POLES DECIDED BY THOUSANDTHS IN GT4

The Autódromo Internacional do Algarve hosted two qualifying sessions defined by the extraordinary competitiveness of the Supercars Endurance GT4 field, as the opening round of the season takes place this weekend.

With 28 cars on track across the GT4 Pro, GT4 Pro-Bronze, GT4 Bronze and GT4 Am divisions, both sessions highlighted the remarkable parity throughout the field, with the leading times separated by mere hundredths of a second. The level of balance displayed in qualifying points towards highly intense and unpredictable races.

QUALIFYING 1

The opening qualifying session was marked by a fierce battle at the front, with the fastest time of the session, a 1m50.331s, set by Mathieu Martins in the Racar Motorsport Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 Evo. The Franco-Portuguese driver edged his closest rival by just 58 thousandths of a second in a session where the top six cars were covered by less than seven tenths.

César Machado, in the Speedy Motorsport Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2, finished only 0.058s behind the 2025 Iberian Supercars champion, while Francisco Mora, in another Japanese machine entered by Toyota Gazoo Racing Caetano Portugal, completed the top three just 0.095s adrift of the leader, underlining the extraordinary competitiveness throughout the session.

José Carlos Pires, also in a Toyota entered by the official team, led the GT4 Pro-Bronze division and finished fourth overall, providing a strong indication of the level within the category. Nuno Afonso, in a Gianfranco Motorsport Supra, followed 0.585s behind, while Batina Racing’s Nuno Pires secured third in class, 1.062s off the division leader.

Vasco Oliveira, driving the Racar Motorsport Aston Martin Vantage GT4 EVO, posted a 1m50.969s to secure sixth overall, demonstrating the strength of the GT4 Bronze field as well. Luís Calheiros, in the Veloso Motorsport Porsche Cayman CS RS, finished second in class, 1.075s behind, while Ricardo Costa placed the NM Racing Team Mercedes-AMG GT4 third in the division.

In GT4 Am, Jaime Garcia imposed the pace in the SMC Motorsport McLaren Artura GT4 with a 1m53.421s lap, outperforming Javier Macias in the Promotion Motorsport BMW M4 GT4 EVO. Ruben Vaquinhas, in the Gianfranco Motorsport Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4, completed the top three.

QUALIFYING 2

The second session proved equally competitive, albeit with different protagonists, as Alexandre Areia imposed himself at the wheel of the Gianfranco Motorsport Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2. The reigning Iberian Supercars GT4 Pro-Bronze champion beat Batina Racing’s Orlando Batina by two tenths of a second, with the latter ending the session as the second fastest GT4 Pro-Bronze competitor.

Tomás Teixeira, for Speedy Motorsport, and Rodrigo Almeida, representing the official Toyota squad, secured the following positions, both making their competitive debut in the championship. They emerged as the fastest GT4 Pro drivers, ahead of Luís Tavares, also in a Japanese-built machine entered by Speedy Motorsport.

Third place in GT4 Pro-Bronze went to Francisco Abreu, from Toyota Gazoo Racing Caetano Portugal, with a 1m51.668s after his initial fastest lap was deleted for exceeding track limits.

In GT4 Bronze, Andrés Prieto delivered an impressive performance aboard the NM Racing Team Mercedes-AMG GT4, setting the sixth fastest time overall and emerging as the quickest Mercedes driver. Héctor Hernández, in the Autoworks Motorsport BMW M4 GT4, finished second in class, while Ivan Velasco claimed third in the Racar Motorsport Aston Martin he shares with Vasco Oliveira.

Rómulo ‘Mico’ Mineiro, in the Gianfranco Motorsport Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4, secured pole position in GT4 Am, leaving Alex Wendt, in the SMC Motorsport McLaren Artura GT4, second by just 0.318s. Smörg, in the Promotion Motorsport BMW M4 GT4 EVO, completed the top three.

RACES — SCHEDULES AND BROADCAST

The first GT4 race of the Supercars Endurance at the Algarve Iberian Racing Festival takes place today at 17:45. The second race will be held tomorrow at 14:05. Both races will last 50 minutes and will be broadcast live on DAZN Portugal and DAZN Spain, with additional coverage available on the Race Ready YouTube channel in Spanish, English, German and Italian.