Lema Racing will be participating this year with a third car throughout the Iberian Supercars and Campeonato de Portugal de Velocidade season, entering an Audi R8 LMS GT4 for Portuguese duo Bruno Pires and Duarte Pinto Coelho.
Lema Racing has assembled a duo that combines experience with youth. 2022 GTC Champion Bruno Pires, is a driver familiar with the championship who has driven a variety of cars, from Porsches like the 911 Cup and 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport, to the Ginetta G55 GT4 he predominantly raced last season.
Teammate Duarte Pinto Coelho is a young talent who excelled in karting – he is the Portuguese Karting Champion, winner of the Portuguese Karting Cup and the Portuguese Karting Open, consistently performing in the Junior and 2020 classes. Last year, he was part of the FPAK Junior Team, where he showcased his skills in the nimble Ginetta G40, proving to be a talent for the future.
“My aim is always to do my best. As the more experienced of the two drivers, I’ll try to help Duarte show all his talent – I’ll do with him what I’d like him to do with my son one day. The championship is very strong, but I believe we’ll make a competitive duo and we have the means to be fast and consistent at Lema Racing and Audi. We’re going into each weekend with the intention of fighting for the podium, we know it won’t be easy, but we’re going to give it our all”, said Bruno Pires.
“It’s an important leap in my career, having joined the FPAK Junior Team last year, and I’m sure I’ll grow a lot as a driver, as the standard is very high. I’m very excited to be in the most competitive speed championship on the Iberian Peninsula, with a team as strong as Lema Racing! I have a fast and experienced colleague in Bruno and I think we can form a competitive duo at the controls of the Audi. We’re going to do our best throughout the season, which is expected to be very demanding”, ’added Duarte Pinto Coelho, son of Miguel Pinto Coelho, who was the Team Principal and driver of Oasis Motorsport, a team that took part in the Campeonato de Portugal de Velocidade back in the day.
The opening round of the Iberian Supercars and Campeonato de Portugal de Velocidade will be held at the Circuito de Jerez in Spain on 25 and 26 May