The SuperCars Endurance Series, Iberian competition that brings together on the same grid cars with TCR and GT4 homologation, advances, next weekend (16/17 October), for the third and penultimate round of the season, this time at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve (AIA), in Portimão, and everything indicates that one of the six championship titles can be delivered already.
In this third round of the season, after Jarama and Estoril, the great news are the debut of the experienced French driver Pierre Arraou, driving his Audi R8 GT4, registered by Milan Compétition, which becomes the 15th team to join the SuperCars Endurance Series and appears as a candidate to discuss the first places in the GT4 Bronze category, and also the participation of a second McLaren. Thus, to the McLaren 570s of Gonzalo de Andrés and Guillermo Aso, current leaders of the GT4 PRO category, the Spanish team SMC Motorsport joins its second car of the British manufacturer, whose drivers’ names have not yet been revealed.
“Without doubt, so far the balance of the SuperCars Endurance is positive, because the progress of the TCR and GT4 proves to be similar, providing very interesting races for the spectators, with no shortage of overtaking and moments of pure emotion. They are not “there goes one” races, since the diversity of characteristics of the different cars allows some to be more effective at a certain point of the track, to the detriment of others, which opens the way for the clashes I mentioned. In this race we already have one more French entry and we know that we will have more news for Jerez. Therefore, we are very happy in relation to the future and the number of drivers and teams asking questions about 2022 is increasing”, said Diogo Ferrão, CEO of Race Ready, one of the promoters of this championship.
In the Algarve, with the two 45 minutes races split between Saturday and Sunday, it is likely that the first title of the season, the GTC category, will be awarded, since the British Jemma Moore, with the Ginetta G50 of Tockwith Motorsport, will only need to score to guarantee the title.
But there will be other reasons for interest at the AIA track, as in the TCR category, with Daniel Teixeira (CUPRA Leon TCR) and Gustavo Moura (Hyundai Elantra N TCR), the first two in the league table, separated by only 6 points, but they will also count with Manuel Sousa’s CUPRA, from TDS Group, that will want to show its progress without problems and Jorge and Pedro Silva’s Audi TCR, which had an excellent performance at Estoril. Balance has been a constant since the start of the SuperCars Endurance Series season, hence Paulo Ferreira, CEO of the TCR Euro Series, has no hesitation in underlining the success of the joining of cars from the two categories, considering:
“The union of the two most important categories of all the national championships spread around the world, as are GT4 and TCR, strengthens the SuperCars Endurance Series, guaranteeing it an unreserved future. This is a formula for success, as seen in this first year, which brings together all the ingredients to continue to grow, in the future, in a sustainable way.
CLASSIFICATIONS
GT4 PRO
1sts, Guillermo Aso and Gonzalo de Andrés, 79 points; 2nds, Nicolas Pino and Marmaduke Hall, 50; 3rds, Stephan Patrick and Romain Monti, 36.
GT4 BRONZE
1ºs, António Coimbra and Luís Silva, 100 points; 2ºs, Andrius Zemaitis, 66; 3ºs, Gabriela Correia and José Correia, 52; 4ºs, Francisco Carvalho and Jorge Rodrigues, 36; 5ºs, Piero dal Maso and Nuno Nunes, 22.
GTC
1st, Jemma Moore, 93 points; 2nd, Haubrey Hall, 50; 3rd, Paulo Sousa, 43; 4th, Francisco Gonçalves, 35; 5th, Pedro Marques, 25.
TCR
1st, Daniel Teixeira, 86 points; 2nd, Gustavo Moura, 80; 3rd, Jorge Silva and Pedro Silva, 33; 4th, Alejandro Cutillas and Luís Cidade, 30; 5th, Manuel Sousa and Luís Silva, 27.
PEUGEOT RACING CUP
1st, Nico Abella, 50; 2nd, Colomina, 36.
TEAMS
1st, Sports & You, 60 points; 2nd, JT59 Racing Team, 50; 3rd, Pro-GT, 44; 4th, P&B Racing, 40; 5ths, SMC Motorsport and JC Group Racing Team, 34.
SCHEDULE SCHEDULE
FRIDAY (15th October)
15:30/17:00 – Free Practice
17:40/17:55 – Qualifying 1
18:00/18:15 – Qualifying 2
SATURDAY (16th)
18:05/18:50 – Race 1
SUNDAY (day 17)
17:20/18:05 – Race 2
