Briston Classic Cup Shines at Autódromo do Estoril

The Briston Classic Cup lit up the Estoril Summer Party by NAPA with a thrilling 60-minute race packed with close competition, made all the more unpredictable by a handicap system written into the regulations. The battle for victory remained wide open right up until the chequered flag at Autodromo do Estoril.

In the end, Cláudio and Lucas Vieira, at the wheel of a Porsche 911 RSR, took overall honours, joined on the podium by Paulo Lima in second place and the pairing of Bruno and Tiago Santos in third.

All three crews were awarded a special prize: a Briston Streamliner Gentleman Driver watch, courtesy of Briston Watches and Importempo.

With a grid boasting around 20 cars spanning four decades of motorsport history, qualifying took place on Saturday. The two Porsche 911 RSRs entered by Serviroad, both running on slick tyres, locked out the front row. The green machine of Cláudio and Lucas Vieira edged out the black Porsche of Bruno and Tiago Santos to take pole position.

The second row was no less eye-catching, featuring Paulo Lima’s stunning Ford GT40 and the highly desirable Bizzarrini 5300 GT shared by Hipólito Pires and Pedro Bastos Rezende — both running on semi-slicks and regulars in Iberian Historic Endurance events. Lining up on row three were the BMW M3 E36 of Diogo Cavaco and Bernardo Almeida, and the Ford Escort RS 1600 of Filipe Nogueira and Carlos Cruz, who elected to race the blue oval classic over the initially entered Lotus 23B.

Sunday brought a bumper crowd to Portugal’s first permanent circuit, and expectations were high for the 60-minute race — especially with a unique prize on offer: a watch symbolising character and taste. To balance the varied machinery on track, a mandatory pitstop with a handicap system was applied. Based on car age and homologation, it added a strategic twist to the contest, with slick-shod cars serving longer stops than those on semi-slicks.

The race delivered in full. From the rolling start, the two second-row machines surged to the front. To the delight of fans, the top four cars staged an intense scrap, while the midfield provided action aplenty for spectators who traded the beaches of the Costa do Sol for the thrill of the track. Paulo Lima quickly built a solid lead, only to see it erased when a Safety Car was deployed to recover the stricken Porsche 904/6 of Thorkild Stamp and José Monroy, stranded in a dangerous position.

On lap seven, Bruno and Tiago Santos hit the front, maintaining the lead for six laps until pitstops began. During that phase, João Santos / José Carvalhosa (Porsche 911 RS) and later Ernesto Silva Vieira (Shelby Mustang GT350) temporarily found themselves at the sharp end.

Benefitting from a shorter stop thanks to the age of his car, Paulo Lima reclaimed the lead after the pit window. However, on lap 19, Bruno and Tiago Santos returned to P1 — only to be hit with a drive-through penalty for an infringement during their mandatory stop, dropping them to third overall and second in class H-1980. As a consolation, Bruno Santos clocked the fastest lap of the race (1:51.833) on the final tour.

With their teammates penalised, Cláudio and Lucas Vieira inherited the lead three laps from the flag, edging out Paulo Lima’s Ford GT40, which still secured victory in class H-1965. The overall win, coupled with first in class H-1980, marked a return to the top step for Cláudio Vieira, following his SevenFriday Classic Cup title in 2024.

A clean and consistent drive from João Santos and José Carvalhosa earned them fourth overall and third in H-1980, ahead of Pedro Melo and Carlos Gagliardi, who debuted their Ford Escort MK2 and impressively finished on the lead lap.

Diogo Cavaco and Bernardo Almeida, in the most modern car on the grid, crossed the line in sixth, claiming top honours in class H-2000.

Filipe Nogueira and Carlos Cruz lived up to expectations in H-1971 with a commanding class win, joined on the podium by Filipe Carvalho and António Carmona, who debuted a Datsun 1600 SSS. François Guerin and Alexandre Almeida, in a Lotus Elan 2+, completed the podium, finishing just ahead of Alex Nabuco and José Carvalhosa, whose gorgeous Alfa Romeo GTAm captivated fans with every pass.

The 2025 edition of the Briston Classic Cup will be remembered as a standout event, backed by a watch brand that fuses elegant French design with innovation and craftsmanship — and featuring some of the most beautiful machinery from the national paddocks in a race that truly delivered on and off the track.

RESULTADO FINAL