FREE PRACTICE FRENZY AT JARAMA AS BMW ESPAÑA MOTORSPORT TOPS THE TIMESHEETS

Competitiveness ramped up during the free practice session of the Supercars España round, taking place at the Circuito Madrid Jarama – RACE, with three different manufacturers occupying the top three positions and BMW España Motorsport emerging on top.

After Toyota customer teams showed strong form in yesterday’s testing, this morning presented a more balanced picture, hinting at the competitive nature expected at the iconic Spanish circuit.

The duo of Nerea Martí and José de los Milagros, making the most of their track knowledge and delivering a perfect lap at the wheel of the Spanish team’s BMW M4 GT4 (G82), stopped the clock at just 1:36.411. This time eclipsed last year’s benchmark of 1:37.778, set by Pro driver Filip Vava in an NM Racing Team Mercedes AMG GT4.

The Spanish pair left Francisco Mora and Francisco Abreu, in a Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2 for Toyota Gazoo Racing Caetano Portugal, more than a second behind. Third place went to the Racar Motorsport Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4, shared by Mathieu Martins and Roberto Faria, who were just two tenths of a second off the Japanese car.

Series newcomers Nuno Afonso and Alex Areia (Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2, Gianfranco Motorsport) and Miguel Lobo and Orlando Batina (Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2, Batina Racing) fought a fierce battle for top honours in the GT4 Pro-Bronze class, with the historic Porto-based team edging out their rivals by a mere four thousandths of a second.

In GT4 Bronze, the advantage went to the Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 EVO shared by Vasco Oliveira and Francisco Carvalho. Following an off-track excursion in yesterday’s testing, the Racar Motorsport duo bounced back with strong pace in today’s session, beating Ricardo Costa and Andrés Prieto (Mercedes AMG GT4, NM Racing Team) by eight tenths of a second.

Javier Macias and Smörg, driving a BMW M4 GT4 (G82) for Promotion Motorsport, continued their good form from yesterday to lead the GT4 Am division.

Former FPAK Junior Team driers Ruben Silva and Henrique Moura Oliveira put in a standout performance in the GTX class, driving the Monteiros Competições BMW M4 GT4 (F82), beating to the top of the GTX division Alejandro Iribas and Ángel Santos in a Chefo Sport by Petrogold Ligier JS2R by six tenths of a second.

A battle is also brewing for the top spot in the Cup division, featuring the Porsche 911 Cups of Tockwith Motorsports and Monteiros Competições. In this morning’s session, it was Marcus Fothergill who came out on top against Rui Miritta, the two separated by just over a second.

Unfortunately, the Ferrari 430 Challenge from Protech Motorsport, shared by Adam Fawsitt and Pedro Paiva Raposo, will not be able to take part in this contest after an off-track incident forced their retirement from the competition.

In the TC division, featuring Ginetta G40s from the FPAK Junior Team, competitiveness once again reigned supreme, with Diogo Castro and Rodrigo Vilaça reclaiming the top spot by just three tenths of a second.

Qualifying sessions begin at 14:40 and can be followed via the championship’s official Instagram account.