Carrera 80 Set to Deliver a Stellar Grid at the Algarve Classic Festival

Following two rounds in Spain, Carrera 80 heads to Portugal for the second half of the season, with the Algarve Classic Festival providing the backdrop for the opening round of this new chapter on Portuguese soil. The two races at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve next weekend will feature a grid of touring cars and GT machinery built between 1976 and 1993, promising to be the strongest entry of the season so far and one of the most competitive in the championship’s history.

Among the touring cars in the GR2 category, the Ford Escorts will take centre stage. Manuel Ferrão, one of the standout drivers at the Jarama and Valencia rounds, returns at the wheel of his much-loved ex-Rodam Ford Escort RS1800 Mk2, a model with a distinguished history in the Rally of Portugal.

Portuguese racer Luís Nunes will also be on track with Fandriauto’s Ford Escort RS1600, while experienced British racer Martin Reynolds will campaign a Ford Escort Mk2 from the British Super Saloon racing scene.

Britec Motorsport will field a Ford Escort RS1800 Gr. 2 for Marc Devis and Nick Padmore, two drivers with extensive experience in historic racing. Meanwhile, Mário Raposo and João Oliveira will share the driving duties in a Ford Escort RS2000 prepared by Centro Classico.

However, the Blue Oval’s presence will extend beyond the Escort. Steve Dance, another driver with considerable experience in historic racing, will take the wheel of a Ford Capri RS2600.

The grid will also feature Ross Hyett and Nick Hyett in a BMW 3.0 CSL entered by Pegasus Classic Engineering. The team is the successor to Pegasus Motorsport, which made its mark in single-seater competition during the 1980s, particularly in British Formula Ford and Formula 3.

Completing the GR2 line-up, Rui Moura and António Duarte will bring Keep on Racing’s Volkswagen Golf GTI Mk1 to the Algarve circuit. It is one of the cars with the highest number of entries in Portuguese Carrera 80 races.

In the T-2000 class, returning competitor Portugal's Arlindo Beça and Canadian newcomer John Hawkes will share the driving duties in a Toyota Carina E prepared with support from Veiga Motorsport. An unusual entry that recalls one of Portuguese motorsport’s most popular one-make series from around three decades ago.

The T-MAX category will bring together three very different machines, each with a distinguished competition pedigree. Versatile driver Mike Manning will compete in his Ford Sierra RS500 Cosworth, sporting the iconic livery of the Eggenberger Motorsport Sierras that defined a golden era of Group A touring car racing on the world stage.

Former Spanish GT Championship class winner Fernando Espírito Santo and Le Mans 24 Hours driver Pedro Mello Breyner, two established names in Portuguese motorsport, will share the wheel of a spectacular BMW 635 CSi. This German Group A machine has already brought the pair plenty of success on international circuits and will now make its debut on Portuguese tracks.

Meanwhile, Spanish driver Luís Tojeiro will campaign the Porsche 968 CS prepared by Garagem João Gomes, which made its debut in Iberian competition earlier this year. The model evokes the one-make series organised by Porsche España between 1993 and 1996.

The early 1990s marked the revival of GT racing. True to that spirit, the GT Copa category will bring together three cars from different generations. Richard Plant and William Plant will make their debut in a Morgan Plus 8, lining up against Olivier Muytjens and Brice Pineau in the HY Racing-entered Porsche 911 3.0 RS, and John Dickson and Paul Whight in the Ferrari 308 GTB prepared by Nick Danby Racing, another new addition to the grid.

The Carrera 80 programme features two 40-minute races, each with a mandatory pit stop. Qualifying is scheduled for Friday at 09:35, followed by the opening race at 15:30. The second race will take place on Saturday at 11:45 and will be streamed live on the Race Ready YouTube channel.

Throughout the weekend, the Algarve Classic Festival will take spectators on a journey through motorsport history, bringing together machinery from different eras in a nostalgic atmosphere, accompanied by the unmistakable sound of classic racing engines.

Admission is free for children and young people aged between 3 and 16. Tickets are available via the event’s official website, algarveclassicfestival.org, with several options to choose from.

The ‘Main Grandstand’ ticket provides access to the main grandstand; the ‘Paddock’ ticket includes access to both the paddock and the main grandstand; while the ‘VIP Tower’ ticket grants access to the VIP Tower, the paddock and the main grandstand.