Carrera 80: HY Racing Shelby Daytona Claims Double Victory with Perfect Strategy

In Race 1, which brought together the Carrera 80, Group 1 and Mini Trophy fields, timing the pit stop under the Safety Car proved decisive for victory. In Race 2, an earlier stop allowed the team of Olivier Muytjens and Brice Pineau to repeat their win, despite not having the fastest car on outright pace.

Sunday at Jarama was even hotter than the previous day. Nevertheless, the Carrera 80, Mini Trophy and Group 1 runners were the first to hit the track, with track temperatures still at a “mere” 36°C.

The BMW M3 E30 of Paulo Lima and José Paradela lined up on pole position for this 40-minute race. Designed to celebrate 1980s racing machinery, the series also features the Mini Trophy and Group 1 cars, bringing in machines from other eras.

The HY team, with Olivier Muytjens and Brice Pineau, even fielded a Shelby Daytona, which had set the second-fastest time in qualifying, providing a striking contrast to the more angular 1970s and 1980s machinery around it on the grid.

On the formation lap, the Ford Escort RS2000 of João Mira Gomes and Nuno Afoito, which had qualified third fastest, failed to get away cleanly with the rest of the field, dropping the Centro Clássico entry to the back of the 28-car grid.

At the start, the V8-powered Shelby Daytona — the closed-roof, more aerodynamic evolution of the Cobra — appeared to have the upper hand over the four-cylinder M3, but the more technical sections of the circuit restored the natural advantage of the modern suspension setups.

A fierce battle on lap two sent three cars into the gravel: the BMW E30 325 of Jaime Artajo de No/Carlos de Miguel Egea, the Escort RS2000 of Samuel Vidal, and the Porsche 924 of António Reis/José Carvalhosa, triggering the Safety Car. The VW Golf GTI of Hugo Silva and Iván Mateo Álvarez also ended up stranded off track, becoming another of the cars to complete just a single lap.

With 22 minutes remaining and still under Safety Car conditions, several teams opted to take their mandatory pit stop; only nine remained on track, with a further four stopping the following lap just before the green flag returned. These decisions had a major impact on the outcome of the race. While the Shelby Daytona rejoined and began to recover ground, the BMW M3 E30 lost significant time behind the Safety Car.

When the German car completed its pit stop, the American machine moved into the lead with a commanding margin. The Ford Escort RS of Mira Gomes/Afoito was now second, completing an impressive recovery drive after starting from the back of the grid. Closely behind was the Porsche 928 S of Rubén Ferreira and Pedro Gordo.

The BMW M3 of Lima/Paradela dropped to one of the lower positions and began its charge back with ten minutes remaining.

At this stage, an interesting battle unfolded between the Alfa Romeo GT Junior of Félix Ribeiro and the BMW 1600 Ti of Régis Paillardon and François Guerin. Rafael Cerveira Pinto and Armindo Ferreira in the VW Golf GTI were being chased by the VW Scirocco of Nuno Pardalejo and Marcos Ruão, who was still ahead of the Ford Escort RS2000 of Pedro Mello and Carlos Dias Pedro. From the back, the Lima/Paradela crew were climbing again, up to ninth place with two minutes to go, while the two Datsun 1200s of Filipe and Guilherme Gregório and Luís Santa-Bárbara/Manuel Almeida fought hard for class victory.

At the front, nothing changed in the top six: the Shelby Cobra (GT Copa) finished first, the Escort of Mira Gomes/Afoito was second (H81-2000), Ferreira/Gordo took third with the Porsche 928 S (H81-Max), and Cerveira Pinto/Ferreira finished fourth (H81-1600), all winning their respective classes.

The BMW M3 E30 of Lima/Paradela, the fastest car on track (fastest lap: 1:50.662, nearly four seconds quicker than any other competitor), finished seventh and took the T-Max class victory. Rui Moura/Carlos Aniceto won GR2 in the VW Golf GTI. Juan Alonso Borra and José Antonio Zorrilla took T 2000 honours in the Honda Civic. Félix Ribeiro was best in H75-1600, Paillardon/François won in H71-1600, João Neves claimed T 1400 in the Toyota Starlet, and Santa Bárbara/Almeida secured victory in Production Cup.

João Vasconcelos and Rui Castro won H71-1300, while Filipe Ruão and Pedro Ferreira were the best in the Mini Trophy.

For the second race, held on Sunday afternoon during the Jarama Classic weekend, the grid was organised according to the fastest lap from Race 1, meaning the RP Motorsport BMW M3 E30 took pole position, with the Shelby Daytona alongside. The BMW M3 E36 of Killian Revuelta Rodríguez and Gustavo Castro Rodrigues started third, with the Ford Escort of Melo/Dias Pedro in fourth. A total of 25 cars took the start of this second 40-minute race, once again featuring a mandatory pit stop.

After an excellent launch, the Porsche 928 S jumped up to second place (right behind the M3), followed by the Escort of Mira Gomes/Afoito. These two cars would extend their battle over the following laps. The Shelby Daytona dropped to fifth but, by the end of the first lap, had climbed back to third. One lap later, it was already second, its natural position, while up front the M3 E30 was nearly four seconds faster.

Further back, the Porsche 968 CS and the Honda Civic ran together for some time, fighting over ninth place, which was eventually taken by the Japanese car.

The Scirocco of Pardalejo/Ruão was closely chasing the Golf GTI of Pedro Melo/Carlos Gagliardini, overtaking it on lap five; they were now second in the H81-1600 category.

On lap six, the Porsche 928 S and the BMW M3 E36 began an interesting head-to-head battle for fourth place, which continued for several laps. As soon as the pit lane opened, the Shelby Daytona came in for its stop, becoming the first team to do so. It returned to the track in eighth place and began its recovery.

When the leading BMW M3 E30 made its stop, it had to serve an additional handicap penalty due to its slick tyres. It had a 70-second advantage over the Centro Clássico Escort and rejoined in third place, but gradually lost positions, eventually finishing fifth.

The Porsche 928 S team was the last to stop, only doing so on lap 12, with 16 minutes remaining in the race. As soon as that happened, the Shelby Daytona moved into the lead.

Another interesting battle at this stage was the duel between the Datsun 1200 Coupé GX and the Alfa Romeo 1600 GT Junior. The Italian car remained ahead, but had to work extremely hard to keep it that way.

The Jaguar XJS was closely chasing the BMW 325i E36 on track, finally making the move on lap 17. The fight in H81-1600 was at its peak, as the Scirocco eventually caught the Golf GTI of Cabral Menezes/Petiz on lap 16, overtaking it shortly afterwards.

At the front, Muytjens/Pineau controlled the pace with a 50-second lead, taking victory in the second race of the day. The BMW M3 of Rodriguez/Rodriguez finished second, also securing second place in the GT Copa category. Lima/Paradela recovered to third, winning the T Max class.

The Gordo Racing Team took victory in H81-Max with the fast and impressive 928 S. Melo/Dias Pedro in the Escort RS2000 won H81-2000, while Pardalejo/Ruão, with the Scirocco, were deserved winners in H81-1600.

João Neves secured a strong 13th place with the small Starlet and won T 1400. Aficar Team claimed victory in T 2000 with the Honda Civic, Moura/Aniceto once again triumphed in GR2, and Félix Ribeiro delighted Jarama with the Alfa Romeo GT Junior, taking the H75-1600 win. The same could be said of Vasconcelos/Castro with the Datsun 1200 Coupé GX in H71-1300.

Alberto and Henrique Xavier won the Prod Cup, and Ruão/Ferreira repeated their triumph in the Mini Trophy.

It was two races full of excitement and intense moments, a fitting reward for all participants, who behaved impeccably on track.

Carrera 80 series returns to action at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia on 26/27 September.

RACE 1 - RESULT

RACE 2 - RESULT