Chevron B19 takes pole for the 300km Algarve Sports Cars race

Qualifying for the second edition of the 300km Algarve Sports Cars, the headline race of the Algarve Classic Festival, took place this afternoon, with Kyle Tilley and Phil Keen claiming pole position in their Chevron B19.

Over a weekend when the unmistakable sound of classic racing engines once again echoes around Portimão’s rollercoaster circuit, the event’s showpiece race promises a compelling blend of spectacle, close competition and nostalgia for the Golden Age of endurance racing.

The qualifying session provided a taste of what is to come in the 120-minute, 300-kilometre race, which will feature mandatory pit stops for refuelling and driver changes.

The field will bring together sports cars built between 1963 and 1972, alongside GT and Touring Cars manufactured between 1966 and 1980.

In a battle decided by tenths of a second, Kyle Tilley and Phil Keen secured pole position in their Chevron B19 with a time of 1:50.059. They edged out Marc Devis and Nick Padmore in a Lola T70 Mk3B Spyder, the fastest entry in the H-1972 over 2000cc class.

Last year’s winners John Emberson and Billy Bellinger will start from third place in their Chevron B19, completing the front three. Alongside them on the grid will be the Lola T70 Mk3 Coupé of João Macedo Silva and Diogo Ferrão, the highest-placed Portuguese drivers in qualifying.

Alan Purbrick, David Brise and Edward Morris will line up fifth in a Chevron B16, while James Claridge and James Denty will start sixth in the same Lola T212 that contested the 1971 24 Hours of Le Mans, driven on that occasion by Guy Edwards and Roger Enever.

In the H-1969 class, Joel Hopwood and Oliver Bryant will lead the field in their Chevron B8, ahead of Richard McAlpine and Nigel Greensall, who will once again take the ex-Can-Am McLaren M1B to the track.

Among the GT/TC entries, the Alfa Romeo GTAm cars came out on top. The Ecurie Luxembourg entry, driven by Patrick Wilwert and Philippe Vermast, beat the sister car, prepared by Curated Garage and shared by Volker Hichert and Peter Praller. Ernesto Silva Vieira and António Paquete will line up next in their Shelby Mustang GT350, alongside the BMW 2002 of Michel Welter and Felix Feltes.

Victory in the most prestigious race of its kind in Southern Europe is a distinction in itself, but the achievement will be made even more special by the prize awaiting the winners. Both the overall race winners and the victors in each class will receive an exclusive timepiece, courtesy of event sponsor Briston Watches.