SPANISH YOUNG TALENTS STRENGTHEN THE NEW GENERATION OF GT4 DRIVERS IN SUPERCARS ENDURANCE

The 2026 season has welcomed a new generation of young Spanish talent to the Supercars Endurance series, with four ambitious drivers taking their first steps in GT racing and seeking to establish themselves in one of Iberia’s most competitive and demanding motorsport championships.

Coming from different backgrounds, but united by the ambition to develop their careers in GT racing, Raúl Zunzarren, Lluís Mas, Eric Gené and Mario Pinazo represent a wave of talent that has found in the championship promoted by Race Ready the ideal environment in which to develop.

Supercars Endurance – the umbrella name encompassing Iberian Supercars, Campeonato de Portugal de Velocidade and Campeonato de España de Supercars – has continued to grow in recent years, establishing itself as one of Europe’s leading GT racing platforms and driving higher levels of competition among both teams and drivers.

This year, four young drivers from Spain have made their GT4 debuts. They come from different championships and backgrounds, but share the belief that the Iberian series represents a crucial step in their respective careers.

On of them is 17-year-old Raúl Zunzarren, who shares a Porsche Cayman CS RS GT4 entered by Speedy Motorsport with Portugal's Ruben Costa. After making his mark in the Ginetta Junior Championship, he was looking for a series that would allow him to understand the entry-level GT category before taking on international competition. As he explains, “I believe Supercars Endurance is a very high-level championship for making the first step from Ginetta Junior into GT4. Before moving to a GT4 European championship, I wanted to spend a year understanding this new category and gaining experience in it.”

The same approach to progression can be seen in Lluís Mas's career. He drives a McLaren Artura GT4 entered by McLaren Barcelona – SMC Motorsport alongside Alfonso Colomina. After a strong karting career, the 16-yar-old Catalan driver was looking for a championship that would allow him to adapt to the world of GT racing. The challenge has been intense, particularly because of the need to learn new driving techniques and race-management skills. “The change from karting has been quite significant. In a GT4, you have to adapt to many new things: the weight of the car, tyre management, braking, traffic and, above all, endurance racing and working with the team,” he explains.

The most experienced of the quartet, Eric Gené, the 2025 TCR Spain runner-up and now at the wheel of a BMW M4 GT4 EVO run by BMW Motorsport España, has found in Supercars Endurance the ideal environment in which to continue his development. The competitiveness of the grids, strengthened by the presence of almost 40 cars, is one of the aspects that has impressed him most. “The size of the grid is clearly noticeable. In many championships, the grids don't exceed 20 drivers; here there are almost 40. That means you cannot afford to make mistakes and you always have to give your maximum,” said Jan Durán's team-mate, the 2024 Iberian Supercars and Campeonato de España de Supercars GT champion.

The demands of the championship have also been felt by Mario Pinazo, who shares an NM Racing Team Mercedes-AMG GT4 with experienced driver Guillermo Aso. Adapting to the circuits and the pace of Supercars Endurance has been one of his main learning experiences. “The main difference is the step up in level and the demands involved in competing in Supercars Endurance. It is a championship that requires you to be at your best at every moment and to prepare extremely well for every race weekend,” he says.

Despite the differences in their backgrounds, all four drivers agree on one point: the championship has lived up to their expectations and has played a decisive role in their development. For Lluís Mas, the assessment is clearly positive. “We knew it would be a season of a lot of learning because this is my first year competing in cars, but I am pleased with the progress we are making. We will continue working to improve race after race and finish the season as a much more complete driver,” said the young McLaren Barcelona – SMC Motorsport driver.

Raúl Zunzarren shares the same view, highlighting the effort required to keep pace in the GT4 Pro class: “The truth is that the championship is very tough. I am working extremely hard to try to be as high up the order as possible and, by the end of the season, we will continue working to achieve a win with the team.”

Eric Gené, meanwhile, emphasises the importance of competing in an environment where the demands are constant, forcing him to continue developing as a driver. “The championship fully meets my expectations and, in the future, I hope to continue performing at the same level and try to progress race after race,” said the BMW Motorsport España driver, who, thanks to his experience, faces greater pressure to deliver results.

The level of competition that characterises the championship is something that excites Mario Pinazo, who in 2026 is continuing his adaptation to the world of GT racing. “Every race is a huge opportunity to learn, gain experience and continue developing as a driver. We have taken steps forward from race to race and we head into the next rounds with greater confidence and the objective of fighting for the top positions,” concluded the NM Racing Team driver.

The progress of this new generation of Spanish drivers will continue to be put to the test at the next round of Supercars Endurance series, which will take place from 25 to 27 September at Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, where they will have the opportunity to race in front of their home crowd.