TALES FROM THE FIERY VILA REAL PADDOCK
- SuperCars Endurance GT4 South
- 15 minutes ago
- 4 min read

The second round of the 2025 Campeonato de Portugal de Velocidade (CPV) took place last weekend with the 54th edition of the Circuito Internacional Vila Real. While the races themselves were thrilling in the historic Portuguese street circuit, the paddock conversations proved just as captivating.
New GT4 Record
On the series return to the streets of Vila Real, the lap record for the GT4 category belonged to Patrick Cunha, who had set a time of 2m02.342s in the second race of 2023 at the wheel of an Audi R8 LMS GT4. It was a solid benchmark. The Braga-based driver had won the race alongside Jorge Rodrigues, and with the sweltering heat experienced over the weekend, beating that time wouldn’t be easy for Veloso Motorsport driver, who this year is driving a Porsche Cayman CS RS.
However, Patrick Cunha’s time was completely shattered in qualifying, with no fewer than eight drivers breaking the previous record – César Machado, Francisco Mora, Roberto Faria, José Carlos Pires, Rafael Lobato, Mathieu Martins, Francisco Abreu, Orlando Batina, and Pedro Salvador. The latter set the fastest time of the weekend, 2m01.174s, establishing a brand new record.
Local ace Rafael Lobato clocked the best lap during a race, with a 2m02.342s, making it clear that CPV drivers were pushing hard both in qualifying and in the races.
Sweltering Heat… with Rain
In the North of Portugal, Vila Real city is well known for its summer heat, and this year was no exception. No one needed a jumper – not during the day, not at night. The heat was intense, with daytime temperatures well over 30°C and overnight lows frequently above 20°C.
Track temperatures at times reached close to 50°C, demanding a herculean effort from drivers, tyres, and cars alike.
Some of the cars were fitted with air conditioning to make life easier for the drivers, but not all systems were working properly. In some cases, the air con units were more for show, with many drivers choosing to switch them off and face the stifling heat – a particularly tough challenge for those with front-engine cars.
Rain also decided to make an appearance during the race weekend, arriving in Vila Real shortly before the first race on Saturday late afternoon. It created chaos among teams and drivers, unsure whether to opt for the safety of wet tyres or the riskier performance of slicks. It was a period of high tension.
Knowledgeable Crowd
As is tradition in Vila Real, the fans turned out in large numbers throughout the weekend, adding colour to the circuit from the grandstands, balconies – some built specially for the event – and fencing along the track.
Both races were held in front of packed crowds, and the spectators’ knowledge of the championship was clearly evident, with something close to a fan club for each driver.
Even so, the local heroes received the most support – Rafael Lobato, Pedro Salvador, and Daniel Teixeira were especially well received by the passionate crowd, something that was also evident during the parade and autograph sessions held at Praça Velha and Nosso Shopping mall.
Paddock Evolution
This year, the CPV featured a new paddock area, located between the Municipal Theatre, which served as the media centre, and Nosso Shopping.
Situated in a relatively flat zone, teams were able to work on and fine-tune their sophisticated machinery in good conditions, proving the new location to be a good solution. The layout also encouraged more interaction between teams and drivers, with the backs of the garages facing one another to create a shared space – ideal for camaraderie and exchange.
On the downside, as with any street circuit, space is limited, making it difficult to accommodate more than 24 cars owing to the constrained paddock area, pit lane space, and the scale of the teams’ operational setups.
Series Returnee Impresses
Nuno Teixeira was one of the standout surprises of the weekend. He struck a last-minute deal with Spanish outfit NM Racing Team on Thursday morning to take part in the race, driving a Mercedes-AMG GT4 alongside Bronze-rated Ricardo Costa.
It was the driver's debut in a GT4 spec car, although he had previously raced at Vila Real in a Ginetta G50 and a Skoda Octavia, and has competed in karting and various occasional motorsport events. Nuno Teixeira impressed by setting the sixth-fastest time overall in his qualifying session – the quickest among the GT4 Bronze competitors.
In the races, he and Ricardo Costa won their division in the first race and finished second in the second.
Nuno Teixeira enjoyed the experience and is keen to continue, although he admitted he will need to secure backing in order to complete a full season in the Supercars Endurance racing series. “The will is strong, but the budget is tight,” said the driver, who made his debut behind the wheel of a Mercedes-AMG GT4, during the opening race press conference.






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