Jorge Rodrigues (Audi R8 LMS GT4) and Elias Niskanen (Mercedes-AMG GT4) conquered the pole positions for the two races of Iberian Supercars Endurance season-finale at Autódromo do Estoril.
In the first qualifying, Veloso Motorsport driver Jorge Rodrigues dislodged Bruno Pires (Porsche 911 Cup), the GTC clear leader, from the first place of the grid, in the last moments of the session, in a battle that also involved Manuel Gião (Mercedes-AMG GT4) and, also, José Correia (Mercedes-AMG GT4). Rodrigues was the only one to reach the second 41, leaving good indications about the Audi's potential in this season's finale.
In the GT4 Pro class, Gião had a clear advantage against the Spaniards from SMC Motorsport, Guillermo Aso and Fernando Navarrete, in the McLaren 570S GT4, his rivals in the title discussion, while, among the GT4 Bronze title contenders, Francisco Carvalho, in the McLaren 570S GT4 from Araújo Competição, left the Lithuanian Andrius Zemaitis (Porsche Cayman GT4) with a considerable gap. The same happened, by the way, among the TCR, with Daniel Teixeira (CUPRA TCR) beating Luís Silva (Hyundai Elantra N TCR).
In the last moments of the second qualifying, Finnish Elias Niskanen (Mercedes-AMG GT4), from Lema Racing, set the best time and took the pole position. Leandro Ribeiro, who shares the McLaren 570S GTC class car of Araújo Competição with Álvaro Ramos, had the best time for some minutes, finishing third, but kept, by 30 tenths of a second, the first place in the GTC class ahead of Fabio Mota, who put again Fabela Sport's Porsche 911 Cup on the top of the best times list.
Like his teammate Gião, Niskanen was clearly faster than his Spanish McLaren 570S GT4 rivals, Tomás Pintos and Gonzalo de Andrés, the same happening, as far as the GT4 Bronze class title contenders are concerned, with Miguel Cristóvão, in the McLaren 570S GT4 of Araújo Competição, beating Andrius Zemaitis (Porsche Cayman GT4).
In the TCR class, Daniel Teixeira (CUPRA TCR), given the absence of António Coimbra, who, for professional reasons, did not make the qualifying and started last for Sunday's race, safely secured the first place, even though he could not get, as he wanted, a place ahead on the grid "due to the intense traffic on the track".
QUALIFYING 1:
1º, Jorge Rodrigues (Veloso Motorsport/Audi R8 LMS GT4/GT4 Bronze), 1.41.982
2º, Bruno Pires (Fabela Sports/Porsche 911 Cup/GTC), 1.42.072
3º, Manuel Gião (Lema Racing/Mercedes-AMG GT4/GT4 Pro), 1.42.082
4º, José Correia (JC Group Racing/Mercedes-AMG GT4/GT4 Bronze), 1.42.544
5º, Francisco Carvalho (Araújo Competição/McLaren 570S GT4/GT4 Bronze), 1.43.103
6º, Guillermo Aso (SMC Motorsport/McLaren 570S GT4/GT4 Pro), 1.43.773
7º, Daniel Teixeira (JT59 Racing Team/CUPRA TCR/TCR), 1.43.847
8º, Fernando Navarrete (SMC Motorsport/McLaren 570S GT4/GT4 Pro), 1.44.117
9º, Luís Silva (Sports & You/Hyundai Elantra N TCR/TCR), 1.44.402
10º, Andrius Zemaitis (ProGT/Porsche Cayman GT4/GT4 Bronze), 1.44.825
11º, Álvaro Ramos (Araújo Competição/McLaren 570S GT4/GTC), 1.45.090
12º, Pedro Bastos Rezende (Garagem João Gomes/Porsche Cayman 981 MR/GT4 Pro), 1.45.920
13º, Paulo Oliveira (Veloso Motorsport/Porsche Cayman GT4/GT4 Bronze), 1.48.850
14º, Oscar Pires (Lema Racing/Porsche Cayman GT4/GT4 Pro), 1.49.780
15º, Tomás Pinto Abreu (Tockwith Motorsport/Ginetta G50/GTC), 1.50.887
QUALIFYING 2:
1º, Elias Niskanen (Lema Racing/Mercedes-AMG GT4/GT4 Pro), 1.41.457
2º, Leandro Ribeiro (Araújo Competição/McLaren 570S GT4/GTC), 1.41.887
3º, Fábio Mota (Fabela Sports/Porsche 911 Cup/GTC), 1.41.917
4º, Patrick Cunha (Veloso Motorsport/Audi R8 LMS GT4/GT4 Bronze), 1.42.284
5º, Miguel Cristóvão (Araújo Competição/McLaren 570S GT4/GT4 Bronze), 1.42.350
6º, Tomás Pintos (SMC Motorsport/McLaren 570S GT4/GT4 Pro), 1.42.454
7º, Quique Bordás (Garagem João Gomes/Porsche Cayman 981 MR/GT4 Pro), 1.43.131
8º, Gonzalo de Andrés (SMC Motorsport/McLaren 570S GT4/GT4 Pro), 1.43.251
9º, Alvaro Fontes (Tockwith Motorsport/Ginetta G50/GTC), 1.43.594
10º, Daniel Teixeira (JT59 Racing Team/CUPRA TCR/TCR), 1.44.277
11º, Andrius Zemaitis (ProGT/Porsche Cayman GT4/GT4 Bronze), 1.44.541
12º, Tomasso Lovati (Lema Racing/Porsche Cayman GT4/GT4 Pro), 1.45.369
13º, Gabriela Correia (JC Group Racing/Mercedes-AMG GT4/GT4 Bronze), 1.47.331
14º, Alexandre Fonseca (Veloso Motorsport/Porsche Cayman GT4/GT4 Bronze), 1.47.867
15º, António Coimbra (Sports & You/Hyundai Elantra N TCR/TCR), no time
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