Portugal's Óscar Pires and the Italy's Tommaso Lovati will join the Iberian Supercars Endurance for the Estoril season-finale on November 18-20. The Lema Racing pair will drive a Porsche Cayman GT4.
A former employee of Veloso Motorsport in the 2014 and 2015 seasons, and meanwhile already with a degree in mechanical engineering and a professional career in the automotive industry, Pires will now make his official debut as a driver, adding his enthusiasm to the recent experience gained by participating in two previous tests on the Estoril circuit.
"I've already driven with the Porsche Cayman and the car is incredible. In the last laps I could already do 1.54, which is a very good time. So, this testing went well and I'm moralised for the baptism as a driver, aiming to achieve the best possible result. It will be an experience with a view to the future, also because I had planned to participate in the Portimão round, but then for professional reasons I couldn't make it. This race in Estoril may be the preparation for the new season, because I would like to participate in the CPV in 2023," said Óscar Pires.
19-year-old Tommaso Lovati is a promising Italian driver who in the last seasons has been competing in single seaters and this year was going to compete in the ACCR Formula 4 Trophy, organised by the Automobile Club of Czechia, to be held in tracks of Central and Eastern Europe, but the competition, due to Covid and the effects of the war in Ukraine, was postponed to 2023. A race was still run at the Red Bull Ring, in which Lovati added to his two 'pole positions' tail a win and a second place.
"On the weekend of November 20 I will take part in a GT car race for the first time. Although I have already tested it, the Porsche is very different from the formulas, in terms of aerodynamics and power. So, despite the short preparation, I think it might be enough to allow me to finish the race well classified and, why not, even win. In this context and in a historical circuit like Estoril, it would be really good to take home a trophy...," added Tommaso Lovati.
The Portuguese-Italian duo will add value and bring one more competitive car to the already highly-disputed GT4 Pro category, whose titles, both national and Iberian, will be decided precisely at the Autódromo do Estoril.