250km Estoril: Paulo Lima and Ricardo Pereira Win the End of the Season Blue Riband

Paulo Lima and Ricardo Pereira, at the wheel of a majestic Ford GT40, claimed victory in the thirteenth edition of the 250 km of Estoril by Powershield, held at the Autódromo do Estoril. The race brought the curtain down on the memorable 2025 season of the Iberian Historic Endurance, reaffirming its status as an unmissable late-season classic on the international historic racing calendar.

Friday’s qualifying session provided the first clues as to what lay ahead in the feature race of the Estoril Endurance Festival. The three Ford GT40s entered locked out the top three positions, with Portugal’s Paulo Lima and Ricardo Pereira setting the benchmark time, edging out the British pairing of Alex Collins and Martin Stretton. Lining up on the second row was the Ford GT40 of Hipólito Pires, Tiago Raposo Magalhães and Diogo Tavares, alongside the HY Racing Shelby Cobra Daytona – the fastest non-GTP & SC entry and the quickest of the H-1965 runners.

The third row featured two of the strongest contenders in the competitive H-1976 class: Pedro Rezende, in his Porsche 911 3.0 RS and chasing a third consecutive win in this race, and France’s Jean-Jacques Renaut in a Porsche 911 2.8 RSR.

In keeping with the spirit of the three Cs – “No Crashing, No Cheating, No Complaining” – which defines this Iberian competition, the ambition to win this endurance “classic” was evident both on the drivers’ faces and in the efforts of the team crews as, early on Saturday afternoon, forty-five cars assembled on the grid for the traditional Le Mans-style start. With the cars parked at a 45-degree angle against the pit wall and the drivers lined up on the opposite side of the track, the race would begin with a sprint to the cars, setting off for the formation lap the moment the Portuguese flag was waved by the race director.

The eventual winners made a commanding start while, just behind, Alex Collins and Pedro Rezende engaged in a fierce battle for second place—one that was ultimately settled during the first encounters with backmarkers, when the Aurora Motorsport-prepared Porsche moved up to P2. At the front, the leading teams adopted contrasting strategies, while throughout the field the race delivered constant moments of interest, with frequent position changes across the various classes.

The top two positions overall remained unchanged until the first pit stops for driver changes and initial refuelling. It was then that Damien Kohler and José da Rocha climbed into the lead, closely pursued by Alex Collins. The Classic Garage-run Shelby Cobra would, however, be overtaken by the Ford GT40 three laps later, though it would not remain in second place for long: another three laps on, the Portuguese-French duo reclaimed the lead, a position they would hold until the race reached lap 27.

After the pit stops were completed and the race pace settled, Pedro Rezende emerged as the leader, holding a five-second advantage over the Ford GT40 of Paulo Lima and Ricardo Pereira—an advantage that quickly began to shrink. The change of position between the two frontrunners came on lap 33. At that stage, and over the following laps, the blue-oval machine appeared capable of breaking away at the front; however, ten laps later, the gap between the pair had fallen to less than two seconds. On lap 44, the Ford GT40 duo made their final stop, briefly handing the lead back to the Porsche 911 3.0 RS for one more lap before it too headed into the pits for its last visit.

In the final ten laps, the RP Motorsport-prepared Ford GT40 rejoined the circuit in the lead and immediately imposed a relentless pace, building the gap required over its direct rival and sealing the first-ever victory for Paulo Lima and Ricardo Pereira in the 250 km of Estoril by Powershield.

After fifty-eight laps, Pedro Rezende—despite lacking the tools to overturn the outcome—saw his outstanding performance rewarded with a well-deserved win in the H-1976 class. Jean-Jacques Renaut, making his debut in the Portuguese classic aboard a Classic Garage-run Porsche 911 2.8 RSR, claimed third overall and second in H-1976. Bruno Duarte and Filipe Jesus, driving a Porsche 911 3.0 RS, completed the class podium.

In the GTP & SC category, Alex Collins and Martin Stretton finished fourth overall and second in class, while Carlos Barbot and Filipe Vieira de Campos secured third in their Merlyn MK4.

With around fifteen entries, the H-1965 class promised one of the most captivating battles of the entire weekend, bringing together a collection of machines with proven winning pedigree in historic racing—among them Jaguar E-Types, Lotus Elans, Ford Mustangs and Shelby Cobras. Brice Pineau and Oliver Muytjens secured pole position in their Shelby Cobra Daytona, but the HY Racing duo’s race fell short of expectations: they lost two laps and ultimately crossed the line in fourth.

The race was dominated with authority by Damien Kohler and José da Rocha, whose Shelby Cobra even set the pace at the top of the overall timesheets. Fifth across the line in the general classification, they took command of the H-1965 field on the opening lap and only briefly relinquished the lead for seven laps to the returning Shelby Mustang GT350 of Ernesto Silva Vieira and André Castro Pinheiro. Through exemplary race management, the Portuguese pair secured a well-earned third place. Denmark’s Thorkild Stamp and Michael Holden, in their Porsche 904/6, ran consistently close to the front, waiting for an opportunity that never came, but their strong performance was enough to secure second place in the H-1965 class.

The H-1971 category delivered an equally compelling contest. The Alfa Romeo GTAm, which started from pole with Germany’s Henry Wegener at the wheel, surrendered the lead on the opening lap to the BMW 2800 CS expertly driven by local specialists Luís Sousa Ribeiro and Ricardo Pereira. The Bavarian machine held firm at the front for four laps before being overhauled by the spectacular - and quick - Chevrolet Corvette L88 of Pedro Bethencourt, Jorge Nogueira Pinto and Francisco Pinto Abreu. When the “American monster” retired, the Portuguese duo of the BMW returned to the top spot.

Quiet yet efficient, Henry Wegener kept the Alfa Romeo consistently in the leading group before handing over to his young compatriot Finn Gehrsitz for the final stint. The Lexus factory driver in the recently concluded FIA World Endurance Championship set an impressive pace in the closing stages, seizing the lead fifteen laps from the finish and securing a thoroughly deserved victory for the Fernandes Racing pairing. Luís Sousa Ribeiro and Ricardo Pereira claimed a worthy second place, while the father-and-son duo Piero and Guilherme del Maso finished third, albeit two laps adrift. Nevertheless, the pair in the Garagem João Gomes-prepared Porsche 911 2.5 ST had every reason to celebrate, having just clinched the 2025 Iberian Historic Endurance “1000 km Trophy”.

Elsewhere on the starting grid, the battle for victory in the Gentlemen Driver Spirit (GDS) category became clear as early as qualifying: all signs pointed to a direct showdown between the MG B Roadster of Paul Rayment and James Wheeler, and the Austin Mini Cooper S of Dorset Racing, driven by the British trio Ellie Birchenhough, Nick Topliss and Richard Parsons, who secured the fastest time in the timed session. In this duel of British teams, the experienced Rayment and Wheeler ultimately dictated the pace, claiming victory with a comfortable one-lap margin over second-placed Nuno Nunes at the wheel of his Porsche 911 SWB. The diminutive yet fiercely spirited Austin Mini Cooper S completed the category podium.

The contest among these three cars was fiercely fought. The Mini took the early lead over the opening two laps before yielding to the Porsche, prepared by Garagem João Gomes, on lap three. With the teams adopting different strategies, Dorset Racing—a squad with a past that includes an appearance at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the 1980s—reclaimed the lead nine laps later. A deep knowledge of the circuit and confidence in the reliability of his machine allowed Nuno Nunes to move back into first place on lap 27. By then, however, the MG B Roadster duo were already poised to strike, seizing the lead on lap 37 and defending it masterfully over the decisive final ten laps.

Index of Performance: Tourneur Guides His Porsche 356 to Victory

The celebration of the 250 km of Estoril by Powershield concluded in fitting style with the presentation of the Index of Performance award—an exclusive Cuervos y Sobrinos timepiece—to the winner of this unique classification, which is determined not by outright finishing position but by the individual performance potential of each car.

For the second consecutive year, the accolade went to French driver Vincent Tourneur at the wheel of his much-loved Porsche 356 Speedster. Beyond its iconic status, this machine is a true masterpiece of automotive heritage, dating back to 1954 and recognised as Porsche’s first-ever customer competition model.

The podium for the Index of Performance was completed by the British trio Ellie Birchenhough, Nick Topliss and Richard Parsons, whose Austin Mini Cooper S secured second place, while Brazilian driver Fabiano Vivacqua Jr. took third with his Porsche 356 B.