GTC/Turismos: Jemma Moore impecable en una primera carrera muy movida

GTC/Touring Cars: Jemma Moore flawless in action‑packed first race

The first GTC and Touring Cars race of the Valencia round, counting towards the Iberian Supercars and the Campeonato de España de Supercars, delivered a high‑level spectacle marked by multiple direct battles and several changes of leadership that kept the crowd on edge until the final moments. In the end, Britain’s Jemma Moore, at the wheel of Tockwith Motorsports’ Ginetta G55, claimed an excellent victory.

The race began under the control of Daniel Teixeira, who launched from pole position in JT59 Racing Team’s Hyundai Elantra N TCR and quickly built a comfortable gap over his pursuers. The Portuguese driver looked set to dominate from start to finish, but two Safety Car periods completely erased the advantage he had created. The neutralisations had a direct impact on the second half of the race, as Teixeira carried a ten‑second handicap, forcing him to recover time on track in a tightly bunched field.

After the mandatory pit stops, Guillaume Huber, in Team CDRS’s Ligier JS2R, emerged in the lead, closely followed by Jemma Moore and Teixeira, who remained a threat despite the adverse circumstances. Moore launched a decisive attack on Huber, overtaking the French driver and taking command with authority. Teixeira, meanwhile, maintained strong pace and remained a danger to the leading duo, but a puncture on the Hyundai ended any chance of fighting for the podium, forcing him into the pits and dropping him out of contention.

With Teixeira out of the fight, Moore consolidated her lead to the chequered flag, securing a highly deserved victory. Even with a ten‑second penalty, Huber held on to second overall, while the final step of the podium went to Marcus Fothergill and Dave Benett in Protech Motorsport’s Porsche 911 Cup, who also won the Cup division after a strong recovery drive.

Ángel Lanchares, in Lan GP Racing’s Porsche 911 Cup, secured second place, while Vítor Costa, driving Monteiros Competição’s Porsche 911 Cup, completed the Cup podium. In the division’s podium ceremony, the top two left the first‑place step empty as a tribute to their rival and friend Rui Miritta.

In GTX Am, Emmanuel Gachiteguy stood out in Team CDRS’s Ginetta G55, leading the class with authority and avoiding mistakes in a demanding race. Nicole Drought and Lucas Fothergill secured second place in Protech Motorsport’s Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 CS after a smart and well‑managed performance, while Breno Arruda and António Duarte completed the podium. The TRS Team duo suffered engine issues with their McLaren 570S GT4 but still managed to bring the car home.

In Touring Cars, Mexican debutant Oliver Salazar Mendoza took E2P Racing’s BMW M2 CS Cup to the top of the category, benefitting from a clean, incident‑free race — unlike Daniel Teixeira.

In the BMW M2 Cup Iberia, mirroring qualifying, Daniel Casas once again showed superb form in a dream debut, winning with Promotion Motorsport’s BMW M2 Racing. He managed traffic and tyre wear with maturity throughout the race. Gonçalo Moura and Bernardo Passanha, in one of the FPAK Junior Team BMW M2 Racing cars, finished close behind after a consistent performance, while Kika Queiroz, driving LOB Motorsport’s BMW M2 Racing — carrying five extra seconds of pit‑stop handicap compared to her direct rivals, and ten seconds more than the winning car — completed the podium with a solid drive, finishing ahead of Nathan Corbet and Diego Sirgado in the other FPAK Junior Team entry.

The second race of the programme takes place tomorrow, Sunday, at 11:35 (Lisbon time). It will be broadcast live on DAZN Portugal, DAZN Spain and on Race Ready’s social media channels, with commentary in Spanish and English. Outside the Iberian Peninsula, coverage will also be available on Motorsport TV Deutschland, Parc Fermé (Italy) and Braking Zone TV (Brazil).