TOCKWITH BATTLES BACK FROM UNCERTAINTY TO SUPERCARS ENDURANCE SUCCESS

After an off-season overshadowed by unexpected setbacks and serious uncertainty over its participation in the opening round of the Supercars Endurance series, held just over a week ago at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve in Portugal, Tockwith Motorsports managed to transform frustration into a display of competitive resilience.

One of the championship’s historic outfits, the British team converted weeks of uncertainty into a result that reflected not only its ability to react under pressure, but also the growing strength of a series that continues to attract drivers, sponsors and international projects.

The increasing interest surrounding Supercars Endurance proved decisive in enabling the Yorkshire-based squad to secure, just before the start of the season, the conditions required to field three Ginetta G55 entries across the GTX and GTX Am divisions - an outcome that had seemed far from guaranteed only weeks earlier.

Team principal Nigel Moore admitted the initial picture had been far less encouraging. “After a successful 2025 campaign, we entered 2026 with very strong line-ups in both GTX Am and GTX. Unfortunately, due to driver injuries during the pre-season and budget constraints, we lost several pairings that we believed were capable of fighting for the titles, which left us in a very difficult position heading into the opening round at Portimão,” he explained.

Faced with that setback, Tockwith Motorsports temporarily found itself reduced to just one confirmed entry. The response, however, came quickly. “After a huge effort, we managed to secure Aubrey Hall’s continuation thanks to the support of his sponsors, forming a competitive pairing in the #125 car alongside Portuguese gentleman driver António Almeida, who is entering his second season with us,” said Nigel Moore, once the youngest-ever Brit to compete at Le Mans-

The line-up for the #126 car also brought positive news for the British outfit. “The #126 marked the return of British pairing Steve Kirton and Jonny Elsworth, two long-standing members of the team, determined to fight for the GTX Am title,” added the Tockwith Motorsport boss.

The final piece of the puzzle came together only days before the Algarve Iberian Racing Festival event. “Then a last-minute opportunity emerged to create a GTX entry with young Portuguese driver Diogo Castro, who partnered Jemma Moore thanks to the support of Invisible Glass and Fresh Scents,” Nigel Moore continued, before summarising the outcome of a turbulent preparation with satisfaction: “We went from one car to three. Everything came together and our full-scale return to the championship was confirmed.”

On track, the team immediately showed strong pace and consistency. Free practice and qualifying underlined the competitiveness of all three entries, although a mechanical issue forced Steve Kirton and Jonny Elsworth’s car out before the races.

In Race 1, Aubrey Hall and António Almeida were running among the leading GTX Am contenders when a suspension failure forced their retirement. Meanwhile, former FPAK Junior Team driver Diogo Castro and Nigel Moore sister Jemma Moore initially crossed the line second in class, only for a post-race penalty following contact on track to drop the pairing to seventh in the division.

Sunday delivered the response the team had been looking for. In a demonstration of resilience and operational efficiency, Aubrey Hall and António Almeida claimed victory in GTX Am, while Diogo Castro and Jemma Moore secured second place in GTX.

According to Nigel Moore, the result represented “the best example of the collective work of the team, drivers, sponsors, family and friends, all united in turning a difficult beginning into a deserved reward”, before concluding: “We still have seats available for the remainder of the 2026 season should anyone wish to join our campaign.”

The next round of Supercars Endurance will take place at Circuito de Jarama on 6–7 June as part of the Jarama Classic event, which will also count towards the Campeonato de España de Supercars.