GT4: TITLES DECIDED AT THE LAST MOMENT

The races of the final round of the Supercars Endurance, held today at the Estoril Circuit, delivered drama in abundance, with the titles of the Iberian Supercars and the Campeonato de Portugal de Velocidade ultimately decided at the very last moment.

The Autódromo Estoril hosted the first GT race of the Supercars Endurance season finale - a decisive confrontation for the final standings of both the Iberian Supercars and the Campeonato de Portugal de Velocidade. The contest was marked by crucial incidents and a series of strategic twists that reshaped the title fight right from the opening race of the weekend.

Starting from pole position, Mathieu Martins, at the wheel of the Racar Motorsport Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4, lost two positions at the start, managing to recover one immediately but unable to overtake César Machado, who took the lead in the Speedy Motorsport Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2.

Just behind them, Francisco Abreu made an excellent getaway in the Toyota Gazoo Racing Caetano Portugal GR Supra GT4 EVO2, putting himself in contention for victory. However, after the driver change, Francisco Mora’s attempt to pass João Aguiar Branco in the Speedy Motorsport Porsche Cayman CS RS ended in contact with the German driver and a subsequent retirement — a setback that ended their title challenge in the very first race.

This opened the door for the Veloso Motorsport Porsche Cayman CS RS, driven by Patrick Cunha and series newcomer Hendrik Still, to take full advantage of the situation. Benefiting from consistent pace and, above all, a dominant stint by the German driver, Cunha and Still climbed to the lead and never looked back, securing an authoritative overall win as well as victory in GT4 Pro-Am.

César Machado took second overall and first in GT4 Pro, while José Carlos Pires, in another Speedy Motorsport Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2, completed the podium. Mathieu Martins and Henrique Ventura Oliveira finished fourth, followed by Luís Tavares and João Aguiar Branco in the Speedy Motorsport Porsche Cayman CS RS.

In GT4 Bronze, the highlight went to Gonzalo de Andrés and Álvaro Lobera, who claimed victory in the McLaren Barcelona – SMC Motorsport McLaren Artura GT4, while in GT4 Am, the triumph belonged to Rúben Vaquinhas and Pedro Bastos Rezende in the Gianfranco Motorsport Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4, sealing the division crown in the Iberian Supercars.

Tense and Dramatic Race Decides the Titles

The second GT race of the Supercars Endurance at the Estoril Circuit brought the season to a close in a tense and strategic fashion, definitively settling the titles of the Iberian Supercars and the Campeonato de Portugal de Velocidade in a contest where management, rhythm and racecraft proved decisive.

German driver Hendrik Still, at the wheel of the Veloso Motorsport Porsche Cayman CS RS, made a strong start from pole position and led the early laps, closely followed by Francisco Mora in the Toyota Gazoo Racing Caetano Portugal GR Supra GT4 EVO2. In the opening stages, while Still tried to push despite a 10-second handicap from his morning victory, Henrique Ventura Oliveira, in the Racar Motorsport Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4, and Adrián Ferrer, in the Speedy Motorsport Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2, both worked their way up from 11th and 13th respectively, aiming to place their team-mates Mathieu Martins and César Machado in the best possible position for the championship deciders.

The handicap ultimately proved decisive for Still’s Porsche, which dropped down the order during the mandatory pit stops, allowing Francisco Mora and Francisco Abreu to take control of the race. The Toyota Gazoo Racing Caetano Portugal duo comfortably managed their lead to claim a commanding overall victory.

Mathieu Martins, alongside Henrique Ventura Oliveira, finished fifth overall, with the Franco-Portuguese driver securing the Iberian Supercars GT title, while César Machado, sixth alongside Adrián Ferrer, claimed the Portuguese Championship of Speed GT title as well as the GT4 Pro crown in both series — confirming an excellent season.

GT4 Pro-Am delivered one of the most dramatic finishes of the weekend. Nuno Afonso and Alexandre Areia, in the Gianfranco Motorsport Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2, staged a decisive recovery and overtook the McLaren Barcelona – SMC Motorsport McLaren Artura GT4 of José Cautela and Lourenço Monteiro quite literally in the final corner of the race.

That moment secured them second overall and, more importantly, the class title after a race of great emotional intensity. Fourth place for Bruno Pires and Mark Kastelic was enough for the Portuguese driver to take the class trophy in the national series in the Lema Racing Mercedes AMG GT4.

In GT4 Bronze, Álvaro Lobera and Gonzalo de Andrés, driving the McLaren Barcelona – SMC Motorsport McLaren Artura GT4, finished second in class after another hard-fought race, while Ricardo Costa and Andrés Prieto took the division win in this second race, with the Portuguese driver also claiming the national GT4 Bronze title.

In GT4 Am, Pedro Bastos Rezende and teammate Rúben Vaquinhas once again demonstrated his dominance in the Gianfranco Motorsport Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4, closing the year with another victory in a division where reliability and competitive maturity proved key to success.