The third round of the Campeonato de Portugal de Velocidade (CPV) and second of the Supercars Endurance (SE), scheduled for the weekend of July (30 and 31), at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve, in Portimão, will mark the return "in force" of international teams and drivers to Portuguese soil.
Entries close only next Monday, but it is already certain, and so far, a grid of quality with GT4, GTC and TCR car is granted for the two races of 45 minutes on Sunday, both with live streaming on Youtube and Facebook channels of Race Ready, the promoter of the event.
The Spanish team SMC Motorsport will be back after a dominant performance in the streets of Vila Real with the McLaren 570S GT4 driven by André Pimenta and Pedro Salvador. The Spanish powerhouse will enter the same pair of drivers that we have seen in the opening round at Jarama. At that time, Fernando Navarrete and Gonzalo de Andrés, in McLaren 570S GT4 number 119, won both races, while Guillermo Aso and Tomás Pinto, in the Gulf-livered McLaren achieved fifth and fourth places.
The "Spanish Armada" will face home racers Miguel Cristóvão/Francisco Carvalho, in the McLaren 570s GT4 of Araújo Competições, as well as Jorge Rodrigues and Patrick Cunha, in the Audi R8 LMS GT4 of Veloso Motorsport.
At the Portimão track, the Mercedes AMG GT4 of the Slovenian team Lema Racing with the young Finnish Elias Niskanen will also be returning - the second driver's seat is still open -, in a car that will always be a frontrunner.
Driving his Porsche Cayman GT4, the Lithuanian, who races under Spanish license, Andrius Zemaitis is returning to the series. He was the GT4 Bronze class winner in the second race of the season-opener in Jarama. At the wheel of a German car will also be the British Chris Hillaby who is debuting in the series with Mental Motorsport's 911 Cup of the GTC category.
The international presence in the Algarve event may not be limited to this as last minute surprises are expected.
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