Carlos Barbot and Pedro Matos Come from Behind to Win Historic Endurance at Estoril Classics

Carlos Barbot and Pedro Matos took victory in an exciting Iberian Historic Endurance race, bringing the 10th edition of the Estoril Classics to a close.

Rounding off another great weekend of racing at the Estoril Circuit, it was the impressive Historic Endurance grid, in partnership with Liqui Moly, that took to the asphalt of Portugal’s oldest permanent circuit. Forty-five prototypes, GTs and Touring Cars, built up to 1976, lined up on the start-finish straight for a 45-minute race that promised, and ultimately delivered, a final spectacle of speed.

Paulo Lima lined up his Ford GT40 alongside Carlos Barbot and Pedro Matos’ diminutive Merlyn MK4 on the front row of the grid, while the second row was occupied by Alex Collins (Ford GT40) and Laurent Jaspers (Jaguar E-Type).

When the race got underway, Paulo Lima held off Barbot’s attack at the first corner, while Olivier Muytjens, at the wheel of the Shelby Cobra Daytona, climbed from fifth to third to take second place by the end of the opening lap. Further back, positions continued to change, with the entire field putting on an exemplary display despite the intense pace of the opening laps.

With Paulo Lima, Olivier Muytjens and Laurent Jaspers occupying the top three positions, the arrival of the Safety Car, moments before the mandatory pit-stop window opened, shook up the order.

After the round of pit stops and with the order settled, Carlos Barbot and Pedro Matos moved to the top of the standings thanks to a perfect strategy, while Paulo Lima lost ground due to problems with his car. The small British prototype, a former winner of the Estoril 250 km, did not simply manage its lead at the front, but also set the fastest lap of the race on its way to an emphatic victory.

After a strong drive, Carlos Brígido and João Pina Cardoso finished second overall, while also securing a convincing victory in the H-1976 class, with Alex Collins taking third place. In the GTP & SC category, Tom Canning finished behind Alex Collins in the Ginetta G10, unable to repeat the victory he achieved in this race last year after qualifying problems forced him to start from the back of the grid and fight his way through the field from the outset.

Laurent Jaspers and Olivier Muytjens battled for victory in H-1965 all the way to the chequered flag, with the Jaguar driver holding off the pressure from the Shelby. The two cars crossed the finish line just three-tenths of a second apart.

The Porsche 904/6 of Thorkild Stamp and Michael Holden completed the H-1965 podium, despite being some way back and enjoying an entertaining battle with H-1971 winner Manuel Domingues. The ASM Team driver took a solo victory, but enjoyed a lively race on track, with several duels and a number of moments when his Ford Escort RS1600 delighted the large crowd in attendance.

João Diogo Lopes and Filipe Martins finished second on the debut of their Datsun 240Z, while Piero Dal Maso and José Carvalhosa, the pair leading the championship, completed the podium.

In GDS (Gentleman Driver Spirit), Nuno Nunes, at the wheel of a Porsche 911 SWB, made the most of his position on the starting grid, setting a strong pace that allowed him to mix it with more powerful cars without overstepping the mark on his way to victory. João Neves and Francisco Gonçalves, driving a Datsun 1200, finished second, while Rui Bevilacqua and Nuno Veiga, in an Alfa Romeo Giulia Ti Super, completed the podium.

Rui Bevilacqua and Nuno Veiga also won the Performance Index, giving the Alfa Romeo Giulia Ti Super its second victory of the race.

With three major events still to come this year, the Historic Endurance field will return to the track for the Algarve Classic Festival, from 30 October to 1 November, where a record entry is expected for the second consecutive year.