MID-SEASON VERDICT: TV COMMENTATORS WEIGH IN

The Supercars Endurance heads into its summer break after three events in which uncertainty over the winners has been a common thread across all races. We asked the championship commentators to share their views on the season so far and offer some insight into what’s still to come.

At the halfway mark of the 2025 season, the three championships organised by Race Ready – the Iberian Supercars, the Campeonato de Portugal de Velocidade, and Supercars España – conclude the first half of the season showing clear signs of vitality and competitiveness.

The summer break comes after rounds at Algarve, Jarama, and Vila Real, setting the stage for an intense season finale with six races still to go, taking place in Valencia, Jerez, and Estoril.

With large grids and strong technical diversity between cars, close competition has been a hallmark since the opening round.

In Portimão, a record number of entries led to the grid being split, confirming the sustained growth of the project. For Miguel Roriz, commentator for all three series on DAZN Portugal, this was the season’s most telling moment so far: “The vitality of the championship ‘forced’ the organisers to run four races in Portimão, which was impressive,” a sentiment echoed by Adam Weller, international voice of Supercars Endurance: “The fact that the grid had to be split in two was a huge sign of the health of Iberian Supercars in the present day. It was confirmation that the hard work has paid off for the Race Ready organisation.”

The opening race in Portimão left a strong impression. Three different manufacturers battled for victory, with the winners – César Machado and Rafael Lobato, in the Speedy Motorsport Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2 – prevailing by just 0.020s over Mathieu Martins and Roberto Faria, in the Racar Motorsport Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4.

Christian Traginer, the Spanish-language commentator, highlighted this as the first key moment of the year: “There were two races decided by under a second – the first at Portimão and the first at Jarama – both featuring brilliant battles in the closing laps. Although Jarama also delivered a thrilling finish, I have to spotlight the opening Iberian Supercars race, where the top three crossed the line just seven tenths apart. More significantly, the gap between first and second was only twenty-thousandths. Even more remarkable was seeing a Toyota, an Aston Martin, and a Mercedes fighting side by side for the win. It was undoubtedly one of those races that defines a season and is worth revisiting for years to come, because they’re the kind that fuel the passion for motorsport.”

The second round, at Madrid’s Jarama circuit, brought another standout moment, as already noted by the DAZN Spain commentator. The first race remained unpredictable until the very end and altered the course of the season for Nerea Martí and José de los Milagros, in the BMW España Motorsport BMW M4 GT4. “The first race at Jarama... plenty of twists and turns, and a winner that altered the course of the season for the Promotion Motorsport team. It was Iberian Supercars at its unpredictable best,” emphasised Adam Weller.

At Vila Real, rain just minutes before the first race start threw strategies into disarray and raised the difficulty level at one of the most demanding circuits on the calendar. For Traginer, this was another key moment: “The rain, which fell minutes before the start, made life much harder for drivers and engineers. I had never commentated a race at that track before, and I was struck by both the average speed and how close the cars run to the walls. It’s undoubtedly a circuit that doesn’t forgive mistakes, and where the driver’s bravery makes the difference.”

From a sporting perspective, the first half of the season has been marked by the consistency of Roberto Faria and Mathieu Martins, who lead all three championships. The pair has shown strong pace on every type of circuit, but their advantage is slim, and the technical balance among manufacturers – Toyota, Aston Martin, BMW, Porsche, and Mercedes-AMG – keeps the title battle wide open.

Francisco Abreu and Francisco Mora (Toyota Gazoo Racing Caetano Portugal), and César Machado and Rafael Lobato (Speedy Motorsport) – both driving Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2s – remain in strong contention.

Adam Weller highlights the form of the Aston Martin duo from Racar Motorsport but refrains from making any predictions for the remainder of the season: “It's clear that Roberto Faria and Mathieu Martins are in a very strong run of form this year, as they top both the overall standings in both Iberian Supercars and the CPV classification. They look like the obvious favourites, but this series is rarely a predictable affair from start to finish. I think there will be at least one team that has had a fairly anonymous season so far, that are really going to hit their stride and fight for title glory in the final rounds.”

The second half of the season will begin in Valencia in September, followed by rounds in Jerez and Estoril. With six races remaining, all championship standings remain wide open, and external factors could play a decisive role. Christian Traginer is expecting a fiercely contested end to the season.

“On paper, it might seem that Spanish drivers and teams have a slight edge with more Spanish circuits remaining (editor’s note: more rounds in Spain than in Portugal), but the gaps are so tight between everyone that it’s hard to make predictions,” noted the Spanish commentator, who added: “The Toyotas have performed well across all types of circuits and will likely remain strong. But Aston Martin, BMW, Porsche, and Mercedes won’t make things easy for them. Valencia is a circuit where cars tend to run very close together. Jerez in October could bring rain, adding even more uncertainty. Estoril will close out the season – a classic track, well-known to all the drivers, and one that often delivers variable weather. In short, six races that promise excitement and unpredictable results.”

The series now heads into a brief summer break, but anticipation for its return is high. The Valencia Iberian Racing Festival, taking place on the 13th and 14th of September, will mark the beginning of the decisive phase of the season. With a highly competitive field and several teams still firmly in the title hunt, the championship remains wide open. Packed grids, races decided by mere thousandths of a second, and a rare level of technical diversity all set the stage for a thrilling return to action, with the standard showing no signs of dropping.