TALES FROM SCORCHING JARAMA

The second round of Supercars España, held at the Circuito de Madrid Jarama – RACE and forming part of the Jarama Classic, delivered several compelling storylines both on and off the track. Here are a few highlights.

Sportsmanship Among Rivals

In the second qualifying session of the weekend, Rui Miritta and Aubrey Hall in the #125 Tockwith Motorsport Ginetta G55 came together at the end of the main straight – a typical incident in racing when two drivers vie for the same piece of tarmac.

Miritta’s Porsche 911 Cup, run by Monteiros Competições, ended up beached in the gravel with some damage, including a broken damper. The Portuguese squad didn’t have a spare, putting the reigning 2024 GTC Champion’s weekend participation at serious risk.

Marcus Fothergill, entered by Tockwith Motorsports, stepped in upon hearing of the incident. Despite being one of Miritta’s main rivals in the Cup class, he offered up the necessary parts from his own Porsche 911 Cup so the Monteiros family crew could get their car back on track. Fothergill even went as far as to tell Miritta he could share his car if it couldn’t be repaired in time, as he was competing solo.

And so it was. Tockwith Motorsport supplied a replacement damper, showcasing that true racers prefer to win on track rather than benefit from their rivals’ misfortunes. A fine example of fierce competition balanced with genuine camaraderie off the circuit.

Scorching Heat in Jarama

High temperatures were a defining feature throughout the weekend at Jarama, with ambient conditions climbing well over 30°C – and cockpit temperatures reportedly approaching 70°C – placing a heavy physical demand on the drivers.

Some cars even switched into ‘safety mode’ mid-race to protect their engines due to the extreme heat, yet impressively, the drivers continued to perform at a consistently high level despite the brutal conditions.

Even the TV broadcast faced technical issues, with the onboard camera receiver overheating and limiting live footage from the pit lane.

The Stork Arrives at Jarama

Borja Hormigos had plenty of reasons to smile at his home circuit in Jarama – though one in particular meant he missed out on Sunday’s races altogether.

The Spaniard, sharing an Autoworks Motorsport BMW M4 GT4 (F82) with Héctor Hernández, was racing in front of a home crowd at the track where he made his racing debut – and watched his first-ever race as a child.

As if that wasn’t special enough, he and his team-mate claimed pole position in the GTX class during qualifying, in front of their sponsors.

However, another life event was looming large: Borja’s wife was about to give birth. He was on standby throughout the weekend and in the early hours of Sunday, the call came. Hormigos withdrew from the remaining races to be present for the birth of his daughter, Victoria – a more than justified absence.

Lively Paddock Atmosphere

The Jarama weekend was filled with promotional activities, with BMW España, Mini España, and NAPA making full use of the Jarama Classic to enhance brand visibility.

BMW had a sizeable presence in the paddock with dozens of cars, some of which were taken out on track by professional instructors to showcase their performance capabilities. Mini held various driver training sessions across different driving scenarios.

NAPA, in addition to immersing guests in the racing environment, hosted a dedicated area outside the paddock featuring drifting demonstrations.

Gulf Oils was also in attendance, bringing along several dozen guests – a clear sign of how much the Jarama Classic matters to Spanish motorsport sponsors.

With so much on offer, the event drew an impressive crowd, with 18,000 spectators packing into the Jarama circuit across the weekend.

Promising Rookies Make Their Mark

The Jarama round of Supercars España saw a number of rookie drivers make their debut – many of whom impressed from the outset.

Miguel Lobo, more accustomed to classic car racing, partnered with Orlando Batina in the Batina Racing Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2. In his first outing in a GT4 machine, Lobo claimed victory in the GT4 Pro-Am Bronze class.

Colombian driver Andres Prieto also made a winning debut, sharing one of NM Racing Team’s Mercedes-AMG GT4s with Ricardo Costa. The pair topped the GT4 Bronze class in both races of the weekend.

Louis Leveau had his first taste of GT racing with Germany’s CV Performance x JP Motorsport, teaming up with Jonathan Engström in another Stuttgart-built car. The pair put in a strong performance in Race 2, finishing eighth overall and fifth in GT4 Pro.

Spanish outfit Lan GP Racing, debuting in the Cup class with a Porsche 911 Cup, also had a strong start. Drivers Ángel Lanchares and Ramiro García-Pumarino finished second in Race 1 and third in Race 2, despite facing tough competition.

A Two-Faced Machine

Casual observers could be forgiven for thinking there were two separate CV Performance x JP Motorsport Mercedes-AMG GT4s out on track – one gold, one blue. In fact, it was the same car with a striking dual-livery design.

Reflecting the joint effort between the two teams in Supercars Endurance, the German car featured a BAR-style livery (a nod to the Formula 1 team from the late ’90s and early 2000s): gold tones on the right-hand side for JP Motorsport, and metallic blue on the left for CV Performance.

The ‘split-personality’ car showed promising pace. Leveau and Engström were classified 15th overall (7th in GT4 Pro) in Race 1 after a penalty, but came back strongly in Race 2 to take 8th overall and 5th in class, revealing the car’s true potential.