril.
GT4 – Advantage for Machado/Durán
César Machado displayed impressive form during the session that determined the starting grid for the first race, securing his fifth pole position of the season by narrowly outpacing Manuel Gião and Gonçalo Fernandes by just over a tenth of a second.
All three drivers are in contention for this year’s crown, with the Porsche driver supporting his teammate Francisco Mora’s title bid. However, Speedy Motorsport’s recruit took a crucial step toward the championship by placing his Toyota GR Supra GT4 on pole, earning an additional point.
The Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 driver from Racar Motorsport and the Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 driver could only minimise their losses, with a mere fourteen-thousandths of a second separating them.
José Carlos Pires was unstoppable in the GT4 Bronze category, claiming pole with the fifth-fastest time overall in Racar Motorsport's Aston Martin, just behind series newcomer Giacomo Pedrini (Lema Racing Mercedes AMG GT4), who qualified fourth.
Jorge Rodrigues, already crowned division champion, finished seventh in Veloso Motorsport's Audi R8 LMS GT4. Miguel Nabais delivered an outstanding performance in Speedy Motorsport's Porsche 718 Cayman GT4, clinching the GT4 Am pole and earning the first of 21 points he and his brother need to claim the division title.
The second qualifying session mirrored the first, with the same three cars leading, though with different drivers.
Jan Durán made an explosive start, setting an unbeatable time to secure another pole position and a vital point for himself and César Machado, bringing them closer to the 2024 Portuguese Speed Championship crown.
Mathieu Martins, like teammate Manuel Gião, secured a front-row start but was three-tenths behind, highlighting Durán’s exceptional performance for Speedy Motorsport.
Racar Motorsport's driver comfortably held off Francisco Mora, leaving him over two-tenths behind. Mora, in turn, had to fend off Orlando Batina, who, increasingly at ease with Batina Racing’s Toyota GR Supra GT4, achieved an impressive fourth place.
In GT4 Bronze, Patrick Cunha seized pole in the second session, driving Veloso Motorsport’s Audi R8 LMS GT4 to eighth place overall. He edged out José Carlos Pires by just 0.034 seconds, illustrating the session's competitiveness.
André Nabais followed in his brother’s footsteps, securing GT4 Am pole with the eleventh-best time, bringing the duo within 19 points of the division title.
Touring Cars – Teixeira Bounces Back
Daniel Teixeira overcame a challenging start to the weekend to claim pole in both qualifying sessions for the Touring Cars and TCR categories, even if the JT59 Racing Team faced some technical glitches in the second session.
In the first session, José Correia couldn’t match the Hyundai Elantra N TCR driver from JT59 Racing Team, placing his JC Group Racing Team Cupra TCR second.
Among the young FPAK Junior Team drivers, Rodrigo Ferreira outperformed João Oliveira, his closest title rival, earning another point and extending his lead to four.
In the second session, Beatriz Correia took over the Cupra TCR and secured second place but was unable to challenge Teixeira’s dominance.
In the TC class, Henrique Ventura Oliveira’s pole was vital as he teams up with João Oliveira, adding a crucial point to Oliveira’s title fight against Rodrigo Ferreira.
GTC – Miritta Faces Posser’s Challenge
Rui Miritta found a strong opponent in João Posser during the Cup division battle, with each driver claiming a division pole. This rivalry promises an exciting duel in Sunday’s races.
In GTX, favourites for the title missed out on pole positions. Duarte Camelo’s blistering pace in Speedy Motorsport’s Porsche Cayman GT4 won the first, leaving title contenders Andrius Zemaitis and Tomás Pinto Abreu trailing.
The second session saw Henrique Cruz’s Ginetta G55 from Tockwith Motorsports take the top spot for the second consecutive event, earning a potentially decisive point in his title bid. Zemaitis secured second, while British gentleman Simon Moore, sharing a Ginetta G50 with local Tomás Pinto Abreu, managed only fourth, also beaten by Pompeu Simões in Duarte Camelo’s Porsche.
Sunday’s races will be streamed live on Race Ready’s Facebook and YouTube channels, starting at 10:15 and 13:50.
Comments