STRONG PACE IN FREE PRACTICE AT JEREZ

The free practice session of the Supercars Endurance in Jerez de la Frontera confirmed the intense level of competition anticipated for this decisive weekend. On a demanding and technical circuit, more than forty cars took to the track at a very similar pace, with minimal gaps separating the leading contenders — a clear indication that qualifying will be fiercely contested.

The morning session served as crucial preparation for this afternoon’s qualifying, where the first key steps towards the Supercars España titles will be defined. Teams and drivers focused their efforts on perfecting their setups for a single-lap attack.

Mild temperatures and a dry track provided ideal conditions for fast laps, and the result was immediate: the GT4 lap record for the circuit, set last year by Jan Duran in 1m51.388s, was comprehensively beaten.

At the top of the timesheets was the Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 of Racar Motorsport, driven by Mathieu Martins and Henrique Ventura Oliveira, who recorded a lap of 1m50.033s. The time confirmed the strong form of the Portuguese duo and strengthened Martins’s bid for the GT4 Pro title in the Supercars España, which will be decided this weekend. The second-fastest time went to the Iberian pairing César Machado and Adrián Ferrer, in the Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2 of Speedy Motorsport, just 0.388s adrift, showing that the team is also firmly in the title fight.

McLaren Barcelona – SMC Motorsport, with Álvaro Lobera and Gonzalo de Andrés, finished third and fastest among the GT4 Bronze entries, confirming the McLaren Artura GT4’s strong performance at this circuit. Just behind came Francisco Abreu and Francisco Mora in the Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2 of Toyota Gazoo Racing Caetano Portugal, also among the title contenders. Close on their heels were José Carlos Pires and Tomás Guedes, in another Toyota from Speedy Motorsport, completing a tightly packed top five that featured three different manufacturers.

José Cautela and Lourenço Monteiro underlined the speed of the Spanish team’s McLaren Artura GT4, setting the sixth-fastest time and leading the GT4 Pro-Bronze class. The Portuguese duo finished just ahead of Guillermo Aso and Filip Vava (Mercedes-AMG GT4, NM Racing Team), Miguel Cristóvão and Patrick Cunha (Porsche Cayman CS RS, Veloso Motorsport), and Nuno Afonso and Alexandre Areia (Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2, Gianfranco Motorsport) — a quartet separated by less than four tenths of a second.

In GT4 Am, there was an intense battle between the Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 of Gianfranco Motorsport, driven by Rúben Vaquinhas and Pedro Bastos Rezende, and the BMW M4 GT4 EVO (G82) of Smörg and Javier Macías, with the British car narrowly edging its rivals by just over a tenth of a second.

Gabriel Caçoilo and series newcomer Himar Acosta, in the Ligier JS2 R of Chefo Sport Petrogold, were the fastest in the GTX category, while the returning Daniel Teixeira, driving the Hyundai Elantra N TCR of JT59 Racing Team, reaffirmed his trademark efficiency by leading the Touring Car field. In Cup, Rui Miritta maintained his dominance with the Porsche 911 Cup prepared by Monteiros Competições, although his closest rivals appear not to have yet revealed their full potential.

Among the FPAK Junior Team drivers, Diogo Castro and João Faria were the quickest, continuing to demonstrate consistent progress at a circuit most of them had only previously seen on television.

Qualifying at the Circuito de Jerez–Ángel Nieto is scheduled for this afternoon, between 13:30 and 14:30, and will determine the starting grids for Sunday’s races.