SUPERCARS ENDURANCE KICKS OFF WITH 28 GT4 ENTRIES

The 2026 Supercars Endurance series season gets underway next weekend at the Algarve International Circuit as part of the Algarve Iberian Racing Weekend, an event that will also mark the opening rounds of Iberian Supercars, the Campeonato de Portugal de Velocidade and the Campeonato de Supercars de España. The opening round once again highlights the sustained growth of the Iberian Peninsula’s leading endurance racing championship, featuring an impressive 28-car GT4 grid and 57 drivers.

Following last year’s intense competitiveness, which produced closely fought races and championships decided at the final corner of the final race, expectations for this season are once again high, with plenty of excitement and on-track battles anticipated throughout the campaign.

Among the favourites will be Mathieu Martins, Iberian Supercars GT champion and winner of the GT and GT4 Pro titles in the now Campeonato de Supercars de España in 2025. The Franco-Portuguese driver remains with Racar Motorsport at the wheel of the Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 EVO, but will now be joined by new team-mate Anton Morsing in one of the most significant changes within the GT4 Pro category.

A similar scenario applies to César Machado, GT champion in the Campeonato de Portugal de Velocidade and GT4 Pro winner in both the Iberian and Spanish championships, who continues with Speedy Motorsport and the Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2, now sharing driving duties with young newcomer Tomás Teixeira.

These pairings will undoubtedly be among the frontrunners for overall honours, but several new combinations could also make their mark, including Francisco Mora, who this season is partnered by rookie Rodrigo Almeida aboard the Toyota Gazoo Racing Caetano Portugal Supra.

Young Swede Joel Bergström joins Roberto Faria in Gianfranco Motorsport’s Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4, another pairing expected to challenge near the front.

BMW Motorsport España has undergone a complete driver line-up overhaul, with 2024 champion Jan Durán and series newcomer Eric Gené forming what looks set to be a strong contender for top positions.

Speedy Motorsport will field one of the strongest GT4 Pro operations on the grid, spreading its assault across four cars in the opening round. In addition to the Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2 driven by César Machado and Tomás Teixeira, the Portuguese outfit will also enter another Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2 for Lachlan Evennett and Mees Houben, a special guest pairing that regularly competes in the GT4 European Series and will use the Algarve round as preparation for their European commitments this season.

Pedro Salvador’s squad will also field a Porsche Cayman RS CS for rookies Rúben Costa and Raúl Zunzarren, as well as another Supra GT4 EVO2 for for João Aguiar Branco and Luís Tavares, who impressed during the closing rounds of last season.

One of the most notable additions to the grid is the GT4 debut of Monteiros Competições, with the Portuguese team entering an Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 for Danish driver Louis Leveau and Henrique Moura Oliveira — a former FPAK Junior Team driver stepping up from the GTX class.

Also making their debuts will be young karting graduates Rafael Rajani and Luís Aguiar, who will share a McLaren Artura GT4 run by McLaren Barcelona – SMC Motorsport.

Veloso Motorsport has also strengthened its commitment this season by entering a Porsche Cayman RS CS in GT4 Pro for Philipp Gogollok and former Portuguese rally champion Carlos Vieira, an experienced pairing that could establish itself as one of the benchmark crews in the category throughout the year.

In GT4 Pro-Bronze, Alexandre Areia and Nuno Afonso, class winners in Iberian Supercars, remain loyal to Carlos ‘Ginho’ Rodrigues’ team and the Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2 with which they secured the division title in Iberian Supercars in 2025, once again entering the season as one of the category’s reference pairings.

Meanwhile, NM Racing Team has made significant changes to its driver line-ups, despite retaining the drivers who secured the GT4 Pro-Bronze title in Supercars España last year. Guillermo Aso remains in GT4 Pro-Bronze, now partnered by Mario Pinazo in the Catalan team’s Mercedes-AMG GT4, while Filip Vava moves up to GT4 Pro alongside Uruguay’s Tomás Granzella, also in a Mercedes-AMG GT4.

These crews will face strong opposition from the Toyota Gazoo Racing Caetano Portugal Supras, including Francisco Abreu, who reunites this year with José Carlos Pires - his 2023 title-winning team-mate - as well as the Batina Racing entry, where Orlando Batina is joined by series returnee Nuno Pires.

The Mercedes-AMG GT4 of CV Performance x JP Motorsport is also back and ADAC GT4 driver Kyam Potz will line up alongside Himar Acosta; a strong line that will also be a factor in the battle for GT4 Pro-Bronze honours.

GT4 Bronze is set to be particularly competitive this season, with six crews expected to challenge for top positions. Ricardo Costa, reigning division champion in both the Campeonato de Portugal de Velocidade and Supercars España, remains with NM Racing Team alongside Andrés Prieto, forming a pairing that will contest the full season in the Barcelona-based team’s Mercedes-AMG GT4.

However, Vasco Oliveira - sharing his regular Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 Evo with Spain’s Ivan Velasco - will be a serious contender, as will Luís Calheiro and Paulo Macedo in the Veloso Motorsport Porsche Cayman CS RS, and Borja Hormigos and Héctor Hernández in the Autoworks Motorsport BMW M4 GT4.

Andrius Zemaitis, in a Supra GT4 EVO2 for entered by Nokotech Racing by Speedy, and brothers Miguel and André Nabais, also in a Japanese machine run by Gianfranco Motorsport, will likewise be names to watch in the battle for GT4 Bronze podium finishes.

GT4 Am has also grown in numbers, with four cars fighting for top honours in the division.

Rubén Vaquinhas, winner of the GT4 Am title across all three championships that make up Supercars Endurance in 2025, remains at the wheel of the RV7 Team Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4, technically supported by Gianfranco Motorsport, but will now be joined by newcomer Mico Mineiro, who enters the championship after several years competing in other Portuguese circuit racing categories.

Their main rivals from last season, Smörg and Javier Macias, continue with the Promotion Motorsport BMW M4 GT4 Evo and are determined to secure the titles that narrowly escaped them last year.

Alongside those two pairings, Jaime Sanchis and Alex Wendt in the McLaren Artura GT4 of McLaren Barcelona – SMC Motorsport, as well as Fernando Soares and Miguel Ferreira in the NGT Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4, will also aim to challenge for division honours after stepping up from GTX to GT4 this season.

New features for the season

The 2026 edition will also introduce separate grids for the GT4 and GTC/Touring Car classes, a measure implemented following the strong growth in entry numbers. The change is expected to improve effective track time, enhance race quality and intensify the battles within each category and division.

In addition, to further spread the action, the races will now be held on separate days, with the first taking place on Saturday next weekend at 17:45 and the second on Sunday at 14:05 (UTC/GMT+1).

As always, the races will be broadcast live on DAZN Spanish and DAZN Portugal, as well as on the Race Ready YouTube channel in both English and Spanish, with additional coverage provided by Motorsport TV Deutschland in Germany and Parc Fermé in Italy.

The Algarve Iberian Racing Weekend therefore marks the start of a season that promises to raise the competitive level of Supercars Endurance even further, firmly establishing the championship as the benchmark for endurance racing on the Iberian Peninsula.