GT4 title to be decided in the final race

The opening GT4 race of the Jerez Iberian Racing Festival ended with an exciting battle for victory that was only settled in the closing moments. Tomás Teixeira and César Machado emerged victorious after an intense fight with Rodrigo Almeida and Francisco Mora, while several retirements among the leading contenders for the Campeonato de España de Supercars titles brought significant changes to the standings across the different divisions.

The race, which counted towards the Iberian Supercars, the Campeonato de Portugal de Velocidade and the Campeonato de España de Supercars, began with Francisco Mora defending pole position. However, César Machado attempted to surprise him around the outside at the first corner, setting the scene for a battle that would shape the race.

Further back, Jan Durán suffered a brake failure in the BMW M4 GT4 EVO entered by BMW España Motorsport, triggering a collision involving several cars. The incident eliminated the Batina Racing Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2 driven by Nuno Pires and the SMC Motorsport McLaren Artura GT4 of Luís Aguiar. The retirement of the young Portuguese driver, one of the contenders for the overall GT4 title, ended his hopes of remaining in the championship battle.

Following a Safety Car period to allow the recovery of the cars involved, Francisco Mora and César Machado continued their battle at the front. The race became even more intense after the driver changes, with Rodrigo Almeida returning to the track in second place after serving the handicap incurred in Valencia.

The Toyota Gazoo Racing Caetano Portugal driver progressively reduced the gap to Tomás Teixeira, until the pair engaged in a genuine battle for victory in the closing stages. The Speedy Motorsport driver defended resolutely and held on to the lead until the chequered flag, securing a win that leaves the Campeonato de España de Supercars GT4 title undecided until Sunday's race. The two leading GT4 Pro contenders are now separated by just one point.

Filip Vava and Tomás Granzella, from NM Racing Team, completed the division podium after a consistent performance in their Mercedes-AMG GT4.

These results leave the title fight wide open, with Mora and Almeida having to defend their Campeonato de España de Supercars lead against the challenge of Machado and Teixeira. The final race of the Spanish season will therefore be decisive in determining the category champions.

Alexandre Areia and Nuno Afonso secured an important Pro-Bronze victory following an excellent start that allowed the Gianfranco Motorsport Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2 to gain several positions in the opening stages. Areia also played a decisive role in the second half of the race, delivering a particularly strong stint that consolidated the pairing's advantage and secured the win.

The pairing also benefited from problems suffered by Francisco Abreu and José Carlos Pires. Following contact with Tomás Granzella's NM Racing Team Mercedes-AMG GT4, they gradually lost pace and positions. The Toyota Gazoo Racing Caetano Portugal pairing eventually finished fourth in the division, behind Mario Pinazo and Guillermo Aso, from NM Racing Team, who secured second place, and Diogo Castro, making his first GT4 race appearance, and Andrius Zemaitis, from Nokotech Racing by Speedy, who finished third.

Andrés Prieto and Ricardo Costa secured a hugely important victory in the GT4 Bronze title battle, taking NM Racing Team's Mercedes-AMG GT4 to the top of the division. The result means that the pairing now depends solely on its own performance in Sunday's race to secure the Campeonato de España de Supercars title, putting them in a very strong position ahead of the decider.

Manuel Gião and Vasco Oliveira, in RACAR Motorsport's Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4, finished second, while Borja Hormigos and Héctor Hernández, from Autoworks Motorsport, completed the podium.

Alex Wendt and Jaime García won GT4 Am at the wheel of the SMC Motorsport McLaren Artura GT4, securing their fourth victory in the division this season in the Spanish championship. The pairing delivered a consistent performance and achieved a result that puts them in a very favourable position to secure the Campeonato de España de Supercars GT4 Am title on Sunday.

With their focus also on the Iberian and Portuguese titles, Rúben Vaquinhas and ‘Mico’ Mineiro finished second in Gianfranco Motorsport's Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4. Javier Macías, competing alone in Promotion Motorsport's BMW M4 GT4 EVO, completed the podium, keeping his own GT4 Am title hopes alive.

The second race at Jerez will therefore decide the Campeonato de España de Supercars GT4 titles. Following an opening race marked by incidents, recoveries and a battle for victory that lasted until the final metres, the contenders have one last opportunity to secure championship glory at the Circuito de Jerez-Ángel Nieto.

The second 50-minute race takes place on Sunday, starting at 13:00 local time. The grand finale of the Spanish championship will be broadcast live through Race Ready's social media channels and on DAZN Portugal and DAZN España, allowing fans to follow all the action from the Jerez round.