The Estoril Season Finale by NAPA next weekend will be the decisive event in the Iberian Supercars Endurance, with several contenders for category titles and their respective divisions.
It has been a year of intense competition that now concludes at the Autódromo do Estoril with almost everything still to be decided, clearly showcasing the level of competition that has taken place on the track, with intense battles marking the races so far.
There could hardly be a better stage to end the season and crown the champions than the historic Portuguese circuit, where once again, thrilling races are expected for drivers, teams, and, of course, the audience, culminating in a season where Iberian Supercars Endurance has displayed impressive vitality, featuring new cars, teams, and drivers.
Touring Car Category - An Iberian Duel
The Touring Car category witnessed a season-long duel between Daniel Teixeira, with a Cupra TCR from JT59 Racing, and the duo of Borja Hormigos and Héctor Hernández, with a BMW M240i Racing from Autoworks Motorsport.
The Portuguese, with a more powerful car, won more races — four in total —but faced numerous mechanical setbacks, allowing their Spanish rivals, through consistency, to accumulate points, keeping them in the title race with a twenty-point disadvantage, with fifty-four points still up for grabs—twenty-five for winning each of the races and one point for each pole or fastest lap.
Thus, everything is yet to be decided, although Daniel Teixeira will secure the title if he finishes both races on Sunday in second place, even if Borja Hormigos and Héctor Hernández win both races and secure all available poles and fastest laps.
TCR Division - Teixeira Bags the Title
Daniel Teixeira is already the virtual winner, becoming a two-time Iberian Supercars Endurance - TCR champion!
TC Division - Hormigos/Hernández Are the Top Contenders
In the TC division, there is still uncertainty about who will secure the 2023 title.
Borja Hormigos and Héctor Hernández have had a perfect season—winning all races, securing all poles, and setting all fastest laps in the division. However, two young drivers from the FPAK Junior Team — Duarte Camelo, with 68 points, and Lourenço Monteiro, with 60—still have a remote chance of claiming the title.
However, the BMW M240i Racing duo only needs to score eight points throughout the weekend, which doesn't seem difficult, but as all motorsport fans know well, anything can happen in races...
GTC Category - Five Title Aspirants
Álvaro Ramos and Fernando Soares, in an Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4, have dominated the competition in the GTC category, claiming four victories throughout the season, bringing them to Autódromo do Estoril with 103 points.
However, Marcus Fothergill and Dave Benett, in the Tockwith Motorsports Porsche 911 Cup, already having secured the Cup division title with a victory in the second race in Jerez, have positioned themselves well to challenge the Portuguese duo's dominance.
With 13 points between the two teams, each depends solely on themselves to win the category title, promising an intense battle. However, there are still other contenders eyeing the title.
Tomás Pinto Abreu and Simon Moore, in the Tockwith Motorsports Ginetta G50, with 65 points when there are 54 at stake, can still dream of the title. Still, they'll need a perfect weekend and some difficulties for the two leading duos.
The same can be said for André Nabais and Miguel Nabais, again in a McLaren 570S assisted by Speedy Motorsport, and Stephen Kirton and John Elsworth, in the second Ginetta G50 from Tockwith Motorsport, both with 56 points. Although they have a chance to secure the title, they'll have to do everything right at the Estoril Season Finale by NAPA.
GTX Division - Ramos/Soares the Favorites, but with Three Adversaries Lurking
Álvaro Ramos and Fernando Soares have been dominating the season, having won all six races already contested, in addition to four pole positions and five fastest laps in the division.
However, despite having 109 points and a 29-point advantage over the duo of Tomás Pinto Abreu and Simon Moore, the Tockwith Motorsports Ginetta G50 remains exposed to its pursuers.
A victory or a fourth and a fifth place will be enough for the duo from Araújo Competição's Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 to secure this year's GTX division title. Still, in such a competitive field, anything can happen.
The Nabais brothers, with the McLaren 570S from Speedy Motorsport, and the duo of Stephen Kirton and John Elsworth, with the Ginetta G50 from Tockwith Motorsports, still have a chance to secure the division title. However, they would have to hope that the Aston Martin team doesn't score more than nine points, which seems very unlikely but not impossible.
Cup Division - João Vieira's Absence Gives the Title to Fothergill and Benett
João Vieira, with the Porsche 911 Cup from Garagem Aurora, was in the running for the division title, as he was seventeen points behind the duo formed by Marcus Fothergill and Dave Benett, with the Porsche 911 Cup from Tockwith Motorsports. However, by not showing up for the season finale in Estoril, the Garagem Aurora driver practically handed the title to the British duo.
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